Evaluations are the strength of Toastmasters.
Usually an evaluation is one Toastmaster taking the responsibility of standing up and offering opinions on what was strong about a speech and making one or two suggestions for improvement.
It is one person's opinion, generated with all the wisdom, kindness and experience that the evaluator can offer.
You'll find variations from time to time - an evaluator asking the audience for their input, or a round robin evaluation where everyone in the audience is given the opportunity to comment and make suggestions.
Most often, though, you'll find one speaker matched with one evaluator.
To help the evaluator the manual for a speech gives you areas to evaluate specifically for that project.
These have been carefully selected for their relevance so use them as a guide, especially if the speaker is using the Competent Communicator manual.
The evaluation helps to build the speaker's confidence by pointing out strengths that the speaker may not have known they had.
Some of these strengths are obvious - "this speaker has a strong voice" - but still the speaker, especially a new speaker, may not have realized this.
Some of the strengths are less obvious.
"Did you notice how this speaker always pauses after she has made a main point?" A new speaker may not even have realized she was doing this.
Wow! She is better at this speaking thing than she realized.
She is doubly proud and the audience has heard a valuable pointer to incorporate in their own speeches.
The evaluation also offers suggestions for improvement.
Not just "You're standing still all the time.
" But the same point made in the form of a suggestion of how to do it better.
"Perhaps next time you could move away from the podium.
" An evaluation is NOT a recap of the speech.
It is NOT an opportunity to show how much better you are than the speaker was.
The suggestion for improvement is NOT a form of cruelty.
It is a gold nugget of insight that will help the person to become a better speaker.
Offer it with smile.
It may be a suggestion you've made many times before, but it shouldn't sound like it.
You may want to drive the point firmly home - resist the temptation.
This is just your opinion, one way of looking at the speaker and the speech.
This is not the 11th Commandment.
The wrap-up of an evaluation is the part that leaves the speaker feeling encouraged and eager to make another speech.
Personally I like to save my "And for me the best part of the speech was..
..
" until the end.
It makes a strong conclusion for me.
The speaker is left feeling that they gave a good speech, a speech they can feel proud of.
You have given the gift of hope and expectation.
They leave knowing how they can do better next time.
They leave looking forward to next time.
That's what evaluation is about.