Making Global Local: Storytelling for Multiple Audiences

USTDA helps developing countries implement sustainable infrastructure that fosters economic growth by funding infrastructure project preparation for host-country private and public stakeholders and by building partnerships with U.S. businesses. The Public Affairs team collaborates closely with the Program Monitoring and Evaluation Office in using evaluation findings to identify stories, and then communicates these stories to multiple different stakeholders, including Congress, U.S. industry, overseas stakeholders, and the public. Thus, any single story needs to resonate with multiple stakeholders and also tell in a culturally sensitive way the human side and social impact of quantitative and qualitative findings, both in the U.S. and abroad. The presentation will discuss how a communications-focused team uses the evaluation data and evidence, approaches to effective communication and collaboration with evaluators, and how to overcome challenges associated with data confidentiality. The presentation will discuss step-by-step how a story is created, and what evaluation tools and techniques are applied to help create stories that influence and inspire.