Capturing Stories for Use in Evaluation

Capturing Stories for Use in Evaluation

The plural of anecdote is not “data”.  (An unnamed professor)

Every community-based group has success stories.  The stories are usually shared informally over and over again within the group and beyond.  These stories can become part of your evaluation if they are collected and recorded in a standardized way.  The following framework was crafted for the Community-State Partnerships to Improve End-of-Life Care and was modeled Dr. Barry Kibel’s work on using stories as data.  You may need to modify the framework for your use.  The aim is to write up the story in a standard way that captures the impact of your work.

When evaluating learning and successes, it is helpful to capture multiple perspectives so there is a richer understanding of the processes and outcomes.  In order to achieve the greatest benefit from the stories, you may wish to look at many stories collected over time and search for common themes and issues.  We suggest that you:

• Set up a file for each of your project’s intervention foci; review files every few months;
• Choose stories that demonstrate clear success or that reveal how not to proceed;
• Gather stories that are illustrative of how your interventions made a difference or where the result changed the course of your interventions;
• Try to capture multiple stories illustrating success with each of your intervention strategies;
• Conduct an analysis of the stories and replicate the strategies that are most successful. This can be done best if you record common information regardless of the event or person relaying the information. 

Elements of a story

Date_____________   Role of person relaying the story _______________________

Write the story answering as many of the following questions about the details as possible. Be brief and thorough.  (2-3 paragraphs).  Use quotes, as appropriate, to illustrate the key points.  Remember to protect confidentiality by changing the names of ALL participants in the story. 

ü  Which group members were involved in this story?

ü  How did the people in the story come in contact with your program?

ü  What was the involvement with your program? (Include specifics such as dates, event (s), frequency of contact, purpose of contact, time frame of your story.)

ü  What happened?  What was said, done, and/or written that was relevant to the outcome?

ü  What was the outcome?  What changed for an individual, the partnership, or the community as a result of what happened?  (Describe all changes or actions occurring after involvement in the program – may not be a direct link as in cause and effect.)

ü  Does the change seem to be sustainable for the project or the individuals involved?

ü  Is the change likely to trigger additional changes?

ü  What obstacles or challenges were revealed, if any?

ü  How have those involved shared their experience with others?

These are the core elements of a standard story format.  You may also want to look at the additional impact what happened in the story using the follow-up questions on the next page.

Follow-up Questions – After Recording a Story

1.     What insight about processes or outcomes did you gain as you heard or recorded this story?

2.    Describe any action(s) you took based on this story.

3.    What would you do differently based on your reflection about this story?

4.    What would you advise others to do based on what you have learned from this story?

This framework for collecting stories as part of an evaluation was developed collaboratively by:

Sylvia McSkimming, Ph.D., RN, CNAA        and                 Melanie P. Merriman, Ph.D., MBA

Supportive Care of the Dying                                           Touchstone Consulting

Here is an example of a story from Project Compassion in Chapel Hill, NC

Two years ago a woman with breast cancer moved to our community from another part of the country.  She came to Chapel Hill, NC to be near her sister and undergo cancer treatment at an area hospital.  In her former community, she was a well-respected professional with a strong network of friends.  When she arrived here, she realized that aside from her sister’s support, she was alone.  She called Project Compassion.

Partnering with a local faith community, Project Compassion created a volunteer Support Team for her.  Since August of 2003, the 8 members of her Support Team have helped in “innumerable ways”: visiting with her, transporting her to and from chemotherapy treatments, helping with errands and shopping, gathering all types of information for her and serving as her advocate.  They have accompanied her on doctor visits, battened down the hatches when storms approached, celebrated birthdays, decorated and “de-decorated” her home for the holidays.  Just recently they helped her move into a new home.

She says:  “I knew my team would do practical things but I had no idea how important they would become to me.  It’s hard to put into words; in a real sense, they have truly become family to me.”