Evaluator

Time required for your report (3min)

Purpose:

Evaluations are what makes Toastmasters the special place that it is for so many members. Through the systematic process of performance and feedback over and over again, we learn and grow.
Evaluation is the process of positive reinforcement and constructive feedback on how to become better in future presentations. It is a tricky skill to acquire, but one that will follow you into your dealings with others outside of Toastmasters.

After you have presented a few speeches, you will be asked to serve as an Evaluator and will evaluate one of the prepared speakers for the meeting. In addition to your oral evaluation, you will also give the speaker a written evaluation from the manual. The purpose of the evaluation is to help the speaker become less self-conscious. This requires that you become fully aware of the speaker's skill level habits and mannerisms as well as his or her progress to date.

Before the Meeting:

Review the evaluation guide you receive when joining Toastmasters. It is an excellent source of information on the how "to's" of evaluation.
Call the speaker you will be evaluating and review the project that he/she will be giving. Ask what their goals for the speech are, and what the speaker hopes to achieve in terms of reaching the audience other then the manuals objectives. Offer any assistance the speaker needs to prepare for their speaking engagement.

At the Meeting:

Ensure you get the manual from the speaker so that you can complete the evaluation guide for the project.
Listen to the speaker, taking notes that can be used to create and evaluate the speaker.

Complete the evaluation guide for the speaker. This will possibly give rise to other points that should be covered in your oral evaluation.
When called upon by the General Evaluator, deliver your two to three minute evaluation of the presentation.

Praise a successful speech and specifically tell why it was successful. Don't allow the speaker to remain unaware of a valuable asset such as a smile, a sense of humor, a good voice. Don't allow the speaker to remain ignorant of a serious fault or mannerism; if it is personal, write it but don't mention it aloud. Give the speaker the deserved praise and tactful suggestions in the manner you would like to receive them when you are the speaker. When pointing out a point that requires work do so only if you are able to offer a way of improving it.
Above all do not white wash when offering your evaluation. It is only through true and positive feedback that we can all learn and grow.

After the meeting:

Make a point to meet with the speaker after.

Return the manual to the speaker. Add a verbal word of encouragement to the speaker and you can at that point discuss the other points you couldn't bring out in the oral evaluation.
Tips and Traps:

Evaluation is one of the more difficult skills in Toastmasters to develop. It requires concentration and helps us to develop our analytical skills. The key is not to get bogged down in detail during the speech. Keep your notes brief so that you are not writing while the speaker is making an important point.
Two minutes is not a long time. Pick out the most important strengths and suggestions to discuss with the speaker orally. Other points can be written in the speaker's manual to be read and discussed later.