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circumstance. One could argue that best practices have an important role to play in some circumstances
(such as safety checklists in the health profession). However, best practices fall short of capturing the

essence of experience-based ongoing adaptation, decision-making that is highly desirable for evaluation
and communication planning (Ramírez et al., 2015).

Practical wisdom is an intuitive and rational capacity to make prompt and wise decisions based on

experience. It requires that the unique character of the particular circumstances be immediately discerned
and an appropriate determination or decision made. For trainers, having trainees that achieve this kind of

practical wisdom is a desirable goal. We acknowledge that there are some individuals who seem to have
been born with practical wisdom. We can think of a few colleagues with facilitation skills that emerge

naturally, even in the most challenging situations. However, in most cases, we are talking about most
people (ourselves included) who require a concerted effort to build their skill sets and gain confidence by

experimenting to fine-tune them.

Desired traits of evaluation and communication mentors

We have learned to look for certain desirable traits within our prospective evaluation and

communication mentors:

X A background in either the evaluation or communication field is helpful.
X Strong facilitation and communication skills are essential.
X Willingness to learn and contribute to a team experiment are assets.

X A commitment to document learning and reflect on the process is necessary.

X Flexibility in approach and availability are prerequisites.
X Strong project management and organizational skills are helpful.

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