What else can we measure, beyond the numbers?

For me, measuring impact goes further than counting the number of students, teachers or schools that a programme has worked with, or the amount of hours spent delivering an initiative, or the volume of resources that have been downloaded.

These metrics are important: don’t get me wrong. They can provide useful insights. But there is so much more to the story.

So I thought I’d start to make a list of the sorts of important, meaningful things that I help my clients measure. Here goes…

We can measure:

• changes in attitudes

• changes in behaviours

• the acquisition of new skills

• the acquisition of new knowledge

• the development of confidence and self-belief

• how someone overcomes a challenge

• how people respond to being allowed to try something and fail, safely

• how stereotypes and pre-conceived ideas are challenged and overcome

• how barriers to participation are broken down

• the degree to which new experiences are provided

• how successfully you have reached people who are commonly excluded

• how access to something is improved and increased

• how representation is improved

• how disadvantage is overcome

• how opportunities are made more equal

• how many new connections are made and what they bring

• how aspirations are raised

• how new audiences are inspired

• what participants have learned about themselves that they didn’t previously know or recognise

• (and perhaps most importantly) how much fun has been had!

This is just the tip of the iceberg. What have I missed?

I hope that it’s got you thinking about what is important to you about the impact of what you do.

What are the things that you would like to be able to measure about your work?

Send me an email with your answers, and let’s get started with measuring your impact!