Evaluator Credibility as a Function of Report Style

Communication theory suggests that the effectiveness of a communication is related to who says what, how, and to whom. This study, using a communication theory paradigm, examined the impact of different simulated evaluation report styles (use of jargon and data) on audience (educators) agreement with an evaluator's recommendations and ratings of the evaluator and the report. It was found that use of jargon and data were related to ratings of difficulty and technicality, but not to ratings of the evaluator or to agreement with the evaluator. The jargon-loaded, data-free report was rated most dafficult and most technical.