The Evaluation

Last session went very well-- probably my best effort thus far. The real icing on the cake was that there were THREE new members awaiting my arrival (well, not REALLY waiting MY arrival-- just a dramatic way to state that they were there and when I opened the door it was a huge and lovely surprise to see new faces). New members are the lifeblood of Toastmasters. Yes, it is lovely to have seasoned members to learn from, but there is something so very sweet and exciting about fresh recruits. You know...

So, while I am not doing a speech tomorrow night, I stuttered out that I would act as a speech evaluator. What stands out particularly about a ToastMasters' meeting is that just about everything that happens there is evaluated... no exaggeration.

Evaluation is, simply, the process of listening to, observing others at work, and providing your feedback.

Many of us join ToastMasters to improve our speaking and leadership skills. Evaluations help us to do that. We prepare and present speeches from a manual-- initially the "Competent Communicator" Manual. Our club members generally take turns acting in an evaluator role.

An evaluator's approach and what he/she has to offer have a great impact on the speaker, and on the club in general. I was greatly relieved to have been gently treated at the first couple of meetings, but was a little surprised when one of the seasoned evaluators was quite disparaging about the type of hand gestures my fellow-speaker used. I have since heard a large number of evaluations and recognize that we all have good nights and bad nights, and that sometimes a seemingly "harsh" evaluation is just the result of that evaluator's humanity-- maybe he didn't get enough sleep the night before, or he is feeling under the weather, or maybe he is 'triggered' by a certain kind of hand gesture. Best not to personalize.

I will strive to offer a helpful "middle ground" between a harsh and overly kind (i.e., smarmy and dishonest)evaluation.

Evaluations help with developing good listening skills and good critical thinking. As we hear evaluations, and take a turn at giving them, we are quickly able to be helpful, positive and motivating to the receiver. Of course, the same happens for us as we are evaluated. It is interesting to note that there are a number of public figures who are/have been ToastMasters, such as former BC Premier, Bill Bennett, and Tracy Wilson, Tim Allen and Napoleon Hill, to mention a few. Apparently Bill Bennett would have every speech he gave in the Legislature evaluated by selected and trusted staff members (who I am assuming were also ToastMasters?).