| September 2005 | Vol. 10 Issue 3 |
It's Impact reporting time again.
And if you haven't done so yet, be sure to enter your Impact statements on the SAM2 Web site soon.
The deadline for educators is September 16.
The deadline for faculty is October 7.
Last year, Agricultural Communication developed a tool to make it easier to revise Impact statements.
The "IMPACT Reporting Feedback" form was useful, but questions arose about how to use it most effectively. This year, Ag Comm editors will use a new and revised version of the form. Let's look at the form and see how you can use it to strengthen your Impact statements.
Suggestions at a glance
The form focuses on five Impact statement sections:
- Impact title
- Issue/Need
- What you have done
- Impact
- Impact summary
Under each section, there are specific questions. This organization provides suggestions for improving your Impact statements at a glance. The easy-to-read form replaces the lengthy, and sometimes confusing, written comments writers received in previous years.
"Elements of an Impact Statement" is a companion to the form. It's a cheat sheet that explains the criteria used to evaluate each section.
What do those circles mean?
Each question on the form has three possible responses.
The response in the middle column always reads, "OK."
If OK is circled, it means you've done a good job in that area and no revisions are suggested.
If the response in the left column is circled, it usually means something is missing.
If the response in the right column is circled, it usually means there is too much information.
An example
So what does all this mean to you?
Let's say you receive a feedback form, and in the "Impact summary" section where it asks, "Does the impact summary make sense to a lay reader?" the reviewer circles the response in the right column: "too complex."
This means the reviewer thinks your impact summary section is too technical for the average reader. Remember, administrators, elected officials, and the general public will be the ones reading these statements, not peers who share your technical training and expertise.
So you could improve your impact summary section by modifying the language you've used. When rewriting, your goal should be to translate your work in such a way that readers with no knowledge about your project can understand it. For example, how would you tell a group of high school students about your project? Chances are, that explanation will sound much different than one you'd present at a professional conference. When in doubt, presume your reader knows nothing about your work.
If the "more needed" response in the left column was circled, that means the impact summary section is probably oversimplified. So you could improve this section by including more detail or being more specific so your readers understand the issue you're discussing.
Other information provided
The "IMPACT Reporting Feedback" form also includes a space for the name of the person who reviewed your Impact report, her or his contact information, and sections for further comments. These comments will offer more specific suggestions, such as strategies you can follow or resources you can consult.
The goal is to make your Impact statements useful and valuable to readers. Following the recommendations on the form casts you and your programs in the best possible light, ensuring a favorable impression on decision makers.
More help will be available
Help with these forms will be available during this year's Professional Development Conference. The editors who work on Impact statements will be available for your questions 9-11:15 a.m. Tuesday, October 18 in 214B Stewart Center.
Quick tips for writing Impact statements
Here are some tips for writing your Impact statements from Cathy Burwell, IRB and reporting coordinator.
- Be brief and readable — delete all extra words
- Don't use "Extensionese" — explain your program in layman's terms
- Use visual language — like stories on the sports page, describe "who's playing," "what happened," the "score," and so on
- Always identify subject matter — don't rely on program titles to describe your efforts
- Avoid vague words — "relatively," "few," "significant," and "many" have no place in Impact statements
- Do not write in first person — "I" should not appear in Impact statements
- Always include the number of people reached — even if your numbers are small, they may be aggregated later
- Omit URLs — avoid saying, "for further information go to our Web site"
- Complete the keywords sections — this allows your Impact statements to be searched for a variety of uses
- Proofread — grammar errors make your statement look unprofessional
Additional Impact statement tips are available in the Impact Primer.
Kevin Leigh Smith, kevlsmith@purdue.edu
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