Evaluations: Beyond Toastmasters

As our very own Dr. Chan once said “Toastmasters is not just about giving speeches; there are applications way beyond just learning how to give an effective speech…” Truer words were never spoken. As with most things, we tend to gloss over the underlying benefits of Toastmasters and focus on the more obvious ones.

Speech evaluations are no exception.

The most obvious benefits of speech evaluations in Toastmasters are learning how to give effective and productive feedback, and how to receive and apply feedback to improve our speech skills. As we leave the Toastmaster meeting room, the skills of effective evaluation leave with us as we go on with life. The “sandwiching” technique comes in handy when we talk to our children, especially teenagers. “Praise - Correct - Praise” is so much more effective than “Criticize – Correct – Correct”. Consistently practicing evaluation at Toastmasters equips us with the diplomacy and tact to work with the various people in our lives - managers, supervisors, co-workers, direct reports, customers, neighbors, spouses – the list goes on!

A truly effective evaluation is a win-win proposition. We can express an opinion openly and freely without ruffling too many feathers. (Personally it saves me from the agony of keeping that opinion bottled up for fear of hurting somebody’s feelings.) But it is also a golden opportunity for the person being evaluated to learn something from it and correct or enhance their skill. To become a better person!

Here is a two part video (total of 15 minutes) by a well known Toastmaster Brendan Murphy, DTM. This is a speech he gave at our club Star Search Toastmasters.

Evaluate to Motivate (Part 1)
Evaluate to Motivate (Part 2)