The Power of Reflection:

An introduction to
participatory evaluation
techniques
By Gillian Kranias, Health Nexus
This resource was originally developed by Health Nexus for HC Link (2016).
Revised 2018
Health Nexus The Power of Reflection 02

Contents

Why Evaluate? 03
Where to Start 04
Three Participatory Evaluation Techniques 05
- Lineups 06
- Head-Heart-Feet 07
- Paper Quilt 09
References 11

Introduction

Community groups and partnerships commonly talk You can employ these practical and adaptable
about needing simpler tools to evaluate their efforts. approaches to:
With this resource, you can begin benefiting from
your own reflection activities without needing an • inform the development phase of a partnership,
outside evaluator.
• reflect on group dynamics and processes, and/or

The following pages present a theoretical introduc- • identify results after a project or community
tion to participatory evaluation and three simple event.
evaluation techniques that can be used by any
Using participatory techniques can also help
community group or partnership.
re-energize your group members’ relationships
and commitment.

CHECK OUT - Health Nexus’ Participatory Evaluation Toolkit to deepen your understanding
of a participatory approach and access 7 additional techniques to use with your community
group or partnership.
Health Nexus The Power of Reflection 03

Why Evaluate?
When we take time to evaluate, we gain new Evaluation gives us information (also called “data”)
insights and build shared understanding to better that all types of people – including participants,
direct our work moving forward. organizers, facilitators, partners, politicians and
funders – can learn from. Of particular value to
Evaluation can help to: 1
voluntary groups and partnerships, evaluation
can also (re)energize group relationships and
• Make judgments — To what extent do people commitment.
experience this group/partnership as welcoming?

• Facilitate improvements — What helps, what

hinders, and how could we do things differently?

• Generate knowledge — What are the most

significant impacts we have made together?

Participatory Evaluation is Unique

To take a participatory evaluation approach

means to invite and facilitate more involvement
and co-leadership from the people most directly Why Choose a Participatory
involved with, and affected by, our efforts.2 Approach?4
Depending on where you are coming from, partic- • Advance equity among group members.
ipatory evaluation may be a natural extension of
how you already work (e.g. Indigenous traditions • Emphasize the most relevant questions.

or community development approaches), or it may • Build collaboration skills.

involve “…radically rethinking who initiates and
undertakes the [evaluation] process, and who • Spark creativity and innovation.
learns or benefits from the findings…”3
• Apply insights to action.

• Reflect your culture and values.

• Engage in a fun and energizing way.

Health Nexus The Power of Reflection 04

Where to Start
Evaluation engages the power of reflection by taking
a systematic approach, but it can still be quite
simple. The basic pattern of an evaluative feedback “It’s about choosing, among
system looks like this: several possibilities, the pair
of glasses under which [your]
A. Decide on one (or more) guiding question(s).
project will be studied.”
B. Select a technique to gather information.

C. Explore what? - Discuss and analyse the – www.rechercheparticipative.org5

information (data) you collect.

D. Discover so what? - Seek consensus about your

findings (conclusions) and recommendations.

E. Discuss now what? - Identify actions you can

take based on what you learned.

Powerful Evaluative Questions

Look for questions with the power to gather 3. Tell a story that illustrates…how this experience
information and perspectives that take your group/ has made a difference in your life, work or
partnership to a new level of understanding, strategy community?
and synergy. Invite key stakeholders to select
4. Who is coming to our activities? Who is not
evaluative questions with you. Keep the questions
coming? What might we change to reach out
simple and direct. Powerful questions are not
more?
complex questions.
5. Why do I participate in this group? How well
Here are some question options that fellow are my personal goals being met? What could
consultants have found valuable for participatory improve things?
evaluation discussions and results.
6. What do we see that is different in our efforts
since last year, in terms of:
1. What happened?
• Numbers?
(share observations and stories)
• Types of activities?
• So what? (look for insights and learnings)
• Types of partners?
• Now what? (plan for change)
• Willingness to volunteer for tasks?
2. What do we see that is different, since three
7. What helps? What gets in the way?
years ago, that this partnership contributed to?
Health Nexus The Power of Reflection 05

8. What are the big rewards? What are the

big challenges?

9. What should we:

• Keep doing?
• Stop doing?
• Start doing?

Use Fishes & Weeds cut-outs for a fun way to explore the
questions “What are the big rewards?” and “What are the big
challenges?” For more ideas on creatively using cut-outs to
explore powerful questions, read Andrea Bodkin’s Blogpost
Tip Facilitation Technique: Fishes and Weeds (and more)

Be sure to read out the text on

post-it notes when they are going
on the wall, so that people who
are not able to see them remain
included. And, if you are sorting/
analysing ideas, periodically
review what texts or images
are being considered
together.

Three Participatory
Evaluation Techniques
On the following pages are descriptions of three techniques (like surveys, focus groups and/or
participatory evaluation techniques that are simple key informant interviews) and still emphasize
and fun. Don’t forget, you can also ask your participation during your evaluation design, as well
powerful questions using standard data collection as when you analyse the results of your research.

For more examples (7 more complex techniques), check out our Participatory Evaluation Toolkit.
You can also try adapting participatory facilitation techniques you already use to an evaluative
discussion.
Health Nexus The Power of Reflection 06

Lineups (also known as human continuum)6

Lineups are a very physical way of looking at • How well do you think we have met our
where people’s experiences, feelings or preferences objectives for this project – from “not at all”
fit along a spectrum or scale. They generate some to “completely”?
immediate quantitative insights, which are then
• How are you feeling at the end of this session –
explored further to highlight qualitative stories or
from “tired” to “highly energized”?
explanations. Lineups can help your group respect-
fully explore and better understand what’s behind • To what extent are other leaders in your sector/
differences of experience or opinion. Here are community aware of the activities and impacts of
some sample questions that lineups can reflect on: this partnership – from “completely” to “not at all”?

Logistics

SPACE TIME MATERIALS

• Enough space to line up (see • 8-20 minutes. This depends on how • Optional: note taker or
picture). If your space is tight much time you spend exploring the flipchart to document the
in length, invite people to line reasons behind peoples’ choice of debrief dialogue.
across an arc. position, and whether you ask more
than one question (try 1-3).
Health Nexus The Power of Reflection 07

Instructions

1. Explain the technique, define the extreme ends 4. While still standing in the line, take a look at the
of the lineup, and clarify your respect for indi- quantitative results of your lineup survey. Next,
vidual choice (i.e. clarify that participation is explore the (qualitative) meaning behind what
optional and people may choose to just watch). you see by inviting people to explain their place
in the line-up. For example: “why did you end up
2. Pose a question.
at this location?” and/or “what keeps you at this
3. Invite people to place themselves along an location?” Explore whether this new information
imaginary line on the floor, according to their leads the group to any important lessons or
personal response to the question you have other insights.
posed. Invite them to chat with other people
along the line in order to best determine what
spot matches their experience/perspective,
and allow time for them to do this.

Tips

• In advance, check that the question you are • It is often helpful to curve the line a bit during
asking is one that people will feel comfortable to the probing discussion, so that people can bet-
explore together. Lineups are similar to a Likert ter see each other.
scale survey but everybody can see each other’s
response, so confidentiality may be an issue.

Head-Heart-Feet7

The head-heart-feet evaluation offers a simple • In the middle… of a day long workshop (e.g.
complement of questions, drawing on the analogy before lunch): use it to assess the morning’s
of a “whole person”. Here are some examples of activities and consider if afternoon plans should
how it can be used in different ways, at different be adjusted.
times:
• At the end… of a collaborative planning session:
• At the beginning… of a new partnership: use use it to reveal diverse impacts of the session
it to survey everyone in the room about their on participating individuals and partners.
hopes for the collaboration.
Health Nexus The Power of Reflection 08

Logistics

SPACE TIME MATERIALS

• Wall space (or a flipchart • 5 minutes for people to write and post • Flipchart paper
stand) in a location that will their responses.
facilitate people’s comfort • Post-it notes
to post and read the notes. • Add another 5-15 minutes immediately
after, or at the beginning of your next • Thin markers for people to
gathering, to read/summarize and write their comments.
reflect on the results.

Instructions 2. Write on the flipchart and/or explain the

symbolism of each body part:

• Head = what did I learn?

• Heart = how am I feeling?
• Feet = what will be my next steps?

3. Distribute three small sticky notes to each

person, and invite them to comment and post
their responses according to each symbol and
related question. Invite people to read the
responses of others when posting their own.

4. Take time immediately - or at the beginning

of your next gathering - to review the results
together:

• What patterns do we see?

• Does anything surprise us? Or concern us?
• What can we learn from this feedback?
1. On large flipchart paper, draw a stick figure • What, if any, action should we take based
with a large head, heart and feet. on this feedback?

Tips

• Be flexible. People may interpret the questions • In a group that includes individuals or represen-
in slightly different ways and that is okay. The tatives from different subgroups (for example,
main purpose of this technique is to create an parents and teachers) you can give different
opening for people to reflect and share very coloured post-it notes to each group to help
personal qualitative insights. These can later identify if there are any patterns based on
be used to initiate a larger group reflection those differences.
and response.
Health Nexus The Power of Reflection 09

Paper Quilt

Paper quilts are a relatively quick arts-based evaluation technique. They allow time for individual
and/or small group reflection, then use images and story to express ideas.

Here are two examples of groups using paper quilts in different situations:

Powerful question: Powerful question:

Why do I care? Recognizing that many of us passionate folks
What do I value most about this initiative? have very busy work, volunteer and social
lives, what can we do to maximize our team
This paper quilt activity took one hour: twenty energy and effectiveness?
minutes was allocated to individual, pair and small
group reflections before the squares were drawn This paper quilt reflection took 20 minutes: ten
(because of this the images are more complex and minutes to reflect in pairs and complete squares,
the content has more depth). then ten minutes to collectively analyse and identify
a “small wins” action plan.
Health Nexus The Power of Reflection 10

Logistics

SPACE TIME MATERIALS

• Enough wall space (or a flipchart stand) • Variable. Usually 30-60 • Squares of paper or card stock,
to house the quilt squares all together. minutes. This depends ideally in different pale colours
If the wall is not directly in front of where on your group size and
people will sit, you will want room to the complexity of the • Markers or crayons
stand together in front of the quilt. question being explored.
• Masking tape or blue sticky tack
The individual sharing and
• Tables are useful, but not completely the large group analysis • Flipchart for notes on the
necessary, for when people are drawing take up the most time. evaluative discussion.
their squares.

Instructions

1. Prepare the paper quilt squares. 8 ½ x 8 ½ 4. Have people take turns sharing their square,
squares are a nice size, but smaller squares or adding an explanation (if they want), and then
post-it notes can work with smaller groups. posting it to the wall to create a colourful
“paper quilt”
2. Invite people to reflect on an evaluative question
(the reflection can be done alone, in pairs, or in 5. Together, discuss common themes, surprises,
small groups). learnings and/or action opportunities. Note
these evaluation results on your flipchart.
3. Pass around colourful markers and invite
everyone to draw a picture, a symbol, or 1-2
words (in any language) on their square.

Tips

• A longer variation: invite people to reflect • Be sure to take a picture of the paper quilt - for
individually, then in pairs or small groups using tweeting to the world or inserting into a report.
a reflection sheet. Later, invite them to draw
paper quilt squares based on their discussion.

• You can also use a paper quilt to explore the

impacts of a project or event. Ask people to
reflect on what has changed for them or a key
learning, and then draw a picture, symbol or
word which reflects the change or learning.
Health Nexus The Power of Reflection 11

References
1
Anita M. Baker, Beth Bruner. Participatory Eval-
uation Essentials: An Updated Guide for Nonprofit
Organizations and Their Evaluation Partners.
(The Bruner Foundation, 2010).
Tip
2
Institute of Development Studies. Participatory
Monitoring and Evaluation: Learning from Change,
IDS Policy Briefing, issue 12 (1998). Take a picture of your flipcharts
and wall charts/images at the end
3
Institute of Development Studies. p2.
of the session. You can paste
4
KU Work Group for Community Health and these into a document or email,
Development. “Participatory Evaluation”, Community and may not need to type up
Tool Box Chapter 36, Section 6, (University of
your report.
Kansas, 2015).

5
Centre collaborateur de l’OMS pour le dévelop-
pement des Villes et Villages en santé. Sait-on
bien travailler ensemble? Petit guide d’évaluation
à l’intention des initiatives de développement des
communautés. (Québec : Centre collaborateur de
l’OMS pour le développement des Villes et Villages
en santé, 2009). P.47 http://www.recherchepartici-
pative.org/PDF/PetitGuideEval18nov09pourImpres-
sion.pdf

6
R. Arnold, B. Burke, C. James, D. A. Martin, and
B. Thomas. Educating for a Change: A Handbook
for Community Educators. (Toronto: Between The
Lines, 1991).

7
Arnold et al. Educating for a Change.

Health Nexus adapted and republished this The publication of this resource has been funded
resource to support organizations working on through Status of Women Canada’s Women’s
Political Action and Community Action projects Program.
with funding from Status of Women Canada (SWC).
We hope this will be a practical resource as you
create systemic change supporting women’s
empowerment and leadership. SWC-funded
projects are invited to contact Health Nexus
with any questions, or for partnership support
coaching/facilitation on related themes at
collaboration@healthnexus.ca.
 Acknowledgements
Here is a recognition to all the equity-seeking individuals and communities who have said
“this system doesn’t work for us”, “nothing about us without us”, “honour the principle of
reciprocity”…and who developed and shared ways of evaluating that pay respect to these
insights and values. The teachings and techniques in this resource are grounded in their
wisdom and generosity.

Thanks also to the many individuals who provided valuable feedback on different versions
of this resource.

Download this resource at: https://en.healthnexus.ca/sites/en.healthnexus.ca/files/resourc-

es/powerofreflection.pdf

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Suggested Citation: Health Nexus. The Power of Reflection. Toronto, ON: Health Nexus. 2018.
All photos are by Health Nexus, unless otherwise specified.