Worthy of the Occasion ‘People ask you for criticism, but they only want praise,’ said Somerset Maugham. In Toastmasters we don’t criticise, but we do recognise that the best way to learn, as an adult, is to do the thing and then receive reinforcement of what went well, and guidance on how to improve what didn’t go so well. That’s the process we call ‘evaluation’. It means to find the value in something or, as a Toastmaster friend once said to me, ‘To tell the truth, with love.’ The usual formula is: ‘Commend, Recommend, Commend.’ The philosophy of this workshop is quite simple: speakers go to a great deal of trouble to prepare and present their speeches to the best of their ability. Shouldn’t we make as much effort as we can to deliver evaluation worthy of the occasion?
PREPARATION What do you know about the speaker, his aims and objectives in the speech, her style, strengths and weaknesses? What do you know about the audience, values, interests, expectations? What speaking skills will you look for? You might like to use this checklist to guide your analysis: Message • Well structured, opening, body, conclusion • Original thought or ideas • Well supported with argument, evidence or authority • Interesting and relevant to the audience • Well prepared Delivery • Voice - audible, clear and articulate • Voice - interesting variety of pitch, pace and volume • Manner - confident, sincere, enthusiastic • Language - appropriate, correct • Appearance - gestures, facial expression, eye contact • Use of notes - not obtrusive • Use of visual aids - effective, added rather than detracted Emotional Connection • Did the speaker appeal to the audience’s emotions? • Did the speaker connect with the audience’s values and interests? • Was humour used effectively? Prepare your own checklist in advance; the ‘Mind Map’ format is very useful for this. Your evaluation speech should cover one or two significant points under each heading. You will not have time to cover every point, and the speaker would be overwhelmed if you tried.
LISTENING Consider three levels of listening: Superficial, Conversational, Active. Active listening involves clearing your mind of all distractions. It means really focusing on what the other person is saying; not thinking about how you are going to reply. (Stephen Covey suggests an even higher level of listening, empathic listening, in which you try to see the world through the other person’s paradigm, and listen for underlying meaning; this does not work well for a club evaluation.) © 2004 Dr Paul R Holmes Peak Performance Partnership Ltd
4 April 2004 Evaluation Workshop handout.doc
To help in the process of recall, pick out the key words that define what the other person is saying. Observe (visualize) the logic and string the keywords together to make a thread you can recreate. You may want to write the keywords down, but with practice you should be able to focus clearly enough to recall a short speech accurately without notes
DELIVERY The key to an effective delivery with minimal use of notes (if any) is a good structure. If you can create a clear, logical flow you will easily recall everything you need to say. Like any good speech, your evaluation speech has a beginning, a middle and an end. Since it is a short speech (only three minutes) you only need a couple of sentences each for the beginning and the end. Acknowledge the speaker, but address your remarks to the meeting through the chair (TME). Creating a one-to-one conversation with the speaker is impolite and contrary to standard rules of order. The beginning: Characterize the speech. Say how well you felt the speaker achieved his or her aims, and how you personally felt about the speech. Say how you intend to present your analysis. The middle: Obviously, the most important part. The traditional approach is ‘commend, recommend, commend,’ which is certainly a useful formula. However there is a danger that it can lead to an unstructured checklist approach. I suggest an analysis based on the three headings of analysis you prepared in advance: the message, the delivery and the emotional connection. Note that either approach gives you three ‘points’ for the body of your short speech. Use only the most important points in your speech. You have the opportunity to say more in your written evaluation or subsequent discussion with the speaker if necessary. Illustrate what you have to say with quotations from the speech. Suggest ways to improve, and demonstrate them. One point well made is better for the speaker and the audience than a whole list of passing references. Remember that your evaluation is your own personal assessment. You do not have the right to speak for the whole audience. However you organize your points, be sure to end on an encouraging note, so that the speaker feels good about coming back to improve on her or his speech soon. The ending: Always conclude with a brief summary of your main points, again ending on a high point to encourage the speaker.
Dr Paul Holmes is a mountaineer, though it’s some years since he made his living among the crags and peaks of the everyday kind of mountains. Today he guides technical specialists in management and leadership positions to the peak of the mountain people call ‘Success’. Each year Paul, an internationally known adviser to governments and business, addresses audiences around the world on ways they can make their work more effective, more profitable and more sustainable. Paul is the creator of the powerful MindBridges programme that helps people with different outlooks succeed together. He is the 2004 champion in both the evaluation and international speech contests in Toastmasters’ District 71 Area 7 (Oxfordshire and Warwickshire).
© 2004 Dr Paul R Holmes Peak Performance Partnership Ltd
4 April 2004 Evaluation Workshop handout.doc