Guiding a Team to Build a Logic Model

Guiding a Team to Build a Logic Model

by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments
Facilitating a group through the process to build a logic model can feel overwhelming. I have some tips and tricks to make the process easier when leading a team through the process of creating a logic model.  Who should be involved?  Try to limit the group to as few people as possible but ensure that you have representation from project/program staff, evaluation staff, and, when possible, leadership teams. Groups larger than ten often struggle to come to a consensus. If your group has more than ten people, think about how you structure each work session; there may be a way to design each session so that every member does not have to be present at every meeting.  Where should we meet?  You will want a flexible space that allows for small group and large group discussions. You will also want a whiteboard or another method to collect ideas. If your room doesn’t have a whiteboard, post-its can be a powerful tool for brainstorming as...
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How Do I Create A Logic Model?

How Do I Create A Logic Model?

by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments
In my previous post, I summarized logic models. If you read that post or have heard about logic models but don’t know where to start, I’ll share some straightforward steps to create a logic model in this post. These steps have been adapted from The Compass For SBA website. The Compass is a curated collection of social and behavior change (SBC) resources.  Who should be involved? Your logic model should be co-created by team members and leadership staff. Any team member who will be overseeing the evaluation or research related to the project and any leadership staff who are closely connected to the project should participate in this effort. It is great to have senior leadership staff as part of the development team because this helps get internal buy. Everyone is then aligned on the inputs, outcomes, and plans for measuring the desired results. What timeframe do I need to create a logic model?  Logic models are ideally created at the beginning of a...
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What’s the Logic Model?

What’s the Logic Model?

by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments
In grad school, my thesis advisor taught me about one of the most valuable tools I have ever used in my career: the logic model. I remember being overwhelmed by the technical nature of it, but once I got out of the weeds, I absolutely fell in love with this tool and now feel like I’m almost a logic model evangelist. If you stick with me, I can show you why I feel so strongly about the logic model and, more importantly, the process that one goes through to create it.   As a tool, a logic model is beneficial when creating a new product or service for your audience. Logic models can also help you to examine an existing product or service to see if it is achieving the desired outcomes. It allows a team to challenge assumptions and look for possible changes that you need to make to an existing product, program, or service.  So what is a logic model? The short...
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The Survey Workshop

The Survey Workshop

by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments
I have enjoyed collaborating on this workshop with Kyle Bowen, the founder of SuperHelpful, a research firm devoted to helping museum leaders create more innovative organizations through research. Why a survey workshop? The short and honest answer: Because a survey is what your museum wants to use to listen to its audience. We would like to help you make an effective survey and use the opportunity to work with you to help your organization identify its strategic goals and develop new evaluation skills that your team will use long after completing the workshop.  The beauty of this remote workshop series is that there is no limit to the number of participants from your organization, and whoever you choose to participate in will have customized learning opportunities based on your organization and goals. Yes, you will have a ready-to-use survey tool when you complete this series. Just as importantly, you will also have a team that is more confident in openly talking about...
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Using Kahoot

Using Kahoot

by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments
Think about the last time you played a game. How did it make you feel? Games and polls are a great way to engage teams during virtual meetings. Kahoot allows you to gamify your organization’s training and onboarding. This intuitive online platform is free for all educators and relatively inexpensive for paid memberships. You can easily create quizzes, games, and polls that can be shared during team meetings or even go so far as to create versatile blended learning solutions, including self-paced courses. Seamlessly host Kahoots via any video conferencing platform, including Google Hangouts, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.  One of my favorite ways to use Kahoot! Is as an icebreaker to build motivation and facilitate a strong group learning dynamic. You will want to prep your quiz or poll in advance and then get a shared link to drop into the chat box of your video conferencing tool of choice. Once participants click on that link they will be asked to...
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Using Padlet

by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments
What's a Padlet? In its purest form, a Padlet is a digital pinboard. You can dress it up or dress it down. These pinboards have received significant attention and usage in the education world with the rise of digital learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But they also have great potential to help increase collaboration in the workplace.  Collaboration is what makes Padlet special. One of the strengths of this platform is that each contributor has an equal voice.  What are ways you can use Padlet to Increase Virtual Collaboration? You might consider using Padlet for the following:   Icebreaker board to connect pre-meeting. Voting board to aid in deciding which topic should discuss at an upcoming meeting or which training they feel they might need. Resource board, one that could be for HR resources or project-specific collections. Pre-training exercise board to introduce employees a topic and track growth. Interactive exercises during a digital meeting Q and A board during a meeting. (Also sometimes called a parking lot.) Company feedback form.Exit ticket,...
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Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook

by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments
Microsoft Outlook is used in many companies. Although much of Outlook is intuitive, many people have never received training on this platform and therefore are unaware of many of its helpful collaboration features. In this continuing series on virtual tools to enhance collaboration, I will share three cool features in Microsoft Outlook to boost virtual cooperation in your team.  @Mentions: Have you ever needed to send an email to a dozen coworkers but only needed an answer from two of them? In the past, you might have bolded, underline or highlight to draw attention to who you need feedback or input from, but this can be missed or overlooked by team members who do not read the email carefully. With Outlook, you have another option. Type @ followed by their name, and several things happen. First, their name is automatically added to the "To" line of the email message. Members of the team mentioned using the @ symbols will see their name...
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Project Management Software

Project Management Software

by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments
You might already know the power of project management software, but the skillful application of it into your virtual meeting can lead to dramatic boosts in collaboration for your team. Project management software like Basecamp, Wrike, Monday.com, and Clickup generally have three main tools to help teams manage their projects. The first is individual tools. These tools allow for individuals to keep track of their workload and have transparency with their direct supervisor. The next is collaborative tools which enable teams from all across organizations and outside partners to build and collaborate on projects. Finally, integrated tools allow managers to see and manage multiple projects at once and assess and adjust the need for the complexity and interconnectivity of these projects. Other notable features of these types of software include cloud-based solutions, combine workflow tools in one place, keep teams accountable, easy documentation, keeping track of budgets.  Check out this blog on Zapier, "The Best Free Project Management Software" The feature I...
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What It feels Like to Attend a Bad Training

by Meghan SchiedelNo Comments
We all know what it feels like to attend bad training or professional development session. If you are like me, you might even have a pretty visceral reaction, or worse, you can’t remember the training at all.  So what are some of the signs of lousy professional training?  You have no idea why you are there or what you are supposed to get out of the training.You feel resentful about being there and wish you could be anywhere else.Despite how hard you try, you can’t stay focused and keep checking your phone, thinking of the other places you would like to be, or things that you would rather do.You leave the training not knowing anyone else who was attending the training.You are never given the opportunity to share your knowledge or input with the group. The instructor-made training tool is what seems like an endless deck of PowerPoint slides, each with approximately 500 words on them.Your butt hurts from sitting in one position...
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