Situational Awareness and Interpersonal Competence as Evaluator Competencies

This article reports research that examined the meaning of two broad evaluator competency domains. The first is situational awareness (SA) that focuses on understanding the unique contexts of evaluations and their users/stakeholders. The second is interpersonal competence (IC) that focuses on social skills needed for constructive interactions in conducting program evaluations. This research employed a qualitative design in which 13 experienced and skilled evaluators, purposively sought from varied professional contexts, participated in semistructured interviews that elicited thick descriptive narratives on what contributes to effective SA and IC in actual practice. Results revealed seven key factors pertinent to evaluator competence in these domains, plus the following three deeper dispositional elements underlying effective practice: (a) commitment to service, (b) humility as a learner, and (c) dedication to developing trust.