Check out the official Toastmasters podcast for an episode on evaluations with Carol Dean Schreiner. It follows on from her article in the Toastmasters magazine called the The Good the Bad and the Ugly.
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This post was written by john on September 21, 2009
Collection of 3 videos on evaluations from Toastmasters 24×7. Some excellent information for beginning evaluators.
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This post was written by john on September 14, 2009
In Seth Godin’s latest blog post he talks about how we take a defensive posture in most interactions. I think this is especially so when we are receiving feedback. We know that the person giving feedback is passing judgement on us whether it is positive or otherwise.
If you enter a conversation looking for something to test, measure and ultimately change, it’s likely you’ll find it. That change makes you more competitive, and you continue to cycle past your competitors. On the other hand, if you enter a conversation concerned about maintaining the status quo, it’s likely that this is exactly what you’re going to do.
After you have given your latest Toastmasters speech, sat down and are now readying yourself for your feedback, what is your frame of mind? Are you looking for that nugget that will help you improve?
When discussing speech evaluations, most people discuss how the evaluator needs to say things a particular way. Use “I” language, be positive, etc. This is just one side of the equation though. The recipient needs to hear things a particular way and with the right mindset.
Next time you receive feedback, assume you are going to be given an amazing gift. Let me know how it goes.
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This post was written by john on August 11, 2009
The ultimate goal of any speaker is to be “in the moment.” When you are able to reach this point in a speech, nothing else matters. You are a communicating machine and your audience will love you.
I am reading Improving Your Storytelling by Doug Lipman. On page 14, Lipman says:
Now you can see why advice is often unhelpful. It makes you think things like, “I should never change a folktale. I should stop saying, ‘Um.’ I should try to make eye contact.” These thoughts tend to take you out of the moment, diverting your attention from what is actually happening during the storytelling event.
In this sense, all advice is bad advice. The thought, “I should look my listeners in the eye” may distract you just as much as “I should not look my listeners in the eye.”
Lipman then goes on to say that an understanding of the principles is helpful.
I believe it is critical to know how to use them and when they are appropriate. You need to be so relaxed with the advice that it becomes second nature. When you receive your next evaluation, listen to the advice, and work on areas of improvement over time. Don’t beat yourself up if you say “too many” um’s! It will come over time.
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This post was written by john on July 27, 2009
Seth posted recently on How to Make Graphs that Work. There is some excellent advice on using graphs.
If you are creating a chart for a presentation, or are evaluating a presentation that uses a graph, consider the following points:
Number 3 is the most critical consideration. There are few situations where a graph is more effective that some other way of presenting the information. If you don’t believe that, check out Made to Stick for ways you can present statistics in amazing ways.
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This post was written by john on July 24, 2009
How do you take notes for your evaluations? Many people have templates they use such as dividing the page into 2 sections, one for positives, and one for negatives. Another template I have heard of is 3 sections, one each for how the speech made them think, feel, and act.
I came across a different note taking method today. While not focused specifically on evaluations, I think it could be used for it. It is the Cornell Note-Taking System. The best source of information on how to use the Cornell Note-Taking System, I found at LifeHacker.
Enjoy, and let me know how it works for you.
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This post was written by john on July 21, 2009
There is an excellent discussion on evaluations over on LinkedIn.
One of the contributors in particular, John Zimmer, took the time to provide 10 tips for evaluations. He has won a District level evaluation contest (the highest you can win), so knows what he is talking about . Here is a bullet list of the 10 tips. For more information see the discussion on LinkedIn.
Ten excellent points that can really elevate your evaluations to a new level.
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This post was written by john on May 14, 2009
There is a very interesting conversation on ToastmastersPrime about evaluations. The discussion centers around evaluations that center around the content of the model speech without giving any opinions. I have experienced a number of situations where the evaluator effectively created a summary of the model speech. Some evaluators even go as far as to repeat all of the humor of the model speech sometimes getting more laughs!
Check out ToastmastersPrime and join in on the conversation.
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This post was written by john on April 18, 2009
