Top Takeaways from #Eval20 and looking to #Eval21

Now that the AEA elections have been decided (Congratulations to our new leadership!) it reminds us that we wanted to share our top takeaways from the #Eval20 conference.

1. Culturally responsive and equitable evaluations (CREE) was a theme that we found throughout the conference. Many TIGs and sessions intentionally centered equity, honoring each other and showcasing diverse voices. We loved seeing so many women and people of color leading this year’s discussions, as well as the allyship demonstrated by our evaluation community. We especially appreciated the Indigenous land acknowledgments at the outset of many sessions and look forward to continued discussions around these themes.
2. Learning from failure is here to stay: It was great to see the continued discussions around how we can embrace failure in our evaluation practice and professional careers as a step towards learning and growth.
3. COVID-19 adaptations: It was clear during the conference that we are all in this together - and the level of dialogue and critical thought was helpful for our practice. We appreciated the helpful skill building sessions on facilitation techniques and overcoming challenges of simultaneous interpretation during virtual sessions. A lot of new adaptive tools were presented that helped us to learn.
4. Data Viz could still be improved: There were some awesome slides - but there were also some that could have been improved. We’ve had the potent presentations support and guidance for several years now - but some evaluators still need to take it to heart.

While the conference was a great opportunity to pause and learn, we mostly hope that we’ll see you all in Washington DC - in person - "Meeting the Moment" for #Eval21.