Today is Day 1 of our interview with Rich Hopkins.
Question: How would you describe evaluations to someone who has never been to a Toastmaster meeting?
An evaluation is an opportunity to hear an individual give you their opinion of your speech delivery in a direct, yet supportive manner. The absence of back and forth discussion provides the evaluator an opportunity to fully express several thoughts in a short amount of time. The goal for the evaluator is to single out items to praise and reinforce, as well as identify areas of improvement based on the experience level of the speaker.
For the speaker being evaluated, it is an opportunity to practice discernment. Determining which advice is sound vs. which advice may not apply is a valuable life tool, as well as speaking skill. In the end, it is the speakers job to do what they wish with feedback given.
For others in the room, it becomes an exercise in listening – and applying someone else’s evaluation to their own speaking. A great opportunity to learn from other mis-steps and magnificence.
About Rich Hopkins
In addition to finishing 3rd in the 2006 WCPS, Rich has been a 5 time District Evaluation Contest Finalist, winning 3 of those 5 times. He has been a Toastmaster for over 10 years and has expanded significantly on Toastmaster evaluation theory as a professional speaker and presentations coach.
Visit Rich’s blog to see his current progress towards making it a 3rd time to the WCPS and also follow Rich on Twitter.
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Posted under Interview
This post was written by john on April 27, 2009
