Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Mar 2026

“It's Hard to Show ROI When You’re Preventing Things from Happening”: How Impact Storytelling Frames Community Health Initiatives for Executive Audiences

Margaret Hsiao Utah State University

Abstract

Community health practitioners face a common challenge of communicating the value of their work because it is intentionally designed to prevent health issues from happening. This case study examines how impact storytelling—a four-question framework developed by a community health manager at a nonprofit health system—mediates between technical expertise and executive's understanding. Through interviews with four Community Health practitioners, this research explains how the framework addresses specific technical communication challenges. This research brings together theory with practice by offering both a transferable framework for nonprofit organizations as well as theoretical insights into how workplace communication tools emerge from workplace practices.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2026-03-14
DOI
10.1177/00472816261429918
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Topics
technical communication professional writing qualitative research
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