Let’s Break it Down: Simplifying Complex Information Training
How do you distill a mountain of data into exactly what your audience needs to know? Simplifying complex information is no easy feat, but during this Upskilling series, planners will learn and practice implementing tested strategies for parsing the most important messages and tailoring content to the recipient.
Join Rachel Shindman, AICP, and Andy Rutz in “Let’s Break it Down: Simplifying Complex Information,” a two-part Upskilling series on February 17 and 20. By the end of the series, planners will have the confidence to more effectively communicate high-level planning information to a wide range of audiences. Planners in all fields can benefit equally from this series, and an entry-level background is assumed.
The second part of “Let’s Break it Down: Simplifying Complex Information” is a hands-on training that allows participants to practice communicating sample data sets to different types of audiences, such as elected officials, internal staff, and external constituents. Planners will gain experience tailoring communications to the audiences they engage with most in their particular lines of work, as well as insight into the strategies of their peers.
Series co-facilitator Rachel Shindman is a Vice President at Economic & Planning Systems in Denver, Colorado. In her day-to-day work, she uses data and analysis to inform planning efforts, often in the fields of affordable housing, neighborhood planning and stabilization strategies, and transit and infrastructure financing. Co-facilitator Andy Rutz is the founder of Crescendo Planning + Design and teaches at the University of Colorado–Denver. He has a combined 20 years of experience in urban design, architecture, urban planning, and community engagement in the public and private sectors.
Learning Takeaways:
Confidence in your ability to guide data-driven decision-making
Transferable tools that simplify complex information for the audiences your role communicates to most often