We are coming up to that time again.  Evaluation contest time.  Clubs are setting dates, and Area Governors are scrambling to get everything organized.  Still one of the best resources on Toastmaster Evaluation Contests is from Andrew Dlugan.

Andrew covers reasons to attend, reasons to compete, and ways to win.  A must read for anyone considering entering the evaluation contest this spring.

Very simple and to the point eHow article on How to be a Better Evaluator.

What I like most about this is that it is a great guide to print out and provide to club members as part of continuing education.

It was backwards meeting time at one of my Toastmaster meetings today.  This means that the evaluators go before the assigned speaker.

How on earth can this work?

Well, there are a number of ways it can work:

1. The evaluator can just focus on themselves and laugh about how hard backwards meetings are
2. The evaluator can challenge the speaker to say a certain word or phrase
3. The evaluator can challenge the speaker to do a particular gesture
4. The evaluator can give the speaker a twist to their speech (using the title of the speech from the agenda)
5. The evaluator can work with the speaker beforehand and setup an impromptu speech focusing on one of the speakers weaknesses

There’s many more ways a backwards evaluator can be effective for their assigned speaker.  In some ways, they can be more effective if they spend the time to really get to know what the speaker needs before they speak.

Now is a good time to evaluate your Toastmaster club as we are half way through the TM year.

Look at your Distinguished Club Plan. Are you where you want to be? With 6 months left, you have plenty of time to start a membership drive or get members on board with completing a manual.

Don’t wait. Set specific goals now.

In reading The Art of Effective Evaluation Coordinators Guide, I was surprised to see a list of effective evaluation methods:

• Tell and Sell - the evaluator talks, the speaker listens
• Tell and Listen – the evaluator talks, the speaker is given an opportunity to respond
• Problem-Solving – the evaluator engages the speaker in two-way dialogue aimed at leading the speaker toward making his or her own evaluation

I have seen the first two methods used in clubs.  The first is typical of most Toastmaster clubs.  The Tell and Listen method is often done by accident (the speaker feels compelled to comment) and sometimes on purpose, for example at advanced clubs.

The Problem-Solving method is strange.  The Coordinators Guide suggests this method is usually the most effective.  Interesting.  If it is the most effective method, why is not covered elsewhere in the manuals?  The Coordinators Guide goes on to list 3 disadvantages:

• Risky with inexperienced speaker
• Changes may end up being different than if you did Tell and Sell
• Takes more time

I don’t think it is risky in the right environment with a skilled evaluator.  While speakers may be new to Toastmasters, they are not new human beings.  So what if the changes are different?  Buy in from the speaker is a huge advantage.  Yes, it does appear it would take more time.

I would like to see the Problem-Solving method used more, and not just with evaluations of speakers.  Perhaps an advanced club would be needed to do this well?

Please comment if you have any experiences with the Problem-Solving method, or other ways of doing evaluations.

Have you given the Toastmasters module entitled “The Art of Effective Evaluation?”. If so, please let me know your thoughts in the comments. I am planning to give it in January and am looking for your experiences with it.