Speaking English kills you (& other ways evaluations can go sideways)

Program evaluation can leave you feeling like you don’t know if you’re coming or going.

I do a lot of program evaluation work because it’s often so painful for my clients that I’m eager to show how it can be done with ease & even creativity & humour.

I was particularly proud to be asked by the United Nations to write a program evaluation training manual.  It will be available online for free sometime soon (fingers crossed) but in the meantime you can check out the Beta site of SoJo, where some of the manual’s content has been posted.

SoJo is a collection of tools and informational resources to inspire and empower you to transform your ideas for social change into reality.

In the meantime, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, here’s an example of how drawing the wrong evaluation conclusions can hurt you.

For those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition and health. 

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the English. 

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the English. 

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the English. 

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the English. 

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the English. 

Conclusion:   Eat and drink what you like.   Speaking English is apparently what kills you. 

(I’m not sure who is the original author of the above humourous take on health but here’s one source.)

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