A TOASTMASTERS GUIDE TO SPEECH EVALUATION

1 A TOASTMASTERS GUIDE TO SPEECH EVALUATION KERRY PIENAAR NICK KASTELEIN LUCAS LOVELL SUE PEDERICK HELEN KUBENK ANGELA GUIDERA TOASTMASTERS SOUTH AUSTRALIA SPEECH EVALUATION i December 2016 This resource was prepared by a group of Toastmaster members from South Australian TOASTMASTERS clubs: Kerry Pienaar (Winner of District 73 EVALUATION Contest 2015, Area C12 Contest 2016), Nick Kastelein (Winner of Area C11 EVALUATION contest 2016), Lucas Lovell (Winner of District 73 EVALUATION Contest 2016), Helen Kubenk DTM (Winner of Area C8 EVALUATION Contest 2016), Sue Pederick (Central Division Director 2016/17) and Angela Guidera DTM. The resource was prepared to assist TOASTMASTERS from Central Division, TOASTMASTERS . It is intended for free distribution and for display in its entirety on the South Australian TOASTMASTERS Website, No-one is permitted to make a profit from the distribution of this resource without prior consent of the authors.

2 TOASTMASTERS SOUTH AUSTRALIA ii SPEECH EVALUATION iii PREFACE I have often heard TOASTMASTERS in South Australia (new and experienced) express that they do not volunteer to evaluate other speakers as they lack confidence in their ability to evaluate well, and many do not enjoy the challenge. In 2015 I visited a TOASTMASTERS club in South Africa where I participated in an EVALUATION coaching/mentoring exercise. This activity impressed me in its capacity to support and upskill TOASTMASTERS in the critical tools required for effective EVALUATION . It highlighted what I believe is missing in our clubs in South Australia. That is, support for TOASTMASTERS at the point when they may most need it - when they are preparing and delivering evaluations at a meeting. While annual workshops are very useful, weeks or months later a Toastmaster may need somewhere to turn for assistance.

3 When I returned from South Africa, I shared my vision, now affectionately known as KEV Kerry s EVALUATION Vision - to work with TOASTMASTERS in Central Division to feel more empowered in preparing and delivering evaluations. This launched an idea for my High Performance Leadership project, to provide tools, resources, support and ideas for TOASTMASTERS to upskill in this area. The three key steps in this project included: 1. Delivering the 2015 Central Division EVALUATION workshop to not only share information but also to gather information about what TOASTMASTERS specifically need to assist them. 2. Providing EVALUATION coaching for TOASTMASTERS to use as a model at their clubs when needed. This was also an information gathering exercise. 3. Provide a resource that all TOASTMASTERS can use between workshops to GUIDE and support them through the process.

4 Much of this material was developed from what was learnt in steps 1 and 2. The 2015 Central Division EVALUATION workshop ticked all the boxes, with record attendance and rich information to inform the next parts of the project. The EVALUATION coaching activities and workshops have been well received with 50% of clubs across all Central Division Areas in South Australia participating in this activity over the last 12 months. This resource is full of ideas, explanations, templates and examples that are suitable for TOASTMASTERS of any level. You can choose to read the entire document or tap into specific areas of interest as you need them. I have learnt a great deal from developing this resource and have become a better speaker, evaluator and leader as a result of the experience. The resource that you are about to read, is a culmination of over 12 months work.

5 I have been privileged to work with my EVALUATION team; a group of highly talented, intelligent, creative, fun and dedicated TOASTMASTERS to make this happen. It has been a highlight of my Toastmaster experience and I thank them for their inspiration, encouragement and assistance in making my vision a reality. Special thanks for Nick Kastelein for his significant contribution to the content, editing and formatting of this resource and Lucas Lovell for providing his technical expertise to make this resource available online. Kerry Pienaar Action Team Nick Kastelein Lucas Lovell Sue Pederick Helen Kubenk Angela Guidera Vanessa Ou TOASTMASTERS SOUTH AUSTRALIA iv SPEECH EVALUATION v CONTENTS Preface .. iii Contents .. v 1. Introduction .. 1 Who Benefits from Evaluations? .. 1 The Aims of Evaluations.

6 1 Who Can Evaluate? .. 1 Principles of Effective EVALUATION .. 2 2. Preparing the EVALUATION .. 3 Where to Start .. 3 Listening and Observing Critically .. 3 Prioritising Feedback .. 4 3. Structuring an EVALUATION Presentation .. 6 CRC Commend, Recommend, Commend .. 6 CRC EVALUATION Template .. 8 What, How, and Why SPEECH Analysis 9 What/How/Why Template .. 11 4. SPEECH Purpose and Objectives .. 12 General SPEECH Purpose .. 12 Specific SPEECH Purpose .. 12 Determining the SPEECH Purpose .. 14 SPEECH Objectives .. 14 5. Language of Evaluations .. 15 Delivering Evaluations Using Constructive Language & Manner .. 15 Alternatives to Commonly used Descriptive Words for Evaluations .. 16 6. Elements of a SPEECH that Can be Evaluated .. 17 How to Evaluate 17 How to Evaluate Body Language .. 19 How to Evaluate SPEECH Structure.

7 23 How to Evaluate SPEECH Content .. 26 How to Evaluate Humour .. 28 How to Evaluate the Use of Visual 31 Observe, Analyse and Commend/Recommend - General Template .. 33 TOASTMASTERS SOUTH AUSTRALIA vi 7. Knowing the Level of the Speaker .. 34 Evaluating New Speakers .. 34 Evaluating Advanced Speakers .. 35 Advanced Skill: Diagnosis .. 37 8. General Evaluations .. 38 Role of the General Evaluator .. 38 EVALUATION of Specific Roles .. 39 General Evaluator Template .. 41 9. Table Topics Evaluations .. 43 Table Topics EVALUATION Format .. 43 Common Observations for Table Topics Evaluators .. 43 Table Topics EVALUATION Templates .. 45 10. Competing in EVALUATION Contests .. 46 The Criteria for Contest Evaluations .. 46 Tips on what to do in an EVALUATION Contest .. 48 Preparation for EVALUATION Contests.

8 48 11. Conclusion .. 50 SPEECH EVALUATION 1 1. INTRODUCTION Learning how to give feedback constructively is an invaluable tool in our personal and professional lives. There are many situations where we need to give constructive feedback and we want the receiver to take the suggestions on board without being defensive. Some examples are giving a colleague formal feedback in the workplace, providing feedback to a service provider, or providing informal feedback to friends, family, or children. If we provide this feedback well, we are more likely to achieve a desired outcome and to support or facilitate positive change or improvement. Who Benefits from Evaluations? In TOASTMASTERS , everyone benefits from evaluations. 1. The Speaker benefits The EVALUATION provides a resource for improvement 2. The Audience benefits They learn from the evaluator s advice 3.

9 The Evaluator benefits An evaluator develops as a speaker by analysing the speeches of others Evaluations are the fertiliser of our growth and development Bob Faye The value of Evaluations, Bedstone Olympics TOASTMASTERS Club The Aims of Evaluations An evaluator has several objectives when they deliver their EVALUATION . Their main focus is on the speaker. While the whole audience will benefit from the EVALUATION , it was the speaker who put in effort, and may be uncertain about how their SPEECH was received. The evaluator aims: to make speakers aware of what they do well to suggest areas for improvement in a non-threatening and nurturing manner to provide constructive and practical ideas for the speaker s next SPEECH to motivate speakers to improve the next time they speak to give a speaker a reason to celebrate their achievement of speaking publicly Who Can Evaluate?

10 It may be worth waiting until you have some experience before you begin evaluating, but don t wait too long! In Speechcraft courses1, the participants begin delivering evaluations after only three speeches! Speeches are aimed at the audience, so any audience member has feedback that is valuable to the speaker. The speaker will want to hear if they were effective at communicating their message. So who can evaluate? Anyone. Don t be afraid to start by delivering simple, subjective evaluations we all start there. Evaluating is such an educational experience; don t miss out. Over time, you will learn more and more about providing constructive recommendations to a speaker, because you will be able to draw increasingly on your own experience and accumulating knowledge about 1 Speechcraft courses are an intense public speaking training course that TOASTMASTERS International runs for the general public.