The Evaluation Couch – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, Maria explores why some people take action while others don't. This episode discusses the process of stepping outside our comfort zone and navigating our fear zone to reach our growth zone. She shares how she experienced and overcame the fear zone when she launched The Evaluation Couch. She then shares tips you can try out to navigate your own fear zones and her reflections on all she has gained since launching this podcast.  

Resources: 

The comfort zone - growth zone model Maria talks about is derived Learning Zone Model developed by Tom Senninger and is described in more detail here

This article describes the research that suggests that excitement and anxiety are physiologically the same and the power of reframing our emotions 

Watch Brene Brown's TedTalk: The power of vulnerability 

In this episode Christine Wise and David J. Hanson join Maria to share about Eval and Ink. Eval and Ink aims to unveil the identities and elevate the voices of evaluators by exploring the narratives behind their tattoos. Christine and David share the story behind this project and reflect on the powerful experience of connecting with others who are sharing the stories of their tatoos with them. This episode discusses how our identities show up in our evaluation work, the need for celebrating the cultural diversity in our field, the importance of considering the humanity involved in evaluation, and the value of self-reflection in our work. 

Learn more abotu Eval and Ink and get involved here. 

David's definition of Culturally Responsive and Equity-Focused Evaluation is from The Eval Matrix. 

David also shares about the Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) program from Expanding the Bench. 

Gabriela Rentería Flores, Chair of the EvalYouth Global Network, joins The Evaluation Couch to share her reflections. As we approach the upcoming elections for a new Management Group, this episode introduces EvalYouth and dives into the experiences of both Maria and Gaby. They discuss career opportunities, valuable learnings, and the sacrifices inherent in taking on leadership roles within EvalYouth. Maria and Gaby share their hopes for the future and encourage potential board nominees to recognize the impact they can make.

In this episode, Maria discusses Planned Happenstance, a career development theory. Maria provides an overview of Planned Happenstance and the five attitudes or skills that can help you make the most of chance events. She shares three tips that can help you adopt this theory to grow your career. 

In this episode, Maria discusses positionality statements and shares her positionality statement for The Evaluation Couch. This episode includes a brief introduction to positionality statements and examples of how evaluators use them in their practice. Maria shares aspects of her identity and position in this world relevant to the topics that will be discussed in this podcast. She shares three tips for integrating positionality statements in your evaluation practice.  

Chris Lysy, from Fresh Spectrum, sits in the couch to share how he built a special career by leaning into his interests and diversifying his skills. Chris shares how he became the artist behind thousands of evaluation cartoons and shares valuable tips related to exploring our interests, finding opportunities, starting a consulting business, and creating content. 

Visit Chris' website for free resources, cartoons, and more. 

Watch Chris' and Maria's Q&A mentioned in the episode and see the cartoons here. 

In this episode, Maria highlights the value that younger generations bring to workplaces and the importance of understanding generational differences to build better working conditions for all. This episode provides an overview of the historical and contextual factors that influence the motivations and expectations of different generations. It also provides suggestions of how we can transform workplaces to make them more inclusive of younger generations. 

Resources and references:

Generation Why: How Boomers Can Lead and Learn from Millennials and Gen Z by Karl Moore

Delloite's Gen Z and Millenial Survey

LinkedIn Research

Gen Z In The Workplace: How Should Companies Adapt? by John Hopking University

How Gen Z will Change Company Culture by Ethan McCarty 

Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins

Making generational differences work: What empirical research reveals about leading millennials

Diego Luces joins Maria to discuss evaluators' use of artificial intelligence (AI). Diego brings a lens to this discussion from his work as a software engineer working on AI tools. This episode discusses barriers and self-limiting beliefs that evaluators shared with Maria about AI. It includes suggestions for how evaluators can address some of their concerns and reframe their limiting beliefs if they choose to prioritize embracing this technology. 

Resources:

Microsoft's Responsible AI: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/responsible-ai

Resources to improve your Copilot prompts: https://copilot.cloud.microsoft/prompts

In this episode, Maria reflects on the role that a bad job experience can have in shaping our careers. She shares her own learnings from a bad job and how reframing her experience has helped her learn how to navigate future challenges. The episode also includes tips to help you reframe challenging job experiences to turn them into learning opportunities.