You've done an evaluation and you're doing ongoing performance measurement.  You are on top of your measurement game.  You have all this hard data that suggests what you're doing works and that your model deserves to be grown to scale.  But you're struggling to get people to listen.  You believe you deserve their support, but can't seem to get potential funders, policy makers, etc. to see it the same way.  Why?  Recent articles in Education Week and the Boston Globe point out that people don't make decisions primarily on hard facts.  They filter facts through their existing beliefs.  To get a person's support, you must address those beliefs.  Hard data is necessary, but insufficient.

So if your hard data is going to be ignored, why measure?  Because as we've observed increasingly over the years, anecdotes aren't enough either.  Just as data can be dismissed (for any number of reasons) by somebody set on protecting their existing beliefs, anecdotes can be dismissed as cherry-picked "evidence" that belies the real truth.  Compelling arguments require both hard and soft evidence.  I know this isn't earth-shattering news, but in a world where hard data is increasingly at the forefront, it is important to remember that ultimately we're dealing with other human beings, people with existing perpsectives and biases.  To change a perons's mind, we must confront existing beliefs on their own terms.  And to do that, we need to be thoughtful in our approach, using multiple types of evidence, each in a purposeful way.

That doesn't mean we should measure less; it means we should measure better.  All organizations have a story to tell to a variety of stakeholders.  Those stories need to appeal to both the brain and the heart.  They need a narrative backed by hard data.  Engage the heart with the human interest perspective that connects with people on an emotional level, making the case that your issue matters and that your approach deserves thoughtful consideration.  Then you can present the hard data to convince the brain that your intervention works and is worth their support.

Too often measurement is equated with just hard data. And too often we assume that, if we have enough of it, that data can stand on its own.  It rarely can.  Academic evaluations matter.  Performance measurement matters.  But they are both but pieces of a puzzle.  As you pursue measurement in your organization, consider the stories you need to tell.  Build your programs on the back of good evaluations and continue to measure your ongoing performance.  But also collect and report the qualitative context to bring that data to life.