Who is the Evaluation For?
Jan 12
Who is the evaluation for?
The speaker? Yes. The speaker receives the evaluation to improve their speaking skills. This is how Toastmasters can continue with no designated instructors.
The other club members? Yes. The other members can benefit from observing the speech, seeing the feedback, and incorporating that into their future speeches.
Guests? Yes. Of course, guests can benefit just like other club members.
The General Evaluator? Yes. The General Evaluator benefits from actively listening to the speech and evaluation.
The Evaluator? Yes. The evaluator exercises listening skills practices impromptu speaking skills, learns to analyze and give feedback. The evaluator also internalizes their feedback so their speeches improve too.
Maybe the better question is, who isn’t the evaluation for?!
Hi John,
Always enjoy your interesting Blogs on evaluations!
One Question to Ask – I have ALWAYS had exactly to this very point is…
WHY do most TM Evaluators around the World say “Only evaluate in Third person” or others will say “Only evaluate in First person”??
Personally… I combine & use BOTH Styles of evaluation. The careful difference is a ‘Balancing Act’ & it can work really well with some excellent results.
Just thought I would suggest this?…
Great point David.
I think evaluators that use BOTH styles in a single evaluation are actually addressing the needs of everyone in the audience, which is a good thing.
Personally, I will address my comments first person to the speaker, and then move to third person in my summary, so that everyone in the room has a call to action.
David, how do you balance the two?
Well John, I personally use a balanced style of both ’1st’ & ’3rd’ person perspective right throughout the speech body of each of my evaluations.
As evaluations partly are (in my opinion), I am often doing this impromptu & for me it just comes… Naturally! The most important goal for me is that I have mutually engaged both the reflective listening of ALL the audience & the evaluated speaker at the SAME TIME.
In my own evaluation experiences, the speaker I am evaluating does not seem threatened or ‘pointed out’ uncomfortably, as many Advanced TM’s have tried so hard to tell me & my other Club members?… Actually as their evaluator, I have often been told DIRECTLY from the speaker themselves – that they PREFER this style of evaluating from me!
The fundamental difference is the ‘HOW’ factor you do this?… It’s about maximising your own creative delivery tools & techniques of strengths/suggestions together with your personal, coaching style overall, in giving constructive feedback.
Remembering the ‘Ultermate Test’ for ANY speech evaluator out there?… Simply, will the the evaluated speaker actually listen & use what you share?…
Great points David. If the speaker uses what you share, that really is the ultimate test.
Thank you!