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Educational - Speech Evaluator

Overview

A Speech Evaluator is one the most important roles at any Toastmaster meeting. It is an excellent way to hone your listening skills and speaking abilities with minimal preparation time. A good speech evaluation forms a large part of essential feedback all Speakers need to develop their strengths and work on their weaknesses.

Getting Organised

• As an Evaluator it is important you talk to the speaker before the meeting. Remember it is your responsibility to contact the speaker and this is best done a day or two before the meeting date.
• Ensure you know the full name of the speaker. If you are not sure how to pronounce their name just ask them. It is embarrassing, disrespectful and poor Toastmaster practice to introduce your speaker and pronounce their name incorrectly.
• You need to know the name of the speech project, the relevant manual, the allocated time and the speech title.
• Ask the speaker the speech premise or angle if there is one. Ask if you need to introduce the speaker in any particular way or set a scene for the audience.
• Ask if the speaker will be using any equipment such a white board, projector or display of any kind. Check if the speaker requires any help with the equipment setup.
• Check with the speaker if they have any personnel objectives.
• Finally ask the speaker for some interesting things about themselves. Make sure you note any facts or details that they tell you correctly. Some speakers may not want much said about them personally so you must respect this. In this case you can just mention their Toastmaster progress, how long they have been in Toastmasters, and perhaps why they joined the club.
• Before arriving at the meeting make some bullet point notes on one page. These notes should include: Speakers full name, speech manual, name of the speech project, speech title, personal objectives, speech time and any personal details.
• Don’t use lots of pieces of paper with various notes on each page. This will almost certainly make your job difficult. Try using one page with short notes or bullet points. An A5 bound notebook also works well in this case.
• Ensure you arrive at the meeting early.
• Check the program for the time allocated to you for introducing the speaker and your subsequent evaluation.
• Before the meeting starts check with the Speaker that they are ready.
• Check with the Speaker if they want use the lectern. If they don’t want to use it remember it is your job to move the lectern well away before the speaker begins their speech.
• Ask them for their speech manual and make sure you are 100% certain which project they are delivering.

The Introduction

• Address the audience in the normal manner; ‘Madam Toastmaster’ or ‘Mr Toastmaster, fellow Toastmasters and welcome guests’ (if there are any)
• If there are any guests and you are the first Evaluator you can very briefly describe the role of a Speech Evaluator. Don’t refer to yourself as an ‘Introducer’. There is no such role in Toastmasters. You are an Evaluator and it so happens that part of your role is to introduce your Speaker.
• The introduction you give for any speaker should always be upbeat, positive and friendly. The tone of your introduction will have impact on the speakers’ performance and their level of enjoyment in delivering their speech.
• Give the Timer the speech time. You should give the green, orange and red times.
• Watch your own time during the introduction. It is easy to go over your allocated time as this is often only 2 minutes.
• Don’t forget to give the manual objectives and any personal objectives. Stating the personal objectives can be left until your evaluation but you must say so if that is your intention.
• If appropriate give some brief and carefully worded personal details about the speaker.
• These are the essential parts of your introduction. The order in which you cover these items is entirely up to you as the Evaluator.
• Be mindful of giving away too much information about the speech itself. Don’t give away any details, content or message about the speech unless the Speaker has clearly asked you to do so.
• Remember the introduction protocol. Speaker’s name, speech title, speech title, speaker’s name. (and you lead the clapping)

Writing your Report

• It is important that you listen to the speaker carefully throughout the entire speech but you also need make note of any points you want comment on in your evaluation.
• Note down any key words under commendation and recommendation on your note pad so you can expand on these later.
• Try to keep your notes orderly or in a format that you can clearly understand. This will make your report delivery much easier for you and for your audience to understand.
• Try not to write your evaluation comments word for word. This role is a great opportunity for you to practice delivering an evaluation from bullet points or limited notes.
• Your notes should be structured in the CRC method for all of the evaluations you do.
• If you have time before you deliver your evaluation fill out the ‘Evaluators’ section in the speakers manual. This can be completed after you deliver your evaluation so don’t rush through it.

Delivering your Evaluation

• Address the audience in the normal manner; ‘Madam Toastmaster’ or ‘Mr Toastmaster, fellow Toastmasters and welcome guests’ (if there are any)
• It is always good practice to give the manual and personal objectives again and you can include the speech time. You should also comment on how well the speaker did with reference to these points.
• Remember your role is to evaluate the speakers’ performance and not the speech message. You may not agree with the speakers’ views or their particular angle so it’s important you don’t deliver your evaluation as an alternative view to the Speaker.
• Remember always deliver an evaluation in the 3rd PERSON. It is very important that you don’t deliver your comments directly to the speaker you are evaluating.
• A useful technique for 3rd person delivery is to imagine the person you are evaluating has left the room.
• Always use the Toastmaster CRC protocol. It is vital that you close your comments about any errors and mistakes with a positive comment. This is especially important for any new Speakers that may find their first few speech’s very challenging.
• Watch the time carefully. It is very easy to run over time with a speech evaluation.
• Gesture to the Toastmaster and say ‘Madam Toastmaster’ or ‘Mr Toastmaster’ and wait for them to arrive at the lectern, shake hands and take your seat.
• Ensure you have completed the Evaluators section in the Speakers manual. Your comments in the speaker’s manual should constructive, helpful and positive.
• Return the manual to the Speaker at the conclusion of the meeting and congratulate them on their efforts.
• Your role is complete.

Please remember the role of the Speech Evaluator is challenging and very busy. The Speaker you evaluated will remember your comments so it is imperative that your tone is positive and encouraging.

Please also remember your CL manual when filling this role.

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