Through this skills building session we share our current experience and practice surrounding the notion of readiness. We borrow the term from the early steps of utilization-focused evaluation (Patton). Much of our work stems from an IDRC-supported action-research project through which we mentor partners in utilization-focused evaluation & research communication. When readiness is established and maintained, it creates a reference map to monitor and course-correct the collaborative process. We will elaborate on three elements that are constants in our experience: the power to design, the commitment to learn, and the organizations’ evaluation culture. We will share our strategic use of mentoring as a means of supporting collaborative evaluation and learning. Our skills building proposition: readiness gives a name to the enabling and limiting factors behind collaboration, and there are strategies to assess it, nurture it, and make it your ally.