Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Hello! I’m Lauren Hiskey, an evaluation specialist based in Columbus, OH. Before I was an evaluator, I was a social worker, and I carry that with me into every evaluation I do.
We all come to evaluation from different backgrounds and have experiences, ideas, and values that shape who we are as evaluators. We talk about our positionality as evaluators, but how often do we take the time to reflect on what our positionality really means for our everyday evaluation practice?
For me, that reflection starts with recognizing where I came from. My social work background shows up most clearly in how I approach evaluation as a relational practice. I recently facilitated two separate focus groups with program participants and program staff. These opportunities to talk to people and hear their perspectives, experiences, and ideas are one of my favorite parts of the evaluation process. I synthesize everyone’s ideas and reflect them back with care and fidelity. It’s important to me that all my work is accessible and meaningful to the people who trusted me with their experiences. Social work is a relational profession at its core, and the skills I built there, like reflective listening, building trust, meeting people where they are, translate directly into how I work as an evaluator.
It’s crucial not to stop our reflections at the strengths our backgrounds can bring to our evaluation practice. We must reflect on how our positionality might be shaping our practice without our awareness. Sometimes a relational orientation can make it harder to deliver difficult findings, or to trust your own interpretation of the data when it conflicts with others’ expectations. This is where transparency becomes essential. True objectivity is a myth, but we can be honest with ourselves about the way our unique positionality may affect how we collect, interpret, and report our findings.
We all have numerous responsibilities competing for our attention. This is exactly why self-reflection is essential. It is so easy to get caught up in the doing and lose sight of the why. We must be honest with ourselves in all the ways our positionality affects the work we do. If we want to have an impact, we must practice with intention.
If you are interested in diving deeper into positionality, great starting points include:
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