Stakeholder Engagement & Communication Flashcards

Which stakeholder mapping tool helps evaluators prioritize engagement by assessing both interest and influence?

Answer: Power-interest grid

A power-interest grid categorizes stakeholders by their level of influence and interest, helping evaluators prioritize engagement strategies.

When is it MOST appropriate to use participatory evaluation methods?

Answer: When community ownership of findings and capacity building are primary goals

Participatory methods are most appropriate when the goal includes building community capacity and ensuring stakeholders own and act on findings.

A funder insists on framing evaluation questions in a way that the evaluator believes will bias results. What is the evaluator's BEST response?

Answer: Negotiate alternative questions that meet the funder's needs without compromising validity

Professional evaluators negotiate with funders to align evaluation questions with both funder needs and methodological integrity.

What does 'utilization-focused evaluation' primarily emphasize in stakeholder engagement?

Answer: Identifying intended users and uses early to ensure findings drive decisions

Utilization-focused evaluation centers on identifying primary intended users and specific intended uses from the outset to maximize practical impact.

Which technique BEST supports ongoing stakeholder communication throughout a multi-year program evaluation?

Answer: Providing regular progress briefs, interim findings, and feedback loops

Regular progress briefs and feedback loops keep stakeholders informed and allow course corrections before the evaluation concludes.

A community-based organization is skeptical of an external evaluator's presence. What engagement strategy would MOST effectively build trust?

Answer: Start with listening sessions to understand community concerns and evaluation history

Listening sessions that surface community concerns and prior negative experiences with evaluation build trust through genuine responsiveness.

When should evaluators share preliminary findings with program staff before finalizing a report?

Answer: When doing so allows staff to correct factual errors and provide contextual interpretation

Member checking with program staff catches factual errors and adds contextual interpretation without compromising evaluator independence.