As a speech evaluator, you have the chance to give the speaker three different evaluations. Each has its place but trying tomake do with just one evaluation can be a recipie for disaster.
The most common evaluation is the 2 to 3 minute verbal evaluation. Verbal evaluations may be the most signifcant of the three because you can'tbe sure the speaker will pay attention to the other two. Other members and guests also hear this. Although you may have many things to comment on, I suggest you focus your verbal evaluation on the single most mportant thing you can share with the speaker. This provides a clea message to the speaker while avoiding two traps an evaluator might stumble into.
Some evaluators try to offer two or more points to grow on. While I understand the desire to shre as much as possible with both the speaker and the audience, there isn't enough time in the verbal evaluation to cover more than one point. If a fully prepared seven minute speech can effectively address only one point, why do you think a hastily pepared evaluation can do better? Put as many points as you want in the written evaluation or a followup discssion.
Another common error is to verbalize the notes you took during the speech. My main complaing with this plan is that the speaker will get the written notes anyway. I saw one evaluator literally walk down the evaluation list. "I gave you a 3 for this, a two for that ..., etc." Neiher the speaker nor the audience learns anything useful with this kind of evaluation.
While your verbal evaluation needs to clearly focus on a single poin togrow on, the written evalation can and should give as mych deail as possible. Unless the verbal evaluaion is recorded, he written version is the only one the speaker can look back on hee days later. Be encouraging, but specific. We tell speakers to write their speeches but not read them. The same holds true for evaluations.
Finally, you can offer more thoughts verbally after the meeting. The advantage of these evaluations is the combination of depth and clarity. Unfortunately, these evaluations are rarely done because schedules are so packed. At its best, this becomes a conversation between speaker and evaluator where the speech can be analyzed in detail.
I think the General Evaluator should use this as part of the general evaluation. Did the evaluator pick a point to grow on (good) , offer too many points to grow on (bad) or none at all (worse)? Help the evaluator give the information in the best context available.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Meeting Assignment Guide - All Members
Check the schedule. It is your responsibility to check your schedule each week to determine your assignment. You should inform the Toastmaster, as early as possible, if you will or will not be present and prepared to fulfill your assignment.
Attend as often as possible. It is important to understand that if you are not assigned to a meeting function, or will not be prepared to meet your assignment, you should still attempt to attend the meeting. Your attendance itself has a positive impact on the quality of our club meetings. Every member in attendance provides the audience necessary for the speakers and the Toastmaster. By merely being at the meeting, listening and observing, you learn from your fellow members (both good and bad). A full membership attendance has a positive impact on any visitors and future members. Remember your first impression of your club!
Keep members informed. If you know early that you will be out of town or on vacation, it is your responsibility to inform the VP of Education so you will not be assigned any meeting during the period of absence. Scheduling is a difficult task, one made easier by your cooperation in this matter. Also, you will feel better if you can advise your fellow members of your intended absence. You will more fully realize this when you are scheduled as Toastmaster.
Be ready. If you would like to be a speaker and you were not scheduled for a particular meeting, have a speech prepared and notify the Toastmaster that you would like to be on the agenda if someone cancels. This is an excellent way to stay prepared for your next speech and to advance faster through your manual if you wish.
Keep the Promise. When you joined the club, the application had the Toastmasters Promise. It covers all these responsibilities and more.
Attend as often as possible. It is important to understand that if you are not assigned to a meeting function, or will not be prepared to meet your assignment, you should still attempt to attend the meeting. Your attendance itself has a positive impact on the quality of our club meetings. Every member in attendance provides the audience necessary for the speakers and the Toastmaster. By merely being at the meeting, listening and observing, you learn from your fellow members (both good and bad). A full membership attendance has a positive impact on any visitors and future members. Remember your first impression of your club!
Keep members informed. If you know early that you will be out of town or on vacation, it is your responsibility to inform the VP of Education so you will not be assigned any meeting during the period of absence. Scheduling is a difficult task, one made easier by your cooperation in this matter. Also, you will feel better if you can advise your fellow members of your intended absence. You will more fully realize this when you are scheduled as Toastmaster.
Be ready. If you would like to be a speaker and you were not scheduled for a particular meeting, have a speech prepared and notify the Toastmaster that you would like to be on the agenda if someone cancels. This is an excellent way to stay prepared for your next speech and to advance faster through your manual if you wish.
Keep the Promise. When you joined the club, the application had the Toastmasters Promise. It covers all these responsibilities and more.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
What Super Power would you want, and why?
There are many exciting possibilities -- a vast array of colorful heroes to choose from. What to choose, and why?
If you look at the comics, nobody gets that choice. Heroes may be born on distant planets, bitten by radioactive insects, or derive power from a gadget, but they don't get to choose one and pass up on another.
The only choice they get is to be heroes or not, to use their gifts and abilities to the benefit of others or not, to have extraordinary lives, or not. You and I have the same choice.
In our world, heroes rarely wear capes or costumes. The lesson of the comics is about attitude, not ability. Keep the speed and strength. God give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. If I only get one, let it be courage. Serenity is overrated.
If you look at the comics, nobody gets that choice. Heroes may be born on distant planets, bitten by radioactive insects, or derive power from a gadget, but they don't get to choose one and pass up on another.
The only choice they get is to be heroes or not, to use their gifts and abilities to the benefit of others or not, to have extraordinary lives, or not. You and I have the same choice.
In our world, heroes rarely wear capes or costumes. The lesson of the comics is about attitude, not ability. Keep the speed and strength. God give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. If I only get one, let it be courage. Serenity is overrated.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Toughest Job
It's the toughest job at any Toastmasters meeting. You need to pay attention, organize your thoughts, then smoothly cover your assignment. If done well, the meeting will benefit. Anything less and all you can hope for is good advice on how to do it better.
But what job is so vital?
Every job is important
Every job can be make or break
Every job is worth your best effort.
Let's take a look at a couple jobs in the meeting and what it means to do them well. Then let's try to generalize things a bit.
You have the toughest job at any Toastmasters meeting – grammarian. It's more than providing and listening for the word 0of the day. If you do your best, you listen for grammar so carefully you have no idea what the speech was about. If you do your best, you notice both good and bad word usage. If you do your best, you are proof-listening the speech, you are Conan the Grammarian.
You have the toughest job at any Toastmasters meeting – general evaluator. You take evaluation notes on all the speeches so you know what evaluators should comment on. You listen to evaluations to see if the points were covered and evaluate the evaluations. You do this while leading the meeting and you get no time to collect your notes.
You have the toughest job at any Toastmasters meeting. Regardless of the specific job, you need to do it, whatever it is, as well as you can.
Imagine what doing the best would be like.
What would you listen for"
How would you take notes?
Of all the things you could say, what would you choose to say?
Imagine what doing your best would be like.
Then do that.
Every job can be make or break
Every job is worth your best effort.
And then there's the big payoff,
The job outside this room
The tasks you joined Toastmasters to do better.
And then there's the rest of your life.
This part we offer as a logical induction without evidence, without proof.
Every job is worth your best effort.
Ask a Better Question
Success Coach Anthony Robbins says that if y0u want a better quality of life, ask a better question. The quality of life we lead depends on the decisions we make, and they in turn depend on the quality of questions we ask of ourselves. A similar relationship exists between club meetings and the quality of Table Topics questions we ask.
So, what makes a quality question in terms of Table Topics? I’m still looking for the exact mix, but my current recipe for a quality question is the acronym SOFT. I look for questions that are short, open ended, fair, and tough.
The most important point to remember is the purpose of the Table Topics session – give members a chance to practice extemporaneous speaking skills. We don’t accomplish this if the question requires a long preamble. My rule of thumb is that a question should fit legibly, double-spaced, in a 3x5-inch index card. A somewhat stiffer test is that a question should be no more than twelve words long. Either way, keeping the questions short saves time that can be used elsewhere in the meeting. It also keeps the focus where it belongs – on the person answering the question.
Questions should be open ended, with lots of possible answers. If your question calls for expressing an opinion, stick to a subject area where expressing an opinion isn’t likely to create a problem. Take the question “When should public funds be used to support professional sports facilities?” In most contexts, this would be a reasonable question. If this is a highly divisive topic on which a person may not want to have an opinion known, it may not be as safe as it looks.
Your question shouldn’t require special knowledge on the part of the person answering it. This is a vital issue of fairness in contests, but it is equally valid at a meeting. The question should give the respondent a fair chance to give a great answer. The test for fairness is simple – can you comfortably ask it if anyone in the room, and can the answer be comfortably shared with everyone in the room?
My criterion for “tough” is relative – I don’t want to frighten away new and potential members, but I do want a question where some thought is required. The skills we are trying to develop are the ability to put appropriate content, organization, and emotion into an answer. One question from a division contest some years ago was “What’s your idea of the perfect job?” Second place went to someone who responded energetically about great pay, short hours, and lots of fringe benefits. The winner talked with sincerity and enthusiasm about his night and weekend job as a soccer referee. It was a tough question in the sense that a sincere, thoughtful response was the most effective.
When formulating your questions, keep the goal of the table topics session in mind. The session is the respondents opportunity to practice as a speaker, not your opportunity to practice as an interrogator. If the audience remembers your question and not the response, you probably need a better question.
A smart witness responds to questions as briefly and simply as possible. A smart politician may answer a question any number of ways. Toastmasters are trying to turn their answers into brief speeches, with a solid opening, body and closing. A high quality question which gives the respondent a good opportunity to exercise those skills can really enhance your meeting.
So, what makes a quality question in terms of Table Topics? I’m still looking for the exact mix, but my current recipe for a quality question is the acronym SOFT. I look for questions that are short, open ended, fair, and tough.
The most important point to remember is the purpose of the Table Topics session – give members a chance to practice extemporaneous speaking skills. We don’t accomplish this if the question requires a long preamble. My rule of thumb is that a question should fit legibly, double-spaced, in a 3x5-inch index card. A somewhat stiffer test is that a question should be no more than twelve words long. Either way, keeping the questions short saves time that can be used elsewhere in the meeting. It also keeps the focus where it belongs – on the person answering the question.
Questions should be open ended, with lots of possible answers. If your question calls for expressing an opinion, stick to a subject area where expressing an opinion isn’t likely to create a problem. Take the question “When should public funds be used to support professional sports facilities?” In most contexts, this would be a reasonable question. If this is a highly divisive topic on which a person may not want to have an opinion known, it may not be as safe as it looks.
Your question shouldn’t require special knowledge on the part of the person answering it. This is a vital issue of fairness in contests, but it is equally valid at a meeting. The question should give the respondent a fair chance to give a great answer. The test for fairness is simple – can you comfortably ask it if anyone in the room, and can the answer be comfortably shared with everyone in the room?
My criterion for “tough” is relative – I don’t want to frighten away new and potential members, but I do want a question where some thought is required. The skills we are trying to develop are the ability to put appropriate content, organization, and emotion into an answer. One question from a division contest some years ago was “What’s your idea of the perfect job?” Second place went to someone who responded energetically about great pay, short hours, and lots of fringe benefits. The winner talked with sincerity and enthusiasm about his night and weekend job as a soccer referee. It was a tough question in the sense that a sincere, thoughtful response was the most effective.
When formulating your questions, keep the goal of the table topics session in mind. The session is the respondents opportunity to practice as a speaker, not your opportunity to practice as an interrogator. If the audience remembers your question and not the response, you probably need a better question.
A smart witness responds to questions as briefly and simply as possible. A smart politician may answer a question any number of ways. Toastmasters are trying to turn their answers into brief speeches, with a solid opening, body and closing. A high quality question which gives the respondent a good opportunity to exercise those skills can really enhance your meeting.
Earn Your DTM
A DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster) award is like money – if it were easy to get it wouldn’t be worth much. It is intended to be the highest recognition a Toastmaster can earn. With over 4 million members in its 80 year history, Toastmasters International has issued about 13,000 DTM awards. That said, there are things you can do to make the process a bit easier.
Requirements
Almost any Toastmasters manual describes the Toastmasters education program and lists the seven steps you need to complete to earn a DTM.
1. Competent Communicator
2. Advanced Communicator Bronze
3. Advanced Communicator Silver
4. Advanced Communicator Gold
5. Competent Leader
6. Advanced Leader Bronze
7. Advanced Leader Silver
While it is true that there are only seven steps to completing this goal, it only takes four to become President of the United States. Don’t get overwhelmed by the details. Complete the tasks one by one and you will earn your DTM. Here are some hints to make life a bit easier.
Build Your Leadership Team
About half the tasks focus on leadership. Since a leader without followers is someone out for a walk, it’s useful to build a leadership team around you. In my case, some members of a local advanced Club and I formed a study group and served as each other’s advisory committee. By coincidence, each of our last tasks was a High Performance Leadership project. When the projects finished at about the same time, we held a DTM-a-thon – four DTMs earned in a single club meeting.
Other ways to form a support group are a Division Governor and Area Governors or an Area Governor with club officers. All you really need is one Toastmaster for your advisory group; the rest can come from anywhere. Nobody earns a DTM alone, so the sooner you start to form a support team the sooner they can support you.
Start Your High Performance Leadership Project
For reasons I don’t entirely understand, this is the last thing many people finish. It was for me. You can start a project immediately and it is probably in your best interest to do so. Pick a project that is significant enough for you to need help and get growth out of the experience. Toastmasters events make good projects because they come with specific delivery dates, but you can apply the project to any aspect of your life. You are probably working on a long term project, but long term means many tasks, not someday maybe.
Develop a Plan
From the Distinguished Club Plan on up, Toastmasters recognizes that a goal without a plan is a wish. You can and should set tasks and due dates and identify resources for the many things on your do list. Don’t let the list overwhelm you. And yes, the plan should be in writing.
Eat the Ugly Frog First
In his book “Eat that Frog”, Brian Tracy says if you must eat two frogs before lunch eat the ugly frog first. He intends this advice to apply to managing your time, not your diet. The idea is to tackle the biggest task (ugliest frog) first, so the rest will be that much easier to handle.
For most people, the ugly frogs are all associated with the Advanced Leader Silver. A year as District Officer takes a year (once you get started). A High Performance Leadership Project can take months. Building a club as a sponsor coach is uncertain. It may take months, and it may take more than one try. When you develop your plan, include tasks against the long term items so you can see progress on them.
Know Your District Officers
Congratulations, you are about to make some new friends (if you haven’t already). One of your requirements is to serve a year as district officer. For most people, this means a year as Area Governor or some other office appointed by the District Governor. Similarly, club sponsors and coaches are appointed by him. The good news is that he needs people to do these jobs so there is mutual benefit in establishing a relationship with the District Governor. Since they are the likely District Governors for the next couple years, get to know your Lieutenant Governor of Education ad Training and Lieutenant Governor of Marketing too.
Be Prepared
Fortune favors the prepared, and you can shave the calendar if you are ready when opportunity knocks on your clubhouse door. Here are a few tips to help with the dozens of speeches you need to give.
Between the three Advanced Communicator recognitions, you will need to complete thirty manual speeches – five each from six advanced manuals. Toastmasters International doesn’t care which six, but you should. Every manual comes with the challenging project intended to help you grow. By selecting (and buying) all six manuals you’ll need up front, you can plan better and you will have more choices available to you.
Almost any club will sooner or later have a speech cancellation. By having speeches ready and manuals in hand, you can avoid the delay built into a busy club’s calendar. If your club isn’t busy, you may have a topic for a speech available. The point is to be ready when the club calendar has a vacancy.
The good news in this department is you don’t really need a new speech. Evaluators give us advice for how to improve a speech if we decide to give it again, and sometimes that’s exactly what you should do. As long as the speech allows you to practice the goals of more than one project, you should feel good about giving it a second, third, or fourteenth time.
Have Fun
If you aren’t getting fun out of the process of earning your DTM, either find a way to have fun or reconsider why you set the goal in the first place. Distinguished Toastmaster Rhonda Frum says “the best part of the experience is the experience.”
Sometimes this is a matter of attitude. If you pursue the tasks with enthusiasm and energy, you’ll have more fun while you’re doing the work. Be the Toastmaster you intend to be, and you’ll become the Toastmaster you want to be. Make the process work for you.
Requirements
Almost any Toastmasters manual describes the Toastmasters education program and lists the seven steps you need to complete to earn a DTM.
1. Competent Communicator
2. Advanced Communicator Bronze
3. Advanced Communicator Silver
4. Advanced Communicator Gold
5. Competent Leader
6. Advanced Leader Bronze
7. Advanced Leader Silver
While it is true that there are only seven steps to completing this goal, it only takes four to become President of the United States. Don’t get overwhelmed by the details. Complete the tasks one by one and you will earn your DTM. Here are some hints to make life a bit easier.
Build Your Leadership Team
About half the tasks focus on leadership. Since a leader without followers is someone out for a walk, it’s useful to build a leadership team around you. In my case, some members of a local advanced Club and I formed a study group and served as each other’s advisory committee. By coincidence, each of our last tasks was a High Performance Leadership project. When the projects finished at about the same time, we held a DTM-a-thon – four DTMs earned in a single club meeting.
Other ways to form a support group are a Division Governor and Area Governors or an Area Governor with club officers. All you really need is one Toastmaster for your advisory group; the rest can come from anywhere. Nobody earns a DTM alone, so the sooner you start to form a support team the sooner they can support you.
Start Your High Performance Leadership Project
For reasons I don’t entirely understand, this is the last thing many people finish. It was for me. You can start a project immediately and it is probably in your best interest to do so. Pick a project that is significant enough for you to need help and get growth out of the experience. Toastmasters events make good projects because they come with specific delivery dates, but you can apply the project to any aspect of your life. You are probably working on a long term project, but long term means many tasks, not someday maybe.
Develop a Plan
From the Distinguished Club Plan on up, Toastmasters recognizes that a goal without a plan is a wish. You can and should set tasks and due dates and identify resources for the many things on your do list. Don’t let the list overwhelm you. And yes, the plan should be in writing.
Eat the Ugly Frog First
In his book “Eat that Frog”, Brian Tracy says if you must eat two frogs before lunch eat the ugly frog first. He intends this advice to apply to managing your time, not your diet. The idea is to tackle the biggest task (ugliest frog) first, so the rest will be that much easier to handle.
For most people, the ugly frogs are all associated with the Advanced Leader Silver. A year as District Officer takes a year (once you get started). A High Performance Leadership Project can take months. Building a club as a sponsor coach is uncertain. It may take months, and it may take more than one try. When you develop your plan, include tasks against the long term items so you can see progress on them.
Know Your District Officers
Congratulations, you are about to make some new friends (if you haven’t already). One of your requirements is to serve a year as district officer. For most people, this means a year as Area Governor or some other office appointed by the District Governor. Similarly, club sponsors and coaches are appointed by him. The good news is that he needs people to do these jobs so there is mutual benefit in establishing a relationship with the District Governor. Since they are the likely District Governors for the next couple years, get to know your Lieutenant Governor of Education ad Training and Lieutenant Governor of Marketing too.
Be Prepared
Fortune favors the prepared, and you can shave the calendar if you are ready when opportunity knocks on your clubhouse door. Here are a few tips to help with the dozens of speeches you need to give.
Between the three Advanced Communicator recognitions, you will need to complete thirty manual speeches – five each from six advanced manuals. Toastmasters International doesn’t care which six, but you should. Every manual comes with the challenging project intended to help you grow. By selecting (and buying) all six manuals you’ll need up front, you can plan better and you will have more choices available to you.
Almost any club will sooner or later have a speech cancellation. By having speeches ready and manuals in hand, you can avoid the delay built into a busy club’s calendar. If your club isn’t busy, you may have a topic for a speech available. The point is to be ready when the club calendar has a vacancy.
The good news in this department is you don’t really need a new speech. Evaluators give us advice for how to improve a speech if we decide to give it again, and sometimes that’s exactly what you should do. As long as the speech allows you to practice the goals of more than one project, you should feel good about giving it a second, third, or fourteenth time.
Have Fun
If you aren’t getting fun out of the process of earning your DTM, either find a way to have fun or reconsider why you set the goal in the first place. Distinguished Toastmaster Rhonda Frum says “the best part of the experience is the experience.”
Sometimes this is a matter of attitude. If you pursue the tasks with enthusiasm and energy, you’ll have more fun while you’re doing the work. Be the Toastmaster you intend to be, and you’ll become the Toastmaster you want to be. Make the process work for you.
The General Evaluation
I think the job of General Evaluator is the toughest job at a Toastmasters meeting. It includes a wide variety of tasks, all of which need to take place in a short amount of time. Let’s look at the list:
1. Serve as master of ceremonies for the evaluation portion of the meeting
2. Listen to and build notes on every speech at the meeting to create a frame of reference for reviewing the evaluations to come.
3. Listen to and evaluate every evaluation
4. Make note of everything that happened at the meeting worthy of comment, and
5. Make note of everything that didn’t happen at the meeting and should have.
The above list is only the highlights, and it deals only with things done at the meeting. Some clubs expect the general evaluator to recruit the evaluation team.
As is often the case, planning and preparation can make this job easier: Let’s take a look at three areas that may be of help – how to take notes, what to comment on, and connecting the speech with the evaluation.
How to take notes
I like to take notes on the back of a printed meeting agenda. That way, the agenda itself gives me a who’s who at the meeting, a summary of what to expect in the speeches, and some sense of how much time I have left relative to evaluation points to cover. If there is no written agenda, that becomes a discussion point and I scratch one together based on available information.
The face of the written agenda also gives me a place to put notes for the Toastmaster, the Table Topics Master, and other supporting assistant’s roles. By reading and following the agenda, I use the agenda itself to make sure I do all the things I need to.
On the back side, I draw a vertical line down the middle of the page. The column on the left I use for points I’d want to present to speakers if I were evaluating. During the speeches, I try to list the couple most significant points on each speech. Using horizontal lines, I create a box for each speaker on the left and a box for the corresponding evaluator on the right. I put the name of each speaker and evaluator in the corner of appropriate boxes so I can be sure to remember which evaluator was assigned to any giiven speaker.
As evaluators give their evaluations, I cross off notes I made on the speaker that the evaluator covered, and add notes on points the evaluator raised that I hadn’t. I use the right side of the page for notes on the evaluation itself. What did I like about the way the evaluator did the evaluation. What suggestion can I make to help the evaluator do a better job next time. Given the available time, one or two notes are plenty.
What to comment on
Evaluators evaluate the speaker. The General Evaluator evaluates everyone else, especially the evaluators. As always, the focus is on praise, encouragement, and positive suggestions. I generally present my thoughts in the order they were presented during the meeting.
Most of what you’re evaluating is the performance of the evaluators. To do that, I find it helpful to have a general idea of what I would have commented on. That’s why I take evaluation notes during the speeches. If the evaluator covers a point, I don’t need to repeat it so that comes off my list
.
One point I particularly try to praise is if an evaluator comments on something I overlooked and should have caught. This provides positive reinforcement to the evaluator and reminds the whole club that an evaluation is one person’s perception.
Connecting the speech with the Evaluation
I don’t have the time, and there’s usually no need, to evaluate each speech. That’s what the evaluator’s job is. Still, there are two occasions where I want to talk about the speech itself, and I have a specific strategy for doing so on those occasions.
The first occasion arises when the evaluator didn’t address a point I considered important. This may be because he didn’t see it, didn’t agree, or didn’t have time. There’s no way to know. Even so, I can suggest to the evaluator that he might have wanted to comment on this item done wellin a speech or make that suggestion. This has to be phrased so it doesn’t sound like a criticism of the evaluator, but it does provide both the speaker and the evaluator with a point to grow on.
The second case occurs rarely and shouldn’t happen at all. Once in a great while, an evaluator gives an evaluation that is overly critical or even harsh. This is a disaster, for several reasons:
1. Unless the speaker has a thick skin, the club could lose a member. The trust relationship of a supportive environment has been violated.
2. Others in the club may pick up on this and wonder just how safe they’ll be when they give their next speech.
3. The evaluator needs some critical reeducation on how to give evaluations. Even if the speaker and the club are strong enough to recognize a harsh evaluation for what it is, their comfort with that particular evaluator may be compromised.
4. Guests, if any, are going to pick this up and go somewhere else.
If this happens, the General Evaluator’s first job is damage control. Provide support for the speaker so everyone knows the evaluator’s opinion isn’t unanimous and that the support network is essentially intact. This must happen during the meeting, you don’t want guesets leaving with the negative feeling. Don’t phrase this as a criticism of the evaluator – this can cause as much damage as the flawed evaluation. If you get into an argument over how to evaluate a speech, everyone loses.
After the meeting, it’s somebody’s job to privately talk with the evaluator. This may e the general evaluator, the VP of Education, the evaluator’s mentor, or a trusted senior member of the club. Focus on what should be done and why what was done was a problem. The goal is improvement for next time.
Conclusion
General evaluation is a vital but difficult role at any meeting. A good general evaluation provides everyone points to grow on and energizes everyone at the meeting. Although the job is difficult, it can be made easier by using a methodical approach to taking notes, by recognizing what deserves comment, and by limiting evaluation to areas not mentioned by others. It is an exercise in listening, organizing, and speaking all at the same time.
1. Serve as master of ceremonies for the evaluation portion of the meeting
2. Listen to and build notes on every speech at the meeting to create a frame of reference for reviewing the evaluations to come.
3. Listen to and evaluate every evaluation
4. Make note of everything that happened at the meeting worthy of comment, and
5. Make note of everything that didn’t happen at the meeting and should have.
The above list is only the highlights, and it deals only with things done at the meeting. Some clubs expect the general evaluator to recruit the evaluation team.
As is often the case, planning and preparation can make this job easier: Let’s take a look at three areas that may be of help – how to take notes, what to comment on, and connecting the speech with the evaluation.
How to take notes
I like to take notes on the back of a printed meeting agenda. That way, the agenda itself gives me a who’s who at the meeting, a summary of what to expect in the speeches, and some sense of how much time I have left relative to evaluation points to cover. If there is no written agenda, that becomes a discussion point and I scratch one together based on available information.
The face of the written agenda also gives me a place to put notes for the Toastmaster, the Table Topics Master, and other supporting assistant’s roles. By reading and following the agenda, I use the agenda itself to make sure I do all the things I need to.
On the back side, I draw a vertical line down the middle of the page. The column on the left I use for points I’d want to present to speakers if I were evaluating. During the speeches, I try to list the couple most significant points on each speech. Using horizontal lines, I create a box for each speaker on the left and a box for the corresponding evaluator on the right. I put the name of each speaker and evaluator in the corner of appropriate boxes so I can be sure to remember which evaluator was assigned to any giiven speaker.
As evaluators give their evaluations, I cross off notes I made on the speaker that the evaluator covered, and add notes on points the evaluator raised that I hadn’t. I use the right side of the page for notes on the evaluation itself. What did I like about the way the evaluator did the evaluation. What suggestion can I make to help the evaluator do a better job next time. Given the available time, one or two notes are plenty.
What to comment on
Evaluators evaluate the speaker. The General Evaluator evaluates everyone else, especially the evaluators. As always, the focus is on praise, encouragement, and positive suggestions. I generally present my thoughts in the order they were presented during the meeting.
Most of what you’re evaluating is the performance of the evaluators. To do that, I find it helpful to have a general idea of what I would have commented on. That’s why I take evaluation notes during the speeches. If the evaluator covers a point, I don’t need to repeat it so that comes off my list
.
One point I particularly try to praise is if an evaluator comments on something I overlooked and should have caught. This provides positive reinforcement to the evaluator and reminds the whole club that an evaluation is one person’s perception.
Connecting the speech with the Evaluation
I don’t have the time, and there’s usually no need, to evaluate each speech. That’s what the evaluator’s job is. Still, there are two occasions where I want to talk about the speech itself, and I have a specific strategy for doing so on those occasions.
The first occasion arises when the evaluator didn’t address a point I considered important. This may be because he didn’t see it, didn’t agree, or didn’t have time. There’s no way to know. Even so, I can suggest to the evaluator that he might have wanted to comment on this item done wellin a speech or make that suggestion. This has to be phrased so it doesn’t sound like a criticism of the evaluator, but it does provide both the speaker and the evaluator with a point to grow on.
The second case occurs rarely and shouldn’t happen at all. Once in a great while, an evaluator gives an evaluation that is overly critical or even harsh. This is a disaster, for several reasons:
1. Unless the speaker has a thick skin, the club could lose a member. The trust relationship of a supportive environment has been violated.
2. Others in the club may pick up on this and wonder just how safe they’ll be when they give their next speech.
3. The evaluator needs some critical reeducation on how to give evaluations. Even if the speaker and the club are strong enough to recognize a harsh evaluation for what it is, their comfort with that particular evaluator may be compromised.
4. Guests, if any, are going to pick this up and go somewhere else.
If this happens, the General Evaluator’s first job is damage control. Provide support for the speaker so everyone knows the evaluator’s opinion isn’t unanimous and that the support network is essentially intact. This must happen during the meeting, you don’t want guesets leaving with the negative feeling. Don’t phrase this as a criticism of the evaluator – this can cause as much damage as the flawed evaluation. If you get into an argument over how to evaluate a speech, everyone loses.
After the meeting, it’s somebody’s job to privately talk with the evaluator. This may e the general evaluator, the VP of Education, the evaluator’s mentor, or a trusted senior member of the club. Focus on what should be done and why what was done was a problem. The goal is improvement for next time.
Conclusion
General evaluation is a vital but difficult role at any meeting. A good general evaluation provides everyone points to grow on and energizes everyone at the meeting. Although the job is difficult, it can be made easier by using a methodical approach to taking notes, by recognizing what deserves comment, and by limiting evaluation to areas not mentioned by others. It is an exercise in listening, organizing, and speaking all at the same time.
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