Meeting Full of EVALUATIONS: April Special Meeting, April 13, 2024

The Special Online Meeting on April 13th featured a succession of “EVALUATIONS.” Evaluation is said to be vital in Toastmastering. As a consequence, a “Mini Workshop on Evaluation” by Rene initiated the meeting agenda. The workshop mentioned that an evaluator’s tone and feedback content had a great impact on the speaker’s self-esteem and self-confidence. An evaluator was also not a master but a peer who simply gave his or her own opinion to the speaker’s speech and some specific recommendations for improvement.

Toastmasters’ evaluation considers the “Sandwich Approach” as an effective way to motivate and to educate a public speaker. This approach enables an evaluator to give a personal opinion in a friendly, direct, and non-threatening manner. The evaluator’s suggestion for improvement is “sandwiched” between two positive comments. Thus, comparing speech evaluation to a sandwich, the top piece of the bread gives praise and congratulations. The fillings like meat, cheese, and vegetables refer to weak areas and constructive suggestions. The bottom piece of the bread is devoted to encouragement. The way an evaluator finishes his evaluation determines whether the speaker will be motivated and eager to begin his next speech.

The second of evaluation was the “Test Speech” of Mariko. All member attendees had to watch closely, listen attentively, make notes on the evaluation guide, and put into words their ideas and opinions of the speech entirety at the breakout rooms. It was a good learning opportunity to let everyone evaluate, to listen to other members’ evaluations, and to choose the breakroom representative evaluator.

The third of evaluation at the meeting was Tenten’s “Active Listening Project.” He served as Topicsaster, who gave clear, concise, and Toastmasters-related questions. Tenten demonstrated his active listening skills by commenting on each speaker’s Table Topics speech. The evaluation comments for all speakers were specific and concluded on a positive note.

The last in the succession of “Evaluations,” was the regular Evaluation Session. There were three evaluators for Mariko, and one for Tenten. They evaluated on different criteria: on how they reacted to the speech, the effect it had on them, the areas Mariko and Tenten did well, and specific recommendations. The members enjoyed the warm atmosphere conducive to “healthy” learning, interacting, and evaluating.

To be at the Special Meeting on April 13th was a rewarding experience!!! Who could ask for more!

Rene