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Summary of Effective Speech Evaluation

written by Graham Tritt, 1995, based on the Toastmasters' material

Resources

Effective Speech Evaluation, Toastmasters
Presentation Seminar, Nanja Tamaro, DEC 1988
Trainers' Seminar, Graham Tritt, 1990
Seminar on Evaluation, André de Sepibus, Toastmasters Zug
Notes, Tamara Terzini and Herb Doscher, 1995

Comment on the Toastmasters material

The toastmasters' reference is excellent in structure and content. It is a pleasure to read and digest and shows the result of a lot of thought and experience. I also admire the low level of gender orientation, and its direct and active tone.

I have written a version with language and grammar more suitable for the average European member whose mother tongue is not English. I have not omitted anything, but reorganised the structure, and then added material.

You will see that the sections on the evaluation dialog are almost completely in my own organisational style.

Introduction and aim

We constantly evaluate what is around us. We hope that techniques of constructive evaluation will help us to improve the environment in which we live. This guide analyses some of the important aspects of evaluation, as it applies to communication. It presents some ideas to help you, as a Toastmaster, to become a better communicator, through your evaluation work and your acceptance of others' evaluations.

Your responsibility as an evaluator

You are personally asked to provide an honest reaction to the speaker's presentation in a constructive and useful manner. In doing this, you must acknowledge that you are not a professional authority, but that your reaction is subjective, and your statements will be considered but not necessarily accepted by the speaker or others in the audience.

You as an evaluator benefit, the speaker benefits, and the audience should as well.

Who should evaluate

Before Toastmasters are assigned as individual evaluators, they should have read the evaluation manual or heard a talk or seminar on evaluation. An evaluator should have completed several presentations, and have listened to other evaluations for several meetings. All members should be assigned to become evaluators, just as they are assigned to speak.

Such experience helps the evaluator to be constructive. He develops an ability to listen and becomes more discriminating in his judgement while observing the speaker.

Only Toastmasters should be assigned to evaluate. Guests usually do not know the rules to follow, and using a professional trainer denies valuable experience to club members.

An evaluator is himself evaluated on his presentation, so the methods he users will be applied to him too. There are guidelines to assist you.

The dialog between speaker and evaluator

You can evaluate the content, organisation and delivery - but not the topic or material. It is not fair to comment on the preparation, or on what could have been done ...

The Speaker
  • helps the evaluator prepare

  • makes it clear what his goals are

  • listens to your evaluation

  • receives comments from others

  • decides whether to accept the comments

  • decides whether and how to act on them

  • prepares to change

  • helps the evaluator improve
The Evaluator
  • reviews the Evaluation Guide in advance
  • prepares for his work
    to use the evaluation form
    to take notes
  • listens and evaluates
    observes the speaker's techniques
    follows the content
    analyses the logical structure of the speech
    monitors the delivery
    reacts personally to the message
  • prepares an evaluation speech
    decides what to include and what not
    structures the evaluation
    develops a theme
  • presents the evaluation
  • listens later to the Chief evaluator's report
    and considers his performance as evaluator
    in the same way as we hope that speakers do

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