Everyday Evaluation: Demystification and Magic (AEA blog post)

Greetings readers – Michelle Helman here, Consultant and PhD Fellow in Peace and Health Innovation at the University for Peace. I am excited to share a couple of everyday evaluation musings and tools that I love and hope you might find useful and inspiring.

First, a very short story – I recently worked with a group that chose the word traumatized to describe their previous evaluation experience facilitated by another agency. They refused to use the word evaluation in their upcoming assessment process and were nevertheless keen to engage with me. We developed a learning-based framework inspired by developmental evaluation and experiential learning pedagogy that drew people in with curiosity and motivation to learn and improve while engaging in an evaluative process that supported their ongoing work.

This experience got me thinking and reflecting on many instances when evaluation is an afterthought or at worst – avoided due to fear of consequences such as criticism and retribution. I was reminded of Dr. Carlo Rovelli’s work on quantum gravity that one particle cannot exist without the existence of another particle – and the importance (and potential) of connection, collaboration, and relationship in evaluation, which brings us to we…

Rad ResourceIf you want to learn more about integrating open-ended questions into your evaluation design process and approach, check out my resource on Facilitation Essentials for Evaluators, which draws inspiration from a number of amazing additional resources listed in the article, and the Design Justice Network’s Design Justice Principles which can be framed as open-ended questions as well. 

How might we reconnect with the everyday magic of evaluation?
Remember – evaluation happens and it can be experiential. To put everyday evaluation into practice first and foremost with yourself and build that into your practice. Try this at home: first, read these brief instructions then move aside from any screen. Then, use your senses that are available to notice five things you can see, smell, hear, taste, and feel. That is everyday evaluative magic, demystified.

Rad ResourceIf you’d like to see some examples of the everyday magic of evaluation and data visualization, get inspired by Mystic Mamma’s Read the Signs images which provide quick visual insights with an artistic and creative flair – as a reminder that data don’t need to live on a spreadsheet – they are stories about people, places, and politics!
Maybe you’re looking for more resources and a community committed to not just data visualization but data physicalization. If so, check out the Viz for Social Good website and projects page.
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​Originally published on 7/16/24 at:
https://aea365.org/blog/lawg-week-everyday-evaluation-demystification-and-magic-by-michelle-helman/

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