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Evaluations

Introduction

Speech evaluations are one of the most important parts of our meetings. It's essential to remember, though, that an evaluation is also a speech to inform; it should have a structure with a beginning, middle, and end along with "points" to remember. In fact, it seems odd that so many Toastmasters will stand up to deliver an evaluation with no clue about what they are going to say or how they will say it -- then critique someone else's speech for lack of organization!

I've been asked, "How can I prepare an evaluation beforehand?" Of course, you cannot evaluate a speech before you hear it; but you can prepare a speech long before the meeting, then simply insert into that speech notes on the other speaker's work. Here are some suggestions that will help make your next evaluation a good speech as well as a good evaluation.

Use a Frame

An evaluation can follow a frame. You would arrive for your Toastmasters meeting with a frame already prepared, then add the comments you need for the specific speech you're evaluating. I have three example speech frames I've used for evaluations. You'll note that I tend to evaluate the same types of activity, but put that evaluation into a different frame.

PIE

You can offer the speaker a piece of "PIE." The letters stand for:

	Physical. What was the physical attributes of the speech? Cover gestures, vocal control, and other physical attributes.
	Intellectual. What was the intellectual appeal? Cover any ideas the speech presented and how they were developed.
	Emotional. Did the speech appeal to your emotions? How well did the speaker use emotion to convey the message?

By using "PIE," you can offer the speaker a good evaluation, and offer the other listeners a good speech in the process! Simply add some opening comments, stir in appropriate notes to the speaker you are evaluating, and you will cook up a wonderful little speech.

Greek "Man"

The ancient Greeks thought a perfect man must develop in four areas: mentally, physically, emotionally, and socially. Try evaluating the speech using this frame.

	Mentally. Did the speech appeal to the mind? Were there good ideas in the speech?
	Physically. What was the physical speech like? Cover vocal control, gestures, and other physical attributes.
	Emotionally. Did the speech appeal to the emotions? Was this appeal effective or was it distracting?
	Socially. Speaking is a social event. How did the speaker react socially? Was there obvious stage fright? Did the speaker control the audience? Was the speech effective overall?

Again, by using this frame, you can develop a dynamite evaluation; but also have a good speech.

Head, Heart, Hands

This is a clever use of alliteration to get to Intellectually, Emotionally, and Physically -- as covered in PIE (above).

The Recipe

Tell the audience that you once baked a cake and had a wonderful experience (be quick, you only have a few minutes and your primary task is to evaluate the speaker). As you made the cake, you noticed:

	Read the Directions. This reminds me of the intellectual part of the speech. Cover anything in the speech that appealed to your mind.
	Added Ingredients. This is like a good speech. It has a lot of ingredients. Cover the emotional appeal of the speech and how those emotions were added to the intellectual points to make a "flavorful" speech.
	Stirred the Batter. This reminds me of the physical speech. Cover gestures, voice control, and such topics here.
	Ate the Cake. This is the "overall" speech. Was it effective? Did it "hit the spot?"

Use of Quotes

It's also possible to craft a wonderful evaluation around a single quote. When I use a quote, I usually start my evaluation with the quote, then evaluate the speaker, then finish by referencing the quote again. This ties the evaluation up into a nice bundle for your listeners. I like the following quotes:

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen once said, "Applause before a speaker begins his talk is an act of faith. Applause during the speech is an act of hope. Applause after he has concluded is an act of charity." Tonight, I want to sincerely applaud your speech, but this is not charity. This is thanksgiving. (Step away from the lectern a bit and briefly applaud the speaker.) Here is why I thank you ...

Thomas Mann wrote, "Speech is civilization itself. The word, even the most contradictious word, preserves contact -- it is silence which isolates." Tonight I thank you for reaching out to us -- for making contact. Tonight, I feel I have learned from you, and that has made us both more civilized. In your speech, ...

Publilius Syrus wrote, "Speech is a mirror of the soul: as a man speaks, so is he." Tonight you have given us a glimpse into your soul; and I thank you. In your speech ...

Conclusion

Remember, an evaluation is a speech. Like any speech, you should prepare long before you arrive at your Toastmasters meeting. With these few ideas (and others I'm sure you'll develop), you can be a more polished professional speaker.

This Document Last Modified on April 29, 1998.

George R. Self
E-mail me at: grself@c2i2.com

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