I recently joined a new club. Last week I had the opportunity to evaluate a speaker in that club for the first time. I was a little nervous as I was trying to reconcile my personal style (a focus on improvement) with the style of the club (positive and uplifting).
I am pleased to report that the evaluation went well. The speaker did one of the best jobs I have seen with vocal variety. She is a gifted speaker. Natural delivery. It was almost as if she wasn’t even trying. She did say the word “so” a lot. I learned a little later from the Grammarian that this is feedback she has heard before.
Although I evaluated the speaker, I received the best feedback this day. The speaker came to me after the meeting and told me that she loved how I even made the constructive criticism a positive. I did this by saying she was so good with her vocal variety, that she even varied her use of the word “so.” I then proceeded to mimic some of her uses of the word! A lighthearted reference which added some humor. A technique I have picked up from my mentor (thanks Jennifer!).
When you deliver your next evaluation, consider using a lighthearted approach rather than a critical eye. It makes a world of difference to the speaker.
Posted under evaluations
This post was written by john on October 5, 2009
