No More Death by PowerPoint

I am back from Indianapolis after attending the American Evaluation Conference. The Theme “The Power of Story” energized everyone. There were some great sessions and lots of connections with colleagues.

Susan Wolfe and I presented a half-day workshop on Data-Powered Storytelling for Coalitions. In the past year, we have upped our facilitation game by ditching PowerPoint. Instead, we use a variety of facilitation work and use a sticky wall to introduce concepts and encourage interaction.

My ToPs TM (Technology of Participation) training motivates and inspires me to engage with communities in creative ways. So far, I have taken their fundamentals, strategic planning, and environmental assessment trainings. I love the methods because they engage EVERY participant in the room, not just the loudest voices.

I find it a natural fit to my toolbox of evaluation methods and aligns perfectly with a participatory, empowerment lens.

In our workshop, Susan and I taught and modeled many coalition engagement strategies. We covered:

• Engaging Conversations

• Data Walk

• Data Party

• Data Chocolates

• Data Placemats

• Success Stories

• Infographics

• Sticky Wall

• What? So What? Now What?

We also talked about how to engage introverts and extroverts by using individual work, pair and share, and group work.

In 2024, Susan and I will be offering workshops on coalition development and evaluation. Hit reply if you would like to learn more.

Take care everyone,

Ann