To achieve
personal growth, we require feedback about our strengths and weaknesses.
The speech evaluator evaluates the speech, identifying strengths and
weaknesses based on speech objectives and speaker's requirements.
This evaluation is normally given both verbally and in a written form.
In certain situations e.g. special occasion banquet, a "silent
evaluation" may be given, where the evaluator provides a written
evaluation and private oral feedback to the speaker.
Prior to the meeting:
-
If necessary, review the "Effective
Speech Evaluation" manual which you received in your New Members Kit
-
Talk with the speaker to find out the
speech project number/title
- Review the
goals of the speech and the speaker's personal goals
- Study the
project objectives
-
Find out exactly which skills or
techniques the speaker hopes to strengthen.
Upon arrival at the meeting:
Obtain the speaker's manual
During the meeting:
-
When introduced, read our the speech
objectives and provide the time criteria for the timer
-
During the speech, listen carefully to the speaker and
record your immediate impressions - consider the questions set out in
the evaluation guidelines.
-
Be as objective as possible
-
Jot down what you considered to be:
-
Highlights - strengths, what you
liked, what to continue.
-
Distractions - what you think needs
changing, what you found unclear, distracting, what you did not like
and why, etc.
-
Improvements - what to start doing
(try) for the next speech. Focus on the one or two most important
things. Avoid overwhelming the speaker with too many
suggestions.
-
In your oral evaluation, try to begin
and end with a note of praise and encouragement.
- Aim at
completing your oral evaluation within 2 and 3 minutes.
-
Approach your suggestions from the
standpoint of:
-
If I were trying to convey the
message, how would I make things clearer?
-
If the speech was clear and easy to
listen to, ask why it is coming across so well?
-
Is it that the subject matter is
interesting, the anecdotes amusing, etc.?
-
Time is limited. Cover perhaps one
point on organization, one on delivery, and one on meeting the
objectives of the speech. Be sure to include praise and tactful
suggestions.
-
Don't allow the speaker to remain
unaware of a valuable asset such as a smile, a sense of humour, a good
voice or of a serious fault or mannerism; if it is personal, write it
but don't mention it aloud.
After the meeting:
- Talk to the speaker. Does
anything need clarification? Expand on feedback, if appropriate.
Be encouraging. Find out how they feel about your evaluation (after all we need
feedback too on our performance).
Return to Meeting Roles (Home)
|
