Course Outline

Module 1: Evaluation Facilitation Overview: Dimensions, Skills, and Steps

• This opening module will cover the five generic steps in group facilitation as applied to evaluation. Questions for establishing facilitation parameters will flow from framing and clarifying roles, responsibilities, and power dynamics. To enhance evaluation use, facilitation involves being active–reactive–interactive–adaptive; we will cover and illustrate what this means and how to do it. A facilitator self-assessment will build the scaffolding for facilitation capacity building. We will provide and discuss examples. Participants will share their own experiences and issues. We will also highlight classic evaluation facilitation failures as opportunities for learning.

Module 2: Five Operating Principles for Evaluation Facilitation

This module will introduce, explain, and illustrate with examples the five fundamental evaluation facilitation principles:

•  Be guided by the personal factor.
•  Engage through options.
•  Observe, interpret, and adapt
•  Embed evaluative thinking in all aspects of the facilitation.
•  Invigorate with leading-edge inputs.

Module 3: Facilitation Issues and Adaptation

• In this module, we will identify common facilitation challenges. Usual issues to be discussed include: building evaluation capacity; why and how less can be more; going slowly to go fast; being mindful throughout; treating whatever happens as data; adapting facilitation to what emerges; and exercising your authority sparingly, but forcefully.

Module 4: Facilitation Cases and Opportunities for Practice

• This final module will use cases to illuminate facilitation techniques, tools, and processes. Facilitation is a skill that requires practice and participants will have the opportunity to put all that they have learned into action. Afterwards, participants will discuss their experiences, and the group will generate lessons and effective practices.