To Be Great, Evaluate!

"...the two most important factors in Toastmasters are Mentoring and Evaluations" - Ralph Smedley

In my Toastmasters clubs, I meet people whose paths I would otherwise never cross. We walk in different social circles, work in different industries, and live very different lives. Because of our differences, I learn so much from every speech. I witness each member's growth. I grow just from participating.

Some guy once said "At the core, Toastmasters is about building better people." We help build each other up by providing feedback, by evaluating one another.

To Be Great, Evaluate!

In this seminar on evaluating speeches, I go in depth into the reasons why we evaluate and the ways I approach a speech evaluation.

Is Someone Watching Over Me?

This brave volunteer offered to give a typical 5-7 minute speech that I would analyze and evaluate for presentation here online.

This next video is of me muttering and writing notes during the above speech. (I should have muttered a bit louder.) You will notice I write down a lot direct quotes, the speech opening and closing, various notes on body language, and notations highlighting what I believe I should mention in the verbal evaluation.

Evaluation Preparation

This next video is again of the speech evaluation guide and the notes I am taking. During this video I am organizing my thoughts in preparation for the evaluation. I verbalize my thought process as I go. The preparation is done in under 5 minutes, the time allotted for preparation in an Evaluation Contest.

Center Stage

Now I give my evaluation. According to the timer I cut it way too close at 3:29. Whew!

Evaluation Explanation

Here I give a verbal recap of how I prepared for the evaluation.

Evaluation Points

Here are the notes I used when I gave this seminar. There are a lot of points here, a result of my curious habit of thinking strange, deep thoughts at odd, inconvenient times. I believe the notes are probably more useful than writing out a full prose narrative. I figure if you want more, the videos are right here!

• Why do we evaluate?

• Feedback
• Growth
• Encouragement
• Improve / Get Better!
• Who is the evaluation for?
  • EVERYONE
• What do we evaluate?
  • Speaker's goals
    • Above all others
  • Project's goals
    • There is no failure. Credit is never denied.
    • Give the same speech 10 times!
    • Example: Grunt!
  • Technical skills
    • From CC: organization, structure, vocal variety, word choice, body language, visual aids
  • Emotional connection
    • Rapport, specifics vs. generics, pacing, anchoring and firing
    • Stories and Characters – Names and Dialog
  • NOT THE CONTENT
    • Example: the evangelist
    • Example: the politician
• How NOT to evaluate
  • Whitewash
  • “We see the faults of others quickly, but we are blind to our own.”
  • Chainsaw
  • Public humiliation – what is the fear of public speaking all about??

• How to evaluate – Many ways!
  • The evaluation guide
    • Easy, just read the questions
  • Focus on the technical
  • Focus on the emotional
  • Be very specific
    • Example: “I was so excited.”
• What if there is nothing?
  • Twist it
  • How would it be as humorous, persuasive, or inspirational?
  • What about longer time frame or larger audience?

• How I do it!
  • Write. A lot.
    • Write down the first sentence, how engaging it was
    • Write down triads
    • Write down awkward and unusual words
    • Write down key phrases
    • Write down humorous moments
    • Draw simple diagrams of notable body language
    • Write down conclusion
  • Preparation
    • 3 +
    • 3 ^
    • Arrange highest + last, second highest + first
    • Opening, match to speech opening if possible
    • Conclusion, match to speech conclusion or humorous moment
  • Delivery
    • Focus on the speaker, include the audience
    • Praise speaker to everyone, make suggestions just to the speaker
    • Focused on presentation
    • Upbeat

• Contest
  • Judge's Guide
    • Analytical Quality (clear, focused)
    • Recommendations (positive, specific, helpful)
    • Technique (sympathetic, sensitive, motivational)
    • Summation (concise, encouraging)
  • Evaluation is a speech
    • Opening, Body, Conclusion
    • Make 3 points
    • Give specific examples and suggestions
  • Personalize
  • Engage
  • Recreate
    • Warning: Don't recreate satire. I tried. The judges didn't get it.
  • Stand out!
  • Be happy with your performance. Do not care about the judges' decision.

Have Fun!

Despite, or rather because, of the importance of evaluations, have fun with them! Try new ideas, experiment, and never be afraid to look silly. Those are the evaluations that everyone will remember best and learn the most!

For Us All

My goal here was to provide a tool by which Toastmasters could learn about the importance of evaluations, discover different ways to think when evaluating a speech, and to observe an up-close and detailed view of a typical speech evaluation preparation and presentation.

If you found this useful, please let others know about it. If you have feedback, then please tell me -- in the most encouraging way possible!

"While most of us may have entered Toastmasters to learn to make speeches, that benefit is but the beginning of the good which may come to us, and the good which we may do for mankind."

- Ralph Smedley