Double the Carolyn’s, double the depth of conversation! We’re joined this week by Carolyn Hoessler, facilitator, curriculum developer, evaluator, and Founder of Higher Education and Beyond. After a brief chat on evaluation in higher education contexts, we dive into the topics of sense-making and evaluative thinking, covering What-So What-Now What, the Cynefin framework, children as complex adaptive systems, and the power of saying “I don’t know”. Plus, Brian takes some time to answer the...

On this week's episode, we're joined by Khalil Bitar, chair of the EvalYouth Global Network for a wide-ranging conversation. We touch on the trends we're seeing with young and emerging evaluators, why we should consider contrarian opinions, the value of evaluative thinking, and how we can work in service of equity and justice without sacrificing methodology and rigour. Full show notes available here. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

In this episode, we’ve invited listeners from across the globe to join us in checking in, connecting, and being human with each other as we respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you to Ann, Jade, Cameron, Zach, Carolyn H., Shelby, Tom, Sarah, Libby, Kelly, Naomi, Trilby, Megan, Chris, Khalil, and Nicky for being part of this episode and sharing your stories. Full show notes available at our website. Find out more at https://eval-cafe.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

In this episode of Eval Cafe (one of only two places where evaluators really get crunk, according to guest Andy Johnson, with the other being the Diversity TiG social at the annual AEA conference), come hang out with our super panel of returning guests—Andy Johnson and Nora Murphy Johnson (Inspire to Change), and Chris Corrigan (Harvest Moon Consulting) as we expand chronos and play infinite games in kairos. We start by jumping into the question, “What does evaluation offer and what does...

Brian and Carolyn dive into the year 2020 with a characteristically reflective episode where we review the highs and lows of 2019 and our ambitions and intentions for the year ahead. From Brian’s “tripped on a skateboard, slipped on a banana peel, did a triple lutz, and somehow stuck the landing” to Carolyn’s “living in the surprise of it”, we talk about the tribulations of evaluation consulting and finding our respective niches, how the ‘sausage gets made’ vis a vis the podcast, tease our...

Carolyn and Brian attended AEA 2019, and reflecting, learning, connecting, and hilarity ensued! Especially when they realized that they almost forgot how to properly record a podcast (on that note, sorry about Brian's poor audio quality). Topics covered include conference rooming as a means for testing friendship, praises for the footwear choice of a past podcast guest, reimagining the conference and our footprint on the host community, and the merits of a river of coffee. Full show notes...

Kelly Hannum joins Carolyn and Brian this episode to talk about leadership and its connection to evaluation. After defining what “leadership” actually means (spoiler: it involves direction, alignment, and commitment), we discuss evaluation’s power to question the premise, the transformational power of leadership development, the importance of relational or “soft” skills in both evaluation and leadership, and the connection between evaluation and strategic planning. Also, we learn more about...

David Keyes joins Carolyn and Brian to talk about R - the open-source statistical package, that is, not the letter (or the pirate vocalization). Once we got past Brian’s bad pun, we discussed the benefits of using code, how to get started with R, and using the software to help communicate results. We also learned that R is not just a tool for statisticians and that there’s a welcoming online community of folks helping newbies and creating equity-focused tools. Come for the statistical...

This episode brings the evaluation joy with the blue-collar scholar and aspiring academic stand-up comedian, Dr. Nicole Bowman, of [Bowman Performance Consulting] (https://bpcwi.com/). Nicky joins us to talk about evaluation as medicine and how we can heal ourselves, our communities, and our world through the service of evaluation. Nicky shares how she’s figuring this out in her own practice and lays down some fundamentals that all evaluators need to know about the context of our work. We get...

We’ve mentioned it in passing in multiple episodes, but today we go into a deep dive on the Evaluation for Social Change and Transformational Learning program (course? certificate?) offered through Simon Fraser University. Joining us in this conversation are Kim van der Woerd (also our first repeat guest!), Billie Joe Rogers, and Sofia Vitalis from Reciprocal Consulting to share their perspectives as designers and instructors in the program’s first year. We talk about personal and social...

Grab your favourite art supplies and summon up your creative muse! In this episode, we're joined by Andy Johnson, the other co-founder of Creative Evaluation & Engagement (along with his wife, Nora Murphy Johnson, who joined us a few episodes back to talk about evaluating from the heart) to talk about arts-based evaluation and bringing creativity into our evaluation practice. We learn about how Andy has brought poetry, theatre, kinetic sculpture and more into his evaluation methodology,...

In this episode, Carolyn and Brian are joined by Michael Quinn Patton for a deep dive into principles-focused evaluation (PFE). Despite some technical glitches en route, we persisted to discuss the relation of PFE to social innovation, examples of how principles are being used, the role of reflection in PFE, and how our grad school statistics class would be different if we took it today. Full show notes available on our website. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Rita Fierro (of Fierro Consulting LLC and DrRitaWrites.com), a multifaceted practitioner of evaluation and facilitation, joins Brian and Carolyn on a deep exploration of the fractal nature of social transformation, trauma and healing, and how our evaluation practices can weave through these complex spaces. From the pursuit of “beloved community” to how we handle our own healing work to working with leaders and being leaders ourselves to what stories we tell and want to be telling to vicarious...

In theory, this episode was a chance for us to review how we’re doing with our intentions for 2019. And we get there, we promise! En route, we discuss routines and systems, what comes after March Madness, Carolyn’s inability to unsubscribe from email lists, Brian’s allergic reaction to the SMART acronym, and crises singular and collective. We also get a (non-) update from Brian on the Year of the Trombone,and Carolyn hosts a TED talk partway through. Plus, an #evalmemes challenge for our...

Episode Notes In this episode, we’re joined by Nora Murphy Johnson, co-founder of Creative Evaluation, which focuses on evaluation for truth, beauty, and justice. In a conversation about evaluation for healing and change, evaluation as sacred work and a noble calling, Nora tells us about the winding path she has taken as an evaluator, how her relationship with her husband, an artist and evaluator himself, informs the work they do together, how she’s working to bring embodiment to her...

Carolyn and Brian are joined this week by former-Saskatonian-now-Haligonian Evan Poncelet to talk about journeys through the field of evaluation. Topics of discussion include DIY bricolage approaches to ongoing learning, whether Evan is REAL, experiences with awkwardly-worded emails, and the perils of clumping. Full show notes available on our website. Find out more on the Eval Cafe website.

Episode Notes Kick things off right with Brian and Carolyn as we tackle one of the most deep and profound philosophical questions facing the field of evaluation—how do you even start one of these things!? Where do you begin with evaluation? What does it take to unravel the story behind the evaluation purpose? Why give people fake findings? What are the assumptions that can get you off on the wrong foot? What’s the value of a dumb question? How do we avoid the method trap? How does going slow...

Episode Notes In this episode, we welcome our first guest FROM THE FUTURE (by which we mean Australia), Jade Maloney, of ARTD Consultants (https://artd.com.au/). Jade helps us “unbox” the theme of the upcoming Australian Evaluation Society 2019 conference, “Evaluation Un-boxed”. Join us as we unpack and deconstruct evaluation in every conceivable way. Why do we call ourselves evaluators? What does that mean? Are we just misunderstood? Can evaluation be a gift? How is evaluation like a...

Episode Notes Carolyn and Brian are joined in this episode by Dr. Michael Harnar to talk conferences. Listen as we talk about what we enjoy about these regular meetups, our strategies for avoiding both conference burnout and FOMO, improvements we’d like to see in how they’re held, and our favourite conference memories. Full episode notes available at our website. Find out more on the Eval Cafe website.

Episode Notes Carolyn and Brian are joined by special guest Chris Corrigan (http://www.chriscorrigan.com/) to talk about the intersections and interconnections of evaluation and facilitation. Are they warring factions? Soulmates in complexity? Can we "recover learning from the trauma of being judged" and move into a joyful practice as we navigate expertise in complexity for social change? Where does "mooshing" come into all of this? What do facilitators and evaluators have to offer each...

Episode Notes Happy New Year! To kick off 2019, Carolyn and Brian take a look backwards and forward - tune in to hear how they did with 2018’s directions and their plans for the coming 12 months! Conversation topics include community development, creativity and arts-based approaches, the therapeutic benefits of podcasting, teasers for upcoming episodes, and a discussion on whether 2019 will (finally) be the Year of the Trombone. Full show notes available at our website.

Episode Notes Join Brian, Carolyn, and special guest Kim van der Woerd (Reciprocal Consulting) as we wander into the complex and intriguing world of principles-focused evaluation. Will our paradigms be shifted? Will our hearts be centered? Will we remember all the stuff that Michael Quinn Patton tried to instil in us from all the workshops and books and conference presentations?* Let's hope! Tune in and find out what we have to say about how we can use storytelling, whether program logic...

Episode Notes You definitely want to swipe right on this episode to hear Carolyn and Brian talk about client relationships! We discuss looking beyond the dating profile, deciding what questions to ask right at the get-go, handling the inevitable relationship woes, and deciding when to rekindle the romance or just walk away. Carolyn put it best: "The relationship metaphors just don't stop!" Full episode notes available at our website.