1. Agenda: Poster session and cookies Evaluation recap Evaluations

2. Communication: –Communication is key throughout evaluation process. –Evaluation can’t be used if the results are not clearly and compellingly communicated. –Communication modes and styles have to match those who need to act on information. –Communication must be timely and targeted to current management questions, but provide long term perspective as well –Narrative must be supported by empirical evidence. Evidence has to be transparent and nuanced. Should pass the skeptical critic test.

3. What can you bring to evaluation? –Ability to envision and improve organizational processes and manage evaluation projects –Your communication skills to write and present plans and results –Your research design skills to create comparisons that give the evidence you need –Your data analysis skills to make the best use of your hard won data –Your interpersonal skills to negotiate, mediate, and collaborate throughout the process –Your cultural competencies to work across barriers –Your budgeting skills to understand program costs and to design an evaluation that maximizes the return on your investment

4. What can evaluation bring to the rest of your work? –Ability to infuse an evaluation perspective into your work by looking for opportunities to improve outcomes –Strategic use of data to understand processes and impacts –Ability to match organizational and programmatic “fixes” to broken links in the causal chain toward outcomes –Ability to communicate about the need to use empirical evidence, need to understand the program or policy model, and to systematically maximize outcomes –Ability to collaborate with stakeholders to improve processes and outcomes