1. Be familiar with the project objectives because you are evaluating against these specific objectives. Don’t go overboard with your feedback when it’s not part of the project objectives because the speaker is not “assessed” on those other higher expectations. Have a good look at the project evaluation form to know what you need to look for. Ideally, you’ve done the project yourself.

2. Speak to the speaker before the project. Find out what’s the speaker’s concerns for this project that he wants you to pay special attention to. You should look at the feedback on the speaker’s previous project so that you can address them during your evaluation. Don’t lecture the speaker on his speech purpose/approach/content because it’s too late. You don’t want to add to his stress and nervousness. Encourage him to deliver his best on stage. Get the printed evaluation form from the speaker.

3. Listen attentively during the speech and take notes. Jot down the speech in point form so that you can reference them during your verbal evaluation. Put down interesting words/quotes used by the speaker and key messages/call for action raised by the speaker. Try to capture his speech purpose and messages to the audience.

4. Consciously jot down areas which the speaker had done well and also suggestions for improvements during the speech.

5. Organise your evaluation speech like a prepared speech. Reflect on the speech and understand the main areas you want to mention that will make a difference to the speaker. Start with a strong introduction, move on to highlight the positives and then mention areas for improvements. Remember to conclude by summarising your points. You may pick up many observations during the speech but you need to prioritise what to say because you only have 2-3 minutes. You cannot talk without focus and raise too many points superficially. There are some more projects and the speaker will receive some more feedback along the way. You don’t have to cover everything but raise those that are valuable at this stage.

6. During the verbal evaluation, you must always sound encouraging and not be overly critical. Do remember that your evaluation represents your own point of view. You are not a judge speaking on behalf of the audience. In addition, bear in mind that every speaker has different starting abilities. Thus, you need to understand that you are sharing your thoughts and reactions. You certainly would want the speaker to learn from your feedback and encourage him to come back to the stage another day.

7. To be effective, always elaborate with examples for each point that you have made, and not just make a statement/judgement. For suggestions, offer the speaker how he or she can overcome the shortcoming. Demonstrate it and give examples when you can to make learning easier for the speaker. [highlight style=”yellow”]DO NOT regurgitate the speech, nor summarise in great length and repeat what the speaker had said. Only quote parts of his speech as evidence to support your feedback.[/highlight] So don’t waste time repeating without a purpose because the audience had heard exactly the same speech. Repeating also doesn’t help the speaker because he knows what he said. You will save precious time on stage and give more value-adding feedback by not repeating what the speaker has said.

8. An evaluation speech is a type of prepared speech. Don’t just speak to the speaker. Address the entire audience like another speech. Use all your skills and training to deliver an effective speech. Watch your time. Train yourself to take quick glances at the timing light so that you can speak within 3 minutes 30 seconds. Try to stretch your evaluation till you see the red light since time is scarce.

9. Complete the written evaluation on the evaluation form and hand it to the speaker after the meeting. Speak to the speaker to clarify any points you’ve written or said. The speaker might want to get more feedback from you. This is also the time for you to share additional points with the speaker that you either do not have the time to say them on stage or those points may be too embarrassing to be shared publicly on stage.

10. An evaluation is both an art and a skill. Many evaluators handle evaluations differently but always in an encouraging manner. Do it well and you’ll grow as a speaker and as a coach very quickly. Approach your mentor to get more tips to become a great evaluator.

Contributed By: Mike Ng, DTM