Best speaker Magazine Issue 2 - December 2017 | Page 31

Read the manual
Take a good 15-20 minutes and read
the manual of the respective project
which you will be evaluating. The speaker
might have taken a few days or even weeks
in preparing and practising the speech.
So, the evaluator too should do his/
her homework, in order to give the best
evaluation that the speaker deserves.
“Do an
evaluation which
would motivate
the speaker to do
an even better
speech next
time.”
A
n evaluation is the
evaluator’s honest reaction
in a constructive manner
regarding a project which was
completed by a speaker. This article
will be focusing on how to conduct
an effective speech evaluation.
Take notes
Once you read the manual, take notes
of the specific points and questions which
should be addressed in your evaluation.
These notes will be useful in both the
verbal and written evaluation.
Have a separate sheet
Have a separate blank sheet to do
the evaluation. The evaluator can divide
this sheet into two columns. The left-
hand column can be used to jot down
the “positive points” and the right-hand
column can be used to jot down the
“points to be improved”. The two columns
will help the evaluator to avoid confusions.
Select the points
Now it’s time to select the points for
the verbal evaluation. The usual time
allocation for a verbal evaluation is 2-3
minutes. So, the evaluator must decide on
the points to be mentioned and explained
in the verbal evaluation. 2:1 can be used as
the ratio of positive points and the points
to be improved. That is, two positive points
and one point which could be improved
can be mentioned in the evaluation. Out
of all the points jotted down, the evaluator
must quickly identify the two strongest
positive points (something the evaluator
absolutely liked, something special or
above expectation) and one point to be
improved.
An evaluation will be two-
phased. The first one is the verbal
evaluation which is given by the
evaluator to the speaker within 2-3
minutes. The second is the written
evaluation addressing the specific
points mentioned in the evaluation
guide relating to the specific
project. Mentioned below are few
steps which could be followed by
Delivering the evaluation
the evaluator to deliver an effective
evaluation.
Have a positive opening line for
an evaluation. That is, a point to be
improved is sandwiched between two
positive points. And finally, conclude
the evaluation on a positive note. When
mentioning the point/s to be improved,
give a brief explanation as to how the
particular point can be improved; give an
alternative or a solution. For example, if
the speaker had a few unnecessary stage
movements which were distracting, the
evaluator can mention a