Report Presentations
Thursday, September 6, 2001
Moderator: Kate Wade, Program Evaluation Director, Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
The session was designed to focus on getting our message out to the legislature. It discussed innovative techniques program evaluation shops are using to get legislators’ attention and how they are training new staff to make effective presentations.
Mr. Chapman described five innovative methods Arizona uses to present audit reports to the legislature:
Contact legislators and staff to discuss concerns or questions. This helps ensure the audit scope addresses the legislative concerns. This initial contact also increases awareness of and interest in the report.
Report Highlights. This is a stand-alone document that was developed out of concerns of whether legislators read the audit reports. The Report Highlights is short and easy to read report that conveys the highlights of the audit. The Highlights are limited to four pages, consisting of a short introductory paragraph, followed by the conclusions, findings, legislative recommendations, and agency recommendations. Photographs, charts, and graphs are used to help make this a visual document. The Report Highlights are always included with a copy of the audit report. Arizona has found that people read the Report Highlights and use the report as a backup document.
Program Fact Sheet. The Program Fact Sheet presents agency data at a program level. The Fact Sheet is limited to one sheet, front and back, and is bound within the audit report. It is a quick, graphical presentation of the budget information collected while performing the audit, including revenue information, personnel information, and facilities information. The program goals are listed and the adequacy of the goals and performance measurements is summarized.
Post-audit meetings with legislators and staff. These meetings are held after the report is published, but before the legislative hearing. This gives the legislators and the auditors a chance to review and discuss the audit report and answer legislative questions in a low-key environment.
Video presentations. This gives a visual presentation of the audit report, rather than a verbal presentation. The legislators have responded positively to this method of communicating the audit report.
Arizona provides formal training in its office to the audit staff. Some of the training provided is Presentations I, Presentations II, and PowerPoint. The audit staff receives opportunities to develop and practice their presentation skills. Presentations are made at bi-weekly staff meetings. For these presentations, preparation is encouraged, practice sessions are held, and the presentations are critiqued. The use of PowerPoint presentations is encouraged.
Mr. Turcotte described the importance of understanding how adults learn and differences in learning preferences.
When presenting information to adults, you must remember that adults lose auditory and visual facility with age. After age 40, physical facilities start to decrease. As most legislators are over age 40, the loss of physical facilities must be taken into consideration through the use of larger fonts, more color, and speaking louder or using a microphone.
A common mistake presenters make is projecting their own learning preferences on the audience. A better approach is to assuage all known learning preferences. Do not let your preferences dominate how you give presentations.
Adults learn differently. Legislators expect high quality presentations from staff and are not very forgiving. A power briefing technique has been effective presentation method: 1. Frame the message by greeting the chair; identifying himself or herself by name and position; stating the duration of the presentation, excluding questions; and describing written materials and cross-references. 2. State the message in the beginning and give an overview. 3. Give point-by-point details by stating the point, then explaining. 4. Answer questions.
Mr. Turcotte also gave some preparation and protocol tips: simulate
with colleagues; view questions as an opportunity, not a burden; seek recognition
from the Chair before responding, let the Chair handle unruly members;
allow officials to finish thoughts before answering; answer "yes" or "no,"
pause, then explain; request the opportunity to furnish facts later if
unable to furnish them during the presentation.