“Telling Your Story” – Outreach and
Communication for Travel Training Providers
ATI Annual Conference, Boston
Presented by Alan M. Voorhees
Transportation Center and
NJTIP @ Rutgers
August 14, 2015
Presenters
• Karen Alexander - Managing Director
• Nieves G. Pimienta - Bi-Lingual Travel Instructor
• Andrea Lubin - Senior Research Manager
• Louis Hoffman - Program Manager
Purpose
Understand How our Program Stories Get
Shared and Amplified…
Agenda
Community & Amplification
Telling Meaningful Stories
Using Data Strategically
Breakout Session
Tools and Tips
Our Community
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Program Participants/Graduates and Families
Community Based-Agency Partners
Schools
Transit Agency
Funders/Supporters
Committees & Groups
Professionals
Press/Internet
Other Transit Riders
Amplifying
“If I tell two friends, and they tell two friends…”
• Reputation
• Recommendations
• Referrals and Risk
Recipe for a Good Story
• Meaningful Characters
• Theory of Change
• Hearts and Minds
Agencies,
organizations
(middlemen)
Project criteria,
Agency’s
mission
Target(s)
Naturally
occurring groups
(lifestyle)
Finding the middlemen
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Agencies/organizations
Events
Naturally occurring groups
Partners
Funders
Be daring
Stay connected
Make it real with testimonials!
• Search, research, request
feedback
• Articles
• Narratives
• Thank you notes
• Pictures with narratives, etc.
Marjorie Payen You Tube Video
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2WMULjcWJY
NJTIP Stories
Why Evaluate in General?
• Continuing feedback
• Smart program decisions
• Share information with
stakeholders: funders,
customers, etc.
We are all
evaluators!
Measuring the Benefits of Travel Instruction
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Improved access
Quality of life
DOCUMENT &
DEMONSTRATE
Decreased isolation
Travel Instruction
New opportunities
BENEFITS
Increased independence
Improved confidence
"Chauffeur retirement"
Modal switch
Other…
Travel Instructors Nationwide are Evaluating –
You Can Too!
• RTA Chicago (IL)
• Riverside Transit (CA)
• Palm Tran (FL)
• King County Metro (WA)
• WMATA (DC)
• RideWise (OR)
• Pierce Transit (WA)
• Paratransit, Inc. (CA)
• Via Easy Rider (CO)
Who Benefits from Travel Instruction
Evaluation?
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Customers
Staff
Funders
The travel training
community worldwide!
NJTIP’s ‘TIP SMART’ Project:
Evaluating Program Success
• Overwhelming
participant satisfaction
• Perception changes
• Skill & knowledge gain
• Post training outcomes
• Additional NJTIP support
Let's Breakout - Winning Hearts and Minds
• Group 1 - Hearts
How do you tell stories and to who?
• Group 2 - Minds
What data and information do you collect?
What did we learn from each other?
From Middlemen to Ambassadors
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Brevity
WIIFM
Repetition
“Leave behinds”
Displays
Responsiveness
Resources: Ask to be listed
Final Thoughts
“ There’s always room for a story that
can transport people to another place.”
- J.K. Rowling
For More Information
NJTIP @ Rutgers
Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center
The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
33 Livingston Avenue
848-932-4499
njtip.rutgers.edu
njtip_info@njtip.rutgers.edu
http://www.facebook.com/VTCrutgers