The purpose of an evaluation is to:
- provide immediate feedback to the speaker on what they did well and which areas they could improve on.
- motivate the speaker to go away with renewed confidence to prepare their next speech.
Good evaluations benefit: the speaker, the evaluator and the club. They can be the reasons guests join and members stay.
Overview
- what to do before, during and after the meeting
- a tried and tested evaluation structure
- examples of helpful language, to avoid coming across as critical.
Before the meeting
- Contact the speaker to determine the speaker’s objectives
- Identify which manual speech is to be performed.
- Read the manual briefing as well as the summary speech objectives & evaluation criteria
- If you find using colour helpful, bring along a multicoloured pen +/or highlighter.
During the meeting
- Listen carefully to the speaker
- Take notes
- Create a structure, maybe reorganising your notes using a coloured pen
- If you’re new to evaluating and you’d like some help, don’t hesitate to ask someone at the break. Maybe you might be struggling for a recommendation, or know what needs improving but can’t think of a diplomatic way in which to say it. If in doubt, ask.
After the meeting
Write your evaluation in the manual and talk with the speaker.
| Structure | Timing (secs) |
|---|---|
| Introduction | 15 |
| Commend #2 | 30 |
| Commend #3 | 30 |
| Recommend #1 | 30 |
| Recommend #2 | 30 |
| Commend #1 (what you liked best) | 30 |
| Summary – finishing on a high | 15 |
Be as specific as possible! Try to include what was said, when it was said and why it was so effective, it adds more value. With recommendations, how it can be done differently next time around for greater effect.
How to evaluate without sounding critical
Here are a few some dos and don’ts.
Talk about what you saw, what you heard and how the speech made you feel. The evaluation is your personal opinion, own it.
| AVOID | These sound much better |
|---|---|
| You should have | My reaction was |
| You didn’t | It appeared to me |
| You failed to | I felt that |
| You must | I think |
| Good speakers do … | I suggest |
| What I have found helpful is | |
| And vs but | |
Structure, content and delivery
Commendations and recommendations can be about any number of attributes which can be categorised into: structure, content or delivery.
Next are a few examples.
Structure
Was the speech well organised with an intro, body and conclusion?
Were the opening and closing effective?
Did it flow logically and smoothly?
Was the purpose clear?
Maybe they used the power of 3.
Content
Stories
Colourful language
Alliteration, Metaphors & similies
Rhetorical devices/ questions
Humour
Quotes
Was the speech relevant to the audience?
Was the call to action effective?
Delivery
Eye contact
Vocal variety, pace, pitch, projection, pause
Gestures
Use of the stage
Facial expressions – did they just tell us or did they show us.
Finally, end on a high to ensure the speaker is inspired to come back to present another speech!
This is the text of the Educational Speech from the Successful Club Series given by Christina MacGuire at the club on 26 August 2015.
