Description

Toastmasters meetings are conducted using a set of standardized roles and procedures, ensuring that meetings held on one side of the country are similar to meetings held on the other. As head of the evaluation team – a team comprised of the Ah Counter, Grammarian, Timer, and any speech Evaluators – the General Evaluator oversees the use of these procedures, reporting upon those areas where participants may have fallen short at the possible expense of continuity.

In addition to leading the evaluation team, the General Evaluator relieves the Toastmaster of the Day of the responsibility of running the meeting at the conclusion of Table Topics. Because of this responsibility, many consider General Evaluator to be one of the more challenging roles.

Before the Meeting

Ensure that any scheduled, prepared speeches have an assigned evaluator. Some General Evaluators might wish to ask scheduled speakers if they have a preference of evaluators. Ensure that any scheduled evaluators are prepared to fulfill the role. For newer evaluators, it may be helpful to emphasize the importance of beginning one’s evaluation with one or more positive observations before delivering any points of possible improvement and ending the evaluation on a high note.

• If meeting in person, consider reminding newer speakers to be sure to bring the correct evaluation form to the meeting.
• If meeting online, consider downloading and emailing an electronic copy of the correct evaluation form to the scheduled evaluator (or remind the speaker to do so).

During the Meeting

Once Table Topics have concluded, you will accept control of leading the meeting from the Toastmaster of the Day, marking the beginning of the evaluation portion of the meeting. For the benefit of any guests present, you should briefly explain the importance of evaluation within Toastmasters before calling upon the assigned evaluator for each of the prepared speeches that were given (in the same order that speeches were given). In the event that an evaluator does not provide a constructive evaluation – either no positives were recognized, or no points of improvement mentioned – the General Evaluator should be prepared to give a few comments of his or her own.

After all evaluations have been completed, the General Evaluator calls upon the remaining three members of the evaluation team – the Ah Counter, Grammarian, and Timer – to deliver their reports. Finally, and taking note of the remaining time for the meeting, the General Evaluator should deliver an evaluation of the meeting as a whole, using notes taken throughout the meeting. This evaluation should help promote a high standard of excellence during each session. As with the more targeted prepared speech Evaluators, the General Evaluator should strive for a mix of positive recognition and opportunities for improvement. A sample page outlining some of the specific meeting aspects to be potentially observed and commented upon is enclosed.

After the Meeting

No tasks. Individual clubs may assign additional responsibilities, such as turning in the sheet used to formulate your general evaluation.

Skills

Familiarity with the structured format of a standard Toastmasters meeting, along with any specific modifications adopted by your individual club; a willingness to lead a meeting and call upon others to solicit their contributions

Benefits Gained from this Role

The ability to provide constructive, non-critical feedback, balancing opportunities for improvement with positive observations

Describe Your Role

The functions of the General Evaluator role are not generally described during a meeting.