Evaluation (What)

Evaluation is the process of determining how good something is, sometimes for the purpose of ensuring that a quality standard is met.

When an actor or their product is evaluated, this typically provokes strong negative affect (threat, fear, angst, …) and often has associated high stakes.

Examples

Formal Settings

• Context: Driver’s Test

• Evaluation: Determining if a young person can drive safely enough to be awarded a driver’s license.

• Context: Drinking Water

• Evaluation: Determining if water is safe enough for human consumption.

• Context: Electrical Inspection of a Building

• Evaluation: Determining if the wiring of a building has been done safely.

• Context: Manufacturing

• Evaluation: Determining if quality standards have been met for a part in production.

• Context: Computer Programming

• Evaluation: Determining if a code base is ready for release to the public.

Informal Settings

• Context: Friends watching a movie together
• Evaluation: Stating how good the movie was. Example:
  • That movie was awful.
  • That movie was great.
• Context: You wear some clothes you really like and other people make comments on them
• Evaluation: Here are some examples:
  • I really like what you are wearing!
  • Why are you wearing that?? (spoken with an incredulous tone)
  • That outfit makes you look fat.
  • Those colors don’t work together.

Patterns in these Examples

• Evaluation is judging things as good versus bad, or acceptable versus non-acceptable.

• Evaluations happen all the time; they are pervasive.

• Actors can love and hate evaluations:

  • Actors usually love positive evaluations: you passed, you look great, love your story.
  • Actors usually hate negative ones: you flunked, you look awful, your product sucks.

Rationale

Here are some reasons why being skilled with evaluation is worthwhile.

1. Use evaluation when it is justified.

   1. We all want safe drinking water.
   2. We all want safe drivers.
   3. We all want safe buildings.

2. Ensure that evaluations are accurate and reliable.

   1. Things that should fail do so.
   2. Things that should pass do so.

3. Avoid evaluation when it is harmful.

   1. Evaluation improperly used can lessen or kill learning.
      1. Positive evaluation tells a person that they can stop learning.
      2. Negative evaluations are demoralizing.
         1. Some people quit learning.
   2. Most people are highly skilled at finding things wrong (negative evaluations), and they often share their findings with others.
      1. This lessens or kills collaboration.

4. Most of the time, feedback (not evaluation) should be used. 1. Feedback is information that can help an actor (person or a group) improve their results, decrease their drawbacks, or increase their other rewards. 2. Feedback feels great, feels empowering, and it often results in improvements or growth.

5. Evaluation can be empowering when the actor being evaluated buys into the criteria, is motivated to meet these criteria, and takes ownership of meeting them.

6. Positive and honest evaluation of others is useful in multiple contexts:

   1. Building and maintaining relationships.
   2. Small talk.
   3. Encouraging. Enhancing motivation.
   4. Leading.
   5. Persuasion.
   6. Teaching.

Evaluation (How To)

Here is a framework for evaluation.

1. Figure out what should be evaluated and when.

   1. In many cases, evaluations (judgements) should be avoided.

2. Set the standards and make sure they are known.

3. Do the evaluation professionally and openly. Practice loving kindness.

   1. Best to have an outside evaluator in many cases. m