Communications Division News Spring 2014 | Volume 1 | Issue 2 Note from the chair If you are looking to learn more about what your fellow Communications Division members have been up to, make sure to check our article featuring a member in the spotlight: Barbara Lohse, Ph.D. After interviewing Dr. Lohse and learning about her work at the Nutrition Education Engineering and Designs Center (www. needscenter.org), I shared this incredibly useful online resource with many colleagues and clients who may benefit from it. In this issue Note from the chair.........................1 Note from the editor....................... 2 8 steps to becoming a reporting rockstar: An overview ........ 3-4, 9-11 10 things nutrition educators need to know about social media.............5 Member in the spotlight ................ 6 Communication toolbox .................7 Communications at the SNEB conference............................ 8 sneb.org snecommunicationsdivision. blogspot.com facebook.com/ CommunicationsDivisionSNEB Division Chair Natalia Stasenko, MS, RD, CDN [email protected] facebook.com/TribecaRD twitter.com/nataliastasenko linkedin.com/in/nataliastasenko Newsletter Editor Song Xiong [email protected] twitter.com/songxng linkedin.com/in/songxng Dear Communications Division members, Welcome to the second issue of the Communications Division newsletter. First of all, I would like to congratulate Song Xiong, who will be our new chairelect this upcoming 2014-15 year. I had a pleasure of working with Song on a couple of projects in the past few months, including this newsletter, and I was inspired by her enthusiasm for all things nutrition communications. Congratulations, Song! In this issue, we highlight the recent SNEB webinars that provided those who attended them with plenty of food for thought. 8 Steps to Becoming a Reporting Superstar webinar by Stephanie Evergreen inspired me to reformat all my presentations to make them more “participant-friendly” and identify sources of colorful art that help viewers memorize the message. While we are on the topic of meeting other nutrition educators, a perfect opportunity to network and learn from others at SNEB annual conference is just around the corner. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend this year due to family circumstances, but Song will be there. I hope you will get to meet her at our division’s annual meeting at the SNEB conference in Milwaukee. More information is on page 8. To leave the room for the content of this issue, I will close, but not before reminding members that we always welcome your input and your help with the newsletter and other Communications Division activities. As always, please e-mail me your concerns, questions, comments or to volunteer at [email protected]. Warmly, Natalia Stasenko, MS, RD, CDN Communications Division Chair Listening to Social Media and Nutrition Education webinar by Lauren Tobey was an eye opening experience for Molly Pirandello, the author of the article, who now has her own twitter account as a first step to establishing active presence in social media channels. 1 Note from the editor Additionally, SNEB’s Journal Club focused on communication this spring. This issue only highlights one of those webinars while numerous others are available on the SNEB website. And as always, our collaboration with the University of Maryland College Park provides us with new tools to utilize in our practices. Hello colleagues! Thank you Natalia for the introduction, and thank you members for your support in electing me as your 2014-15 division chair. I am excited to share my ideas and hear about yours in this upcoming year. This issue does a great job highlighting what the division is already offering its members. Natalia organized a very informative webinar on presenting data. Though the division is already offering great resources, I have been working collectively with Natalia over the past few months to generate some new ideas for the division to make it more cohesive with SNEB. We are beginning to implement some changes and branding techniques, which we will reveal at the division’s annual meeting during the SNEB conference in Milwaukee, Wis. Being born and raised in Wis., I’m excited to be in my home state. I encourage you to attend if you are able to. It will take place on Monday, June 30 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. turn these visions into action. I look forward to working with you. Please contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions or comments. Best, Song Xiong Editor Song Xiong is a dietetic intern at Keene State College. She completed her B.S. in Dietetics and Communication with an emphasis in public relations at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. While completing her bachelor’s degree, she worked as the assistant to the dean in communication of the College of Professional Studies for two and a half years. Her next endeavor is applying her public relations skills to the field of nutrition education. My term has not officially started yet, but I’m geared up and ready to Meet the chair Natalia Stasenko is the founder of pediatric private practice Tribeca Nutrition in New York City and a consulting dietitian for Head Start. She helps families raise healthy eaters and enjoy family meals in simple and delicious ways. As a mother of two, she has a first-hand experience trying to feed her family nutritious meals without losing her mind. Your contributions matter to us! If you would like to submit a piece for the newsletter, please e-mail Song Xiong, editor, at [email protected] for writing guidelines. 2 8 steps to becoming a reporting rockstar: An overview By Feon Cheng, MPH, RD, CHTS-CP Have you ever wanted to present your data more effectively or wondered which fonts are more appropriate to use your PowerPoint slides? Well, you have come to the right place! Researching and collecting data are just one part of the process. Presenting your results is another important component that should not be overlooked. Having clear slides and reports not only allow you to communicate your messages more effectively, but it also keeps your audience focused and engaged. Stephanie D. H. Evergreen, Ph.D., presented a webinar sponsored by the Communications Division on December 19, 2013. Here is a recap: 1 “People read seven times faster than they hear, so keep the focus on the speaker and remove text.” It is tempting to include everything you want to say on the slides but this will only distract your audience. If you are afraid of forgetting your lines, type out what you are planning to say in the speaker note area under each slide and try practicing in front of a mirror. 3 “Direct eyes toward your critical information by using the natural directionality implied in many graphics.” Don’t overload your viewers with graphics, words and data all in one slide. Identify the critical message on that slide and use graphics to support and direct focus to those key points. 5 “Minimize misinterpretation or attention abandonment and emphasize with color.” Try using a different color to highlight those key messages. It is a great way to draw attention to that important percentage or concept you want the audience to focus on and remember. 4 6 Perhaps you know your research or project so well that you can explain it backward, but always remember there are people in the audience that may be new to your topic. Take a step back and gradually build your concepts as you are going through the presentation. Apply the “Rule of Thirds” to your presentation slides, which means dividing it by two horizontal and vertical lines, shown below There are several ways you can use this rule. First, it can serve as ruler to guide image placement. Second, placing pictures or texts at the stars can create tension and draw more attention to them. “Build concepts slowly, focusing audience attention on your talking points, so they can process each piece of information.” “Plan prominence in your slides so that the most critical pieces of information are not lost.” 2 “Use emotional graphics to draw your audience into your message and help them remember what you said later on.” People often say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is true! According to Levie’s Effects of Text illustrations: A Review of Research, individuals are 323 percent better at following directions with text and pictures than just with text alone. Spend some time searching for dynamic images that depict your messages and you will be surprised how much better your audience will remember the key information. 3 8 steps to becoming a reporting rockstar: An overview Continued from Page 3 7 Bonus Use serif fonts on your paper report and sans serif fonts on your presentation slides to allow for better visualization. The slides are there to support you. Include only materials that you will be presenting and avoid bombarding your audience with extra information on the slides that will not be covered. “Match font to your dissemination purpose so that your words on screen are legible and your words on paper support long reading.” 8 “Keep it easy to interpret your graphs with close data labels and a descriptive subtitle.” Graphs are supposed to communicate your results. Make sure they are labeled and easy to interpret for the audience. “Layer reporting by giving your audience just what they need, when they need it.” Feon Cheng is a doctoral student at The Pennsylvania State University. She is a registered dietitian and holds a master’s degree in public health. Her research interests are in the areas of nutrition education and communication. Included at the end of this newsletter with permission from Evergreen is her Evaluation Report Layout Checklist. Use it to make sure your presentations are rockstar quality. Stephanie D. H. Evergreen, Ph.D. Stephanie D. H. Evergreen is a sought-after speaker, designer, and evaluator who brings a research-based approach to helping clients shine their work. She holds a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary evaluation, which included a dissertation on the extent of graphic design use in written evaluation reporting. Within the American Evaluation Association, Stephanie founded a topical interest group on data visualization and reporting. She also led the first known initiative to change the culture of presentation within a professional association, the Potent Presentations Initiative. She is co-editor and co-author of two issues of New Directions for Evaluation on data visualization (Part 1 and Part 2). Her book, Presenting Data Effectively: Communicating Your Findings for Maximum Impact, was published by Sage in Fall 2013. Biography and images courtesy of stephanieevergreen.com. How to find her: [email protected] stephanieevergreen.com/blog twitter.com/evalu8r 4 10 things nutrition educators need to know about social media By Molly Pirandello Have you ever wondered how many resources your organization should devote to nutrition education on social media? If you have, watch the webinar by Lauren Tobey, MS, RD, “Social Media and Nutrition Education: The Food Hero Experience,” recorded by SNEB on February 24, 2014. In her presentation, Tobey gives nutritionists compelling reasons to get on social media. She also uses recent Internet usage data to come up with strategies for nutritionists to increase the effectiveness of a post and shares the tools that will help your team execute your organization’s social media plan. Here are 10 highlights from Tobey’s presentation: Americans are searching and sharing recipes online. This presents a big opportunity for nutrition educators. Nearly half of Americans look for recipes online. Those recipes might not be healthy, but chances are someone you want to reach is online seeking food knowledge. In her presentation, Tobey shares research that her target group, mothers in Oregon, want information about healthy food first and foremost online, not in a grocery store and not in a magazine. Get your foot in the kitchen door. Not only are Americans getting their information about food online, but they are on social media while cooking. Facebook found that 47 percent of users are on Facebook while preparing a meal. All age groups are on social media. As expected, millennials are most represented in social media, but the platform is used across age groups. Some data indicate that 43 percent of Americans 65 or older use social media and the usage gaps are closing. Social media is where women and girls are. Traditionally, mothers have been targets for nutrition education because they are viewed as guardians of the family diet. Women and girls over-represent men and boys on social media. Significant numbers of American adults use Internet primarily on their smart phone. Another reason to keep messages short and sweet. Low-income adults may use the Internet only on the phone because it is less expensive than having a home Internet connection. Experiment with the timing of posts. Data commissioned by Facebook indicate that 79 percent of smartphone users reach for the device within 15 minutes of waking. On the other hand, peak time for Facebook use on smartphones is just before bed. Track hits to your posts to determine what time of day your posts get the most views. The future may be in content with a quick life span. Trends point toward a Snapchat model in which content only exists for a set amount of seconds before it disappears. Bitly, Hootsuite, and Google Analytics are just a few of the tools that can help your team track hits and control post timing. Nutritionists under use some valuable social media tools. Tobey points to two tools that nutrition educators currently under use that could increase effectiveness in the future: data mining social media and segmenting and targeting. Google these terms and work them into your strategy. Attractive images attract viewers. Images are the number one reason for going on Facebook. Tobey squashes any lingering doubts about the importance of pictures when she states: “The picture is all that matters…it is all about the picture.” In the presentation, Tobey channels Mark Zuckerberg and warns, “Social media isn’t a tomorrow thing; it takes time to get it right”. A successful campaign can’t be built overnight, but Tobey gives some insight to a great start. Molly Pirandello is a dietetics intern at Teachers College, Columbia University. 5 Member in the spotlight: Barbara Lohse By Natalia Stasenko, MS, RD, CDN How did you know you wanted to work in the field of nutrition? Tell us about yourself and your current position. Currently I am an associate professor at the Pennsylvania State University and have been here for 10 years. I teach nutrition education at the graduate and undergraduate level and have taught nearly any other nutrition course offered. I am involved in the SNAP-Ed program in Pennsylvania as the principal investigator for evaluation, program development and policy. Most of my time is spent directing the Nutrition Education Engineering and Designs (NEEDs) Center (www.needscenter. org), which is devoted to establishing an evidence-base to nutrition education materials and strategies. This includes providing services for survey/instrument development and intervention development or assessment. Beyond work, involvement with my family keeps me grounded. What is your favorite part about your job? Developing the NEEDs Center and working with experts in health literacy, technology and graphics art to develop and evaluate nutrition education strategies has been very rewarding. When I walked into a free clinic recently to put up some recruitment fliers and saw two people viewing our programs on a digital photo frame, I was humbled by the need for these materials---this wasn’t just some academic exercise. I was fascinated by physiology, chemistry and biology and saw nutrition as a way to apply those interests. Nutrition education helped me combine these interests with my curiosity about psychology and behavior. What would you recommend students and young professionals to focus on in order to be successful in what they do? This is quite a broad question, so I’ll give a broad answer. I always suggest that students attain characteristics of “Reasonable Adventurers,” a personality profile defined by Roy Heath in the 1950s that found to be associated with success in life. Reasonable Adventurers 1) have a breadth of interests; 2) a sense of humor; 3) an ability to form close friendships; 4) an ability to tolerate ambiguity; 5) approach problems from an intellectual perspective; and 6) show independence in their value judgments. “Adding new technologies to nutrition education and altering how educators spend their one-on-one time with clients and learners will have a strong impact.” How do you think we as educators can better communicate with our audiences? To communicate means to join others where they are and engage in dialogue; no matter if the strategy is face-to-face, blogging, texting, in print, etc… We must continue to strive to help the clients meet their needs, not meet our agendas. The words “get” and “should” are not appropriate in genuine communication activities. There are numerous initiatives and changes currently underway with regard to our food and physical environment. What do you think about these changes, and in your opinion, which has the most potential to really make an impact for a healthier population? Yes, there are many things that impact nutrition education. Adding new technologies to nutrition education and altering how educators spend their one-on-one time with clients and learners will have a strong impact. Also, increased attention to looking at nutrition in context with other factors, such as physical activity, social environment, socio-econonomic position and personal goals, is having an impact. Availability of public and private funding to design, disseminate, implement and evaluate nutrition education affects public health. However, in my opinion, establishing dissemination and implementation science as a discipline with recognition by funding agencies and development of focused journals will significantly improve research on nutrition education interventions and translation to public health concerns. 6 THE TOOLBOX Landcam: An easy tool to edit and share photos By Annie Gallagher Landcam is an all-in-one camera and square photo editor available for iPhone. With over 30 filters, 35 fonts and 100 creative effects, Landcam enhances photos to one-of-a-kind pieces of art that are personalized and appealing. To use Landcam, first take a picture, and then determine which color filter enhances the photo best. There are over 15 color filters to choose from to ensure a perfect picture. After the color filter, there are 13 other filters to intensify the affect of the photo. These filters include clarity, temperature, sharpen, blur, saturation, exposure, brightness, contrast, fade, highlights, grains, orange fix and green fix. All of the filters or none of the filters can be used, however, the contrast and sharpen filters add quality and value to every photo. Filters are followed by Effects, which include fonts, borders, shapes, sketches, and textures. Similar to Filters, all of or none of the Effects can be used. Fonts make it possible to add text and labels, while sketches add little graphics or drawings to the picture. These Effects add some fun to the photograph. Finally, after the filters and effects are applied, the photo is ready to be saved and shared. Due to its “square” photo feature, its main use is for Instagram, the online, photo sharing social network. However, photos edited using Landcam can also be shared using Twitter and Facebook and can be exported to the iPhone for later use. Landcam is used by tourists, stylists, florists, and both amateur and professional photographers. Landcam is an international app, with many of its users native to Europe and Asia. Landcam can be a valuable tool in the blogging community. Nutritional professionals use this app to enhance photos of nutritious foods and healthy lifestyle activities, which can draw more people in toward their advice and expertise in the nutrition field. Annie Gallagher is a dietetics intern at University of Maryland, College Park. She received her BS in Human Nutrition, Foods & Exercise from Virginia Tech in May 2012. She first became interested in nutrition when as a young child she suffered many stomach and intestinal ailments, and was able to find correlations between what she ate and how she felt. Again as an athlete in high school and avid runner in college she saw the similarities between food and performance. Finally in her Communicating with Foods class during her sophomore year she discovered that there is so much more to eating and health than just food, and from there her career path was solidified. Since graduation Annie has worked for Wegman’s, in the Nature’s Marketplace where she assists customers in food selection and recipe creation. 7 Communications Division Annual Meeting Monday, June 30, 2014 | 10:30-11:30 a.m. Milwaukee, WI Communications Tracks | Tuesday, July 1 8:30-9:30 a.m. Using Technology to Expand Nutrition Education Janet Hackert, M.S., M.P.S., University of Missouri Extension; Ellen Schuster, B.A., M.S., University of Missouri Extension; Susan Zies, BS, Med, Ohio State University Extension; Shari Gallup, MS, Ohio State University Extension; Cheryl Barber Spires, RD, LD, Ohio State University Extension; Barbara Hennard, Ohio State University Extension; Daniel Remley, Ohio State University Extension 1-2 p.m. A Socio-Ecological Perspective of Social Marketing Campaigns from State to Nation Shailja Mathur, MS, MEd, RD, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Lauren Tobey, MS, RD, Oregon State University; Paul McConaughy, MA, Michigan Fitness Foundation; Jenna Setlakwe, MPH 9:45-11:15 a.m. Food Marketing to Children: Where are We and What Can You Do? Kate Klimczak, MPP, Center for Science in the Public Interest; Mary Schroeder, MPH, RD, LD, University of Minnesota Extension, Murray County; Brianna Routh, MPH, RD, University of Minnesota Extension; Kelly Kunkel, MS, CHES, University of Minnesota Extension, Blue Earth County; Moderator: Lacey Chapa, MS, RD, LD, University of Florida IFAS/Extension 3:30-5 p.m. Bee Marks Communications Symposium: Being Heard, Making an Impact; Utlizing Evaluation for Communications Strategies Alexandra Lewin-Zwerdling, PhD, MPA, Powell Tate; LeeAnn Weniger-Mandrillo, LMC Communications; Tracy A. Fox, MPH, RD, Food, Nutrition & Policy Consultants, LLC; Moderator: Natalia Stasenko, MS, RD, CDN 8 Evaluation Report Layout Checklist by Stephanie D. H. Evergreen, PhD This checklist is meant to be used as a diagnostic guide to identify elements of evaluation reports that could be enhanced using graphic design best practices and/or the assistance of a graphic design expert. Suggestions are best suited for those using standard Microsoft Word software. Instructions Rate each aspect of the report using the following rubric, by circling the most appropriate letter. Use Best Practice section as a guide for improvement. F=Fully Met P=Partly Met N=Not Met Type Rating Best Practice Notes Text fonts are used for narrative text F P N Use serif fonts. Nothing with lots of graphic detail. Long reading is in 9-11 point size Nice serif choices include Garamond, Palatino, Cambria F P N Studies have shown that 11 point text is easiest to read at length, but it can depend on the typeface (font). Body text has stylistic uniformity F P N Each text section has unbolded, normal text in sentence case (no all caps), except in short areas of intentional emphasis. This supports undistracted reading. Line spacing is 11-13 points F P N For lines within paragraph, generally choose 1-2 points larger than the size of the body text. Headers & callouts are emphasized F P N Header should be 150-200% of body text size. Sans serif or decorative is okay. Use sentence case. Contrast with body text by using different size, style, and/or color. Too similar looks unintentional. No more than 3 fonts are used F P N A change in font will indicate a change in meaning. Use font changes to guide reader through information according to importance. Bullets are slightly less thick than text F P N If bullets must be used, decrease their size to slightly less (70-80%) than the point size of the font. Otherwise, they are too strong and distracting. If good spacing is used in lieu of bullets, this best practice is Fully Met. Nice sans serif choices are Trebuchet, Verdana, Calibri Sentence case is when the first letter of the line is capitalized and all others are lowercase, excepting proper nouns. Body text is that which comprises the narrative of the report. By contrast, header text is that which comprises your headlines and titles. Also known as display text. Default bullet size (too big) Appropriate bullet size Arrangement Rating Best Practice Notes Alignment is consistent F P N Alignment is a preattentive feature easily picked up by a reader, so be sure elements start in the same place on each page unless misaligned on purpose. Avoid centered elements. Columns are 8-12 words in length F P N This is 50-80 characters, depending on font. Longer is difficult to track from line to line, shorter creates too many hyphenated words, distracting the reader. See? Imagine each page divided into rows and columns. Draw imaginary lines to check that elements are aligned at the start of each row and top of each column. Asymmetry is an easy way to create interest. Try placing a cool picture off to one side of the page. Important elements are prominent F P N Most prominent position is top half of page and/or emphasized by size, color, orientation, etc. Supportive information is toned down. Body text is left or full justified F P N Ragged right edge is more informal, but easier to read for average readers. Full justification is formal, easier for fluent readers, but creates design issues with "white rivers" or large gaps of white space between words. Grouped items logically belong together F P N Grouped items are interpreted as one chunk. Place logical items together. Add space between groups. Minimize space between header and body text. Empty area is allocated on each page F P N Leave plenty of space between paragraphs, around page margins, and between text and graphics. It gives eyes a rest. Graphics Rating Best Practice Notes Pictures/graphic elements are present F P N Multimode learning increases chance at storage of info in long-term memory because it eases cognitive load of body text. Choose pictures or graphics related to your topic. Graphics include, but shouldn’t be limited to, tables and charts. If there are no graphics, this section is all Not Met. Pictures and graphics related to your content will make your content more memorable. Graphics are near associated text F P N If readers must flip around to interpret between text and graphic, comprehension will be impaired. Graphics are simple F P N Less visual noise leads to better assimilation. Eliminate gradation, textures, or graphics as backgrounds. Segment complex graphics into smaller chunks. Size corresponds to changes in meaning F P N Use, for example, larger pictures on chapter start pages. In graphing, for example, be sure height of columns proportionately represents data. © Stephanie Evergreen 2013 Wide margins are a quick way to create empty area and manage line length. Choose pictures from quality sources, like paid websites. Watermarks or fuzzy images are signs of an amateur. Use a cover page at the beginning of a report. This is a good place for a very large graphic. 2 Graphics direct toward text F P N Use the power of an image to direct the reader’s gaze from the image to the associated text. Eyes in a photo, for example, should look inward at text. Visual theme is evident F P N Pick a visual theme that can be used in different forms throughout report to give strong emotional connection. Some elements are repeated F P N Repetition of some graphic elements adds unity to the piece, makes work more memorable. Careful not to overdo it – too many elements can add clutter or complication. Color Rating Best Practice Notes Narrative text is dark grey or black F P N Black has highest comprehension levels, with low intensity colors taking a distant second place. Background has white/subdued color F P N Reversed-out text (e.g., white text on black background) impairs information retention. One or two emphasis colors are used F P N Subdued colors that still contrast with background should be used. When used, it should be to actually emphasize important information, like data in a graph. If more than one is selected, consider choosing along a color gradation so that order of importance is implicit. Keep in mind various cultureladen color connotations. For example, pink is highly associated with feminine qualities in the USA. Make sure your color choices are appropriate for your audience. Color changes mark meaning changes F Color reprints legibly in black and white F P P N N Color changes signal a change in hierarchy of information. Be intentional with color changes so that a viewer doesn’t get confused. Color looks different on a computer screen than on paper. Print on a blackand-white printer and then make a copy of that printout to check legibility. Note that people with colorblindness have difficulty with red-green and yellow-blue combinations. A safe bet is to use your client’s colors. Time to add up your points: ______ F = 1 point P = ½ point N = 0 points © Stephanie Evergreen 2013 Well-formatted reports score within 23-25 points. At this level, report readers are better able to read and retain content. For more easily-accessible resources, check out: Robin Williams’ book The Non-Designer’s Design Book Design Elements by Timothy Samara, for those ready for more advanced material My book, website, and blog at www.stephanieevergreen.com 3
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