General Evaluator

The General Evaluator is an evaluator of everything that takes place throughout the meeting.

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Before the Meeting

Check with the toastmaster of the day to learn how the program will be conducted and if there are any planned deviations from the usual meeting format.

Before the meeting starts, greet all evaluators who are present. If an evaluator is missing, consult with the vice president education and arrange for a substitute. Verify all evaluators have evaluation forms from their assigned speaker, understand the project objectives, and understand how to evaluate them. Explain to the evaluators that they will be asked to read the speaker’s project objectives before the speaker’s introduction.

Brief the evaluators that evaluation is a positive, helping act. Their goal must be to help fellow toastmasters develop their skills. Emphasize that evaluations should enhance or at least preserve the self-esteem of the speaker. Suggest they talk to their Speakers to discover any special evaluation requirements.

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During the Meeting

During meeting role reviews, deliver a brief but thorough talk on the purpose, techniques, and benefits of evaluation, particularly for the benefit of any guests. Evaluation is a positive experience designed to help people overcome weak habits and add power to good ones.

Take notes on everything that happens or, in your view, should happen. For example, were there unnecessary distractions that could have been avoided? Was the lectern always occupied? Did members clap until the next speaker reached the lectern? Did members shake hands to signify handing over control of the meeting? Did the meeting start on time? Create a checklist from which you can follow the meeting. You would not normally evaluate the prepared speakers as they have already been evaluated, but you may want to add something that the evaluator may have missed or express a different opinion.

Lead the evaluation part of the meeting:

• Introduce each evaluator.

• Call for the timekeeper’s report for the evaluators.

• Call for the best evaluator vote.

• Call for the ah-grammarian’s report.

• Give your General Evaluation of the meeting using the notes you took as suggested above. Comment on the quality of evaluations. Were they positive, upbeat, helpful? Did they point the way to improvement? Try to think of something original to say!