How to Give a Toastmaster’s Evalution

Feedback is both brave and foolish. It is specific to the moment when the respondent’s emotional state and attention meet your particular work. 

Seth Godin

When giving an evaluation at Toastmasters, it’s important to be genuine and set yourself in the frame of mind for positive intent and then provide constructive feedback while also being encouraging and supportive. Give feedback that is both useful to improvement as well as appropriate to the level of his or her journey. Communicate with logic and emotions, facts, feelings, and honesty. Listen deeply, ask yourself questions, and accept that you may not fully understand the intent or context of the speech. Here’s a general structure and some points to consider for your Toastmasters evaluation:

1. Set your Intention to “I’m ready to sit next to you rather than across from you.”
2. Start with an introduction:
   • Briefly introduce yourself and your role (e.g., evaluator).
   • Mention the speaker’s name and the title of their speech.
   • Share a positive remark or general observation about the speech to set a positive tone. ” I genuinely thank you for your efforts” or “Congrats on giving this milestone speech.”
3. Discuss the speech content:
   • The response of “FINE” is horrible. Give as much feedback as possible. Always provide as many compliments as you can.
   • Summarize the main points or message of the speech.
   • Evaluate the structure and organization of the speech:
     • Did the speech have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion?
     • Was the content well-organized and easy to follow?
   • Custom Content: Mention any particularly effective or memorable moments from the speech.
4. Analyze the speaker’s delivery:
   • Evaluate the speaker’s vocal variety, pace, and clarity:
     • Did the speaker vary their tone, pitch, and volume appropriately?
     • Was their speech delivered at an appropriate speed?
     • Were their words clear and easy to understand?
   • Comment on the speaker’s body language and gestures:
     • Did the speaker make effective use of gestures and body movements?
     • Did their body language enhance or distract from their message?
   • Note any positive aspects of the speaker’s delivery and provide constructive feedback for improvement.
5. Offer specific suggestions for improvement:
   • Highlight areas where the speaker excelled and offer praise.
   • Model the vulnerability and openness that you would like to receive. The emotion of your sharing is as much as your content for improvement. Connect yourself to the criticism to soften the delivery and show compassion.
   • Identify areas where the speaker could improve and provide specific suggestions:
     • For example, improving eye contact, using visual sounds, or incorporating more storytelling.
   • Provide Theory, a demo, and practice. Offer actionable advice on how the speaker can enhance their speaking skills. Supply in-situation training with a specific part of the speech, demo your suggestion, and how they can practice the improvement in the future. This shadow training provides the right cues, timing, and emotion.
6. End with a positive and motivating conclusion:
   • Be genuine and sincere as you reiterate the speaker’s strengths and acknowledge their effort.
   • Encourage the speaker to continue practicing and improving.
   • Conclude with a positive and uplifting remark to leave the speaker feeling motivated.
7. Watch the clock
   • Spend your first 30 seconds warming up your audience
   • You want to spend about 40 seconds on positive criteria that the speaker already knows and 80 seconds on the improvements. That brings you to 2 minutes of review.
   • If you have 10 things to say, cut them down to 3 and give it more depth where improvement can be made.
   • You should begin summarizing, i.e., point 6 above, when the clock turns yellow at 2 mins and 30 seconds.
     
     

If I had to leave you, only one main point would be to watch your praise-to-criticism ratio. You should give as much praise as you do criticism and open and close on a positive note. It’s essential to provide balanced feedback, acknowledging the speaker’s strengths and areas for improvement while maintaining a supportive and encouraging tone throughout your evaluation.