How to Make People Actually Read Your Reports

If you've ever poured months into a beautifully researched evaluation report only to have it die a quiet death in someone’s inbox, you’re not alone. In fact, that was the starting point of our latest M&E Academy webinar: "Making Technical Reports More Engaging and Inclusive." This blog post is a recap of what we explored together, and a gentle challenge to rethink the way you approach reporting.

Why Great Reports Get Ignored

Main reason?

Most technical reports are written to impress peers, not to inform decisions and change behaviour.

Dense language, endless methodology sections, and a lack of emotional connection often make technical reports feel like they were written by robots for robots. But we need these documents to spark reflection, funding, and better programming.

The solution? Communicate with credibility, logic, and emotional resonance.

Aristotle’s 3 Elements of Persuasive Communication

To truly persuade, your message needs to balance:

• Ethos – Credibility: Why should people trust you or your organisation?

• Pathos – Emotion: What feeling are you stirring in your audience?

• Logos – Logic: What facts, data, or reasoning support your message?

What does Aristotle have to do with modern day communictauons?

Well, to truly engage readers (especially non-specialist audience) effective reports must appeal to more than just logic (logos). They must also convey credibility (ethos) and evoke emotion (pathos).

That means balancing solid evidence and technical rigour with storytelling, clear visuals, and relatable human narratives. Most technical reports only rely on logos. However, a report filled only with charts might be factual, but without trust or emotional resonance, it risks being ignored. We need all three elements working together to move people from reading… to caring… to acting.

Here are some key takeaways from the webinar.

Tip 1: Explore Other Creative Communication Formats

During the webinar, we explored creative alternatives to the traditional PDF, because let’s be honest, not everyone is going to sit down with a 40-page document.

Cartoon summaries (yes, actual comic strips!) can break down complex findings in a way that’s engaging, memorable, and even fun. Think of it as your evaluation report meeting your favourite Sunday cartoon. They're especially powerful for reaching youth groups, community stakeholders, or audiences with low literacy levels.

We also looked at interactive webpages, a format where readers can click through visuals, audio clips, and short text segments at their own pace. These are ideal for funders or partners who want the key takeaways without the scroll fatigue.

Tip 2: Lead with Stakes, Not Stats

Example:

• Weak: "Global food insecurity affects approximately 735 million individuals."

• Strong: "735 million people went to bed hungry last night."

Same data. Different impact. Leading with urgency draws people in.

Tip 3: Pair Data With Story

In our session, I shared how a personal story about receiving a grant transformed my own life—and why stories stick when numbers don’t. Evaluation reports that feature stories from program participants, staff, or communities are far more likely to be remembered and acted upon.

Tip 4: Use Inclusive, Clear Language

Writing at a 14-year-old reading level doesn’t mean you’re dumbing things down—it means you’re opening them up.

We also discussed:

• Avoiding jargon unless it's absolutely necessary

• Explaining acronyms on first use

• Using plain, direct sentences that respect readers' time

Tip 5: Make it Visually Appealing (Even Without a Design Team)

We demoed tools like Canva and Napkin.AI that help you create:

• Infographics

• Visual summaries

• Branded report templates

These tools require no design background and help make your content more accessible, especially for non-technical stakeholders.

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Tip 6: Respect Cultural Differences in Visuals

Did you know that colors and symbols carry very different meanings across cultures? What looks positive in one country may be offensive in another.

We shared resources on:

• How to apply cultural sensitivity to report visuals

• Tips for choosing inclusive images, icons, and layouts

The Bigger Picture, Inclusive Communication Is Social Justice

This isn’t just about better-looking reports. It’s about making information accessible to all:

• People reading in their second (or third) language

• Neurodiverse audiences

• Non-technical stakeholders

When reports are inclusive, they no longer just check a box, they drive decisions. They influence policy. They honour the voices behind the data.

Missed the Webinar? Watch the Replay in the M&E Academy

We covered all this and more in our recent M&E Academy webinar, complete with tool demos and practical examples.

And if you’re not yet an Academy member, you might want to change that. These are the kinds of sessions we host regularly, hands-on, jargon-free, and focused on what works in the real world. Learn more about the Academy here.