In the last 5 posts, we have covered a number of components that help you answer, and communicate your answer, to Question Zero "What, exactly, are we trying to accomplish?": Choosing the type of story you are trying to tell Ensuring you are speaking the right language for your audience Making sure you are measuring … Continue reading Question Zero Part 6: Next steps
Question Zero Part 5: Measurement in Time and Space
I am very grateful to Morgan MacDonald from Offsetters for introducing me to the concept of balancing measurements in time and space. This is a very simple idea that provides a powerful check on your reporting. When looking at your selected measures, you can plot them in a series of circles (you can do this … Continue reading Question Zero Part 5: Measurement in Time and Space
Question Zero Part 4: Goals, Activities and Outcomes
The question of measuring outcomes, defining goals and managing activities can be quite complex and many people have written on this topic. I don't want to rehash that work or get into a debate about the exact terminology, I don't think that is important. What I tell groups I work with is that you do … Continue reading Question Zero Part 4: Goals, Activities and Outcomes
Question Zero Part 3: Speaking the Right Language for your Audience
Last time we spoke about the importance of being clear on the type of story you are telling - to communicate issues, to demonstrate impact or to engage stakeholders. This time we will talk about getting the language right for your audience. No matter how well you understand your issue, if you are not speaking … Continue reading Question Zero Part 3: Speaking the Right Language for your Audience
Question Zero Part 2: Communicating, Demonstrating and Engaging with Information
Continuing from last post, let's get into the details of how to measure and communicate your success. The question to think through is "What kind of story are you trying to tell?I use the word story deliberately - many people forget that any time you are presenting a number or report there is a reason … Continue reading Question Zero Part 2: Communicating, Demonstrating and Engaging with Information
Answering Question Zero: What is success and how do we measure it?
Herman Leonard, a professor at Harvard Business School, has a concept called Question Zero. This asks “What exactly are we trying to accomplish?” The idea being if you can't answer Question Zero, then don't bother with questions 1 through 99! For social ventures and non-profits this can be a difficult question to answer simply and … Continue reading Answering Question Zero: What is success and how do we measure it?
Constructive Public Engagement 