Evaluation Made Easy

Users and Use

Practical tools to understand stakeholders and increase use

Identifying priority users and evaluation use is essential for effective actioning and use of evaluation findings. To improve initiatives, expand them, modify them or discontinue them, the evaluation results need to be acted on by these identified stakeholders.

Users and Use is a two-session (2-3 week) flexible course designed to support facilitators in identifying priority users and use, understanding users to identify effective communication and information dissemination.

A visual toolkit will engage and motivate your team in understanding users and use for effective communication adn reporting strategies. Regular coaching from experienced evaluation facilitators, a package of easy-to-follow facilitator resources and working in a small group will make facilitation a breeze.

What you get

TOOLKIT OF ACTIVITIES

TEAM RESOURCES

FACILITATOR RESOURCES

REGULAR, EXPERT TRAINING SUPPORT

How it Works

INTRODUCTION TO COURSE FACILITATION

Receive the Users and Use Team Toolkit and Facilitator materials.

Participate in a live online session where you will meet the evaluation coach (Dr. Samantha Abbato) and the other facilitators (Maximum of 8). This includes an overview of how the course and coaching will work for the 2 weeks of sessions.

Approximately weekly commitment is:

90-120 minutes preparation, coaching, and debriefing
90-120 minutes team facilitation.

*Additional toolkits are available if you need more for your team.

SUPPORT FOR EACH SESSION AND TOPIC

Participate in group coaching for each of the 2 sessions and topics. Be guided through the materials for each session using a Facilitator's Guide - including a 20-minute video presentation, a PowerPoint Slide Pack and instructions for team activities. All activities are designed so you can support your team to work on building the ability to identify evaluation use and users, and effectively communicate and report for maximum evaluation use.

Designed Activity Sheets and Activity Templates will provide direction for applying the topic to your situation. These will be provided in the course toolkit as well as online formats to give you and your team flexibility.

FACILITATE YOUR TEAM AND BUILD CAPACITY

Each week, you will be supported to provide a presentation on the topic to your team. You can choose from a 20-minute video or use an annotated PowerPoint slide pack to present.

Follow the instructions provided in the facilitators guide, on the Toolkit components and the online activity platform to support your team in participating in an activity.

Team reward is to build the capacity to increase the power of work through effectively communication, whilst working on their own projects.

Additional facilitator reward is roughly 90% retained learning by teaching (compared to 5% from attending a presentation on the topic.

PARTICIPATE IN LIVE VIDEO CONFERENCES

A scheduled video conference sessions for facilitators is provided.

The video sessions offer:

A Q&A session on the topics covered.
The opportunity to present your team's work,
Networking opportunities with other facilitators participating.

In addition, you will be able to access coaching twice weekly via coaching "office hours" on Zoom with any questions along the way. You can opt for working with your team on an online platform where the evaluation coach can provide feedback on the activities you complete with your team.

Coaches monitor facilitators' discussion boards daily, to ensure you get all the support you need.

Training outcomes

TEAM/ORGANISATION OUTCOMES

Identify priority evaluation use and users for initiatives
Understand more about priority users through empathy mapping
Develop reporting and other communication strategies that incorporate understanding of users and use

PARTICIPANTS' OUTCOMES

Understand the importance of evaluation use and the role of evaluation users
List and prioritise evaluation users by completing a stakeholder listing template
Use the empathy mapping tool to better understand users
Develop a dissemination plan for reports and other communications

TEAM FACILITATORS' OUTCOMES

Participant objectives (above) at a deeper level
Ability to guide a team in understanding users and use
Increased skills with tools to improve reporting and communications

The Sessions and Topics

introducing users and use

After an overview of the challenges of under, over and misuse of evaluation and communication principles, we introduce the practical tools of user and use prioritisation and empathy mapping.

Monitoring and Evaluation Framework 20210902_Page_22_edited.jpg

report dissemination planning

Building on the practical knowledge gained about users and use through session 1 tools, we work with dissemination and planning tools to complement your reporting initiatives.

Are you ready for it?

The Users and Use (EME-5) training package is ideal for your team if you:

Recognise the critical role of evaluation users and other stakeholders for evaluation and reporting
Want to maximise the impact of your evaluation findings by identifying and understanding users and use
Want to improve the communication of your reporting through dissemination planning and other strategies
Want to rapidly increase your knowledge and skills by being supported in facilitating a basics course
Your team is ready to come together to further the initiative and evaluation.