Conference: Measuring What Matters in a

Post-Truth Society

10th M&E on the cutting edge event

Thursday 6 April 2017

Objectives of the conference

Seeking to get clarity and learn about how to measure what matters, when we are aiming for SDGs yet we seem to live in a ‘post-truth’ society.

#MEmatters

Program

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Time Topic

08.30 Coffee/tea

09.00 Welcome and introduction

09.15 Post-truthiness in my life: Irene Guijt

09.45 Keynote 1: Wendy Asbeek (IOB)

10.10 Keynote 2: Claire Hutchings (OXFAM GB)

10.35 Keynote 3: Robert Dijksterhuis (RVO)

11.00 Coffee/tea

12.15 Q&A to the panel

12.45 Lunch

13.45 Reflecting on core conference questions

15.30 Tea/coffee

16.00 Book Launch

17.00 Drinks

This conference

Part of a series of yearly M&E on the cutting edge events (since 2009)

Theme of this year: time to reflect. Post-truth:

Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.

‘in this era of post-truth politics, it's easy to cherry-pick data and come to whatever conclusion you desire’’

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Post-truth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xcW7Tg5E34

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Post-truth

(Common Dreams,25 January 2017; https://tinyurl.com/hvsqtum).

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Conference questions

How do we measure what matters and use what matters to change what should matter?

What is our role in this as evaluators, commissioners, policy makers, other users?

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Generative listening

Downloading

Factual listening

Empathic listening

Generative listening

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Personal reflection

What questions do you still have?

What is still puzzling you?

What surprised you?

What information is conflicting?

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Afternoon session

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Personal reflection

What are the obstacles and opportunities for the core question:

How do we measure what matters and use what matters to change what should matter?

It’s about the evidence process in the context of the ‘post-truth’ society

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Circular dialogue – Variation: Walt Disney

Strategy

3 phases, distinguished by space and time:

● The Dreamer: starts and writes down feelings, ideas, wishes

● The Planning: contemplates how the dream can be realized, writes down activities, tools, resources

● The Critic: searches for mistakes and weak points in the concept

Then repeat cycle: redreaming, replanning, noting down all modifications until the Critic finds no more objections and becomes silent.

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Exercise - Circular dialogue, Walt Disney Strategy

Groups of 9 people: 3 Dreamers, 3 Planners/Realists and 3 Critics:

● Dreamers: develop and write down ideas, feelings, wishes

based on the following:

● A future, inspired by the SDGs, where we generate and use

evidence as inspiration for social justice.

● Planners/Realists: contemplate how the dream can be realised

and note down the required activities, tools or resources and

turn this into a plan. Include roles for evaluators, policymakers,

program officers etc.

● Critics: search for mistakes and weak points in the concept.

Then repeat sequence: re-dreaming, replanning, noting down all the

modifications until the critic finds no more objections and become

silent

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Personal reflection

What do you take home from this conference?

What next step will you make to contribute towards generating evidence that can influence people to take action for the SDGs / social justice?

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Thank you for

your attention!

M&E on the cutting edge conference 2017

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