There’s lot so f information out there on how to give a speech evaluation. I notice that many new members are afraid to do so. And sometimes, the volume of information out there makes it even more overwhelming.

Now that giving a speech evaluation is part of level 1 in Pathways, members should be doing a speech evaluation earlier. I find two things to help with this.

First, give a fill in the blanks speech evaluation. The most basic speech evaluation is:

1. Thank the speaker
2. Say something you liked about the speech
3. Say something you think could be improved. If the speaker was really good and you can’t think of anything, say that.
4. Wish the speaker well or say you are looking forward to the next speech

If this template is still too much, practice. In a SpeechCraft session, i wanted participants doing speech evaluations in week 2 and 3. To get them there, I “taught” the four point template. Then we did it as a group: “Sally, can you thank the speaker.”