Summary: Surprise! You (and we) thought we had finished up season 2, but then we had an opportunity to talk with some folks about an issue we think and care a lot about and we couldn't pass it up. Welcome to our bonus episode on cultivating interpersonal effectiveness (in the classroom and beyond). This season we talked (and learned) a lot about how to be better, more empathetic listeners, how to apply those skills as we help organizations build learning cultures, and how our academic colleagues are training the next crop of future evaluators in these skills. Interpersonal skills have been top of mind. Thus, we jumped at the chance to talk with a panel of actual experts on how to cultivate these skills in ourselves and among our colleagues. Our panel guests include: Libby Smith (she/they) is an organizational healing facilitator. As an experienced and holistic evaluator and educator, she excels at the human component of research and evaluation. Never one to shy away from crucial conversations, Libby deftly balances accountability and compassion. Her work focuses on building equity and accessibility through personal growth and embodiment practices. Libby uses these skills to provide intersectional and liberation-forward guidance to organizations and clients seeking transformative change. She is an AEA Board member, works at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and is auntie to 10-year-old twin girls. Follow Libby on Twitter: @work_with_libby Tiffany Smith (she/her) is an evaluator, educator, and facilitator. She brings experience as a tenure-track faculty member teaching evaluation and research courses, as well as experience with conducting research and evaluation projects. Tiffany has conducted evaluation work in K-12 education settings, non-profit organizations, higher education environments, and community programs. She stresses the importance of communication, reflective practice, and collaboration in her evaluation work and in training others in evaluation and research methods. Follow Tiffany on Twitter: @Tiffany7001 Deven Wisner (he/him) is a capacity builder for data-driven decision making across a variety of disciplines, including community and social welfare, human capital, finance, marketing, and compliance. He leverages his training in evaluation and industrial-organizational psychology and years of senior level management experience to enable clients to leverage data in their organizations decision-making process. Complementary to his technical skills in program design, statistics, and data visualization and reporting, Deven relies heavily on participatory methods and interpersonal effectiveness training to inspire client ownership and buy-in. He is the Principal Consultant for Viable Insights, an instructor at the University of Arizona and president of the Arizona Evaluation Network. At the root of all his work is a passion for empowering individuals to utilize evidence-based decision making as an effective method for achieving their goals and objectives. Follow Deven on Twitter: @devenwisner The post BONUS episode! Cultivating Interpersonal Effectiveness appeared first on Glass Frog Solutions.
