This is an important role and should only be performed by an experienced member of the club. The General Evaluator has be opportunity to help establish and maintain high standards of excellence in the Club.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

To evaluate everything that takes place in the meeting including leadership, mood, quality, timing, and evaluation of all participants that have not previously been evaluated.

To act as the “Teacher” for the club by commenting on outstanding as well as inadequate performances.

To provide, whenever possible, explanations and demonstrations as to how improvements may be made.

PRIOR TO THE MEETING:

Check with the Chairperson to determine how the program will be conducted and if there will be any deviations from the normal format.

If this is your first time being General Evaluator, it is a good idea to study this manual to familiarize yourself with the details of each position. Arrive at the meeting early so that you can observe the preparation for the meeting, (i.e. Did the Chairperson also arrive early to assure that all the positions on the agenda are filled and to deal with contingencies? Was the room set up properly? Are the Greeters doing their job well?)

AT THE MEETING:

Take notes on everything you feel is important (i.e. things that distracted you, or enhanced the meeting, or an outstanding/ devastating performance by a participant in the meeting).

Look for exemplary or unacceptable examples of preparation, organization, and general performance of duties.

Be as detailed as you can in your evaluation. Be positive but constructive. This is your opportunity to set and reinforce the standards of excellence in the club. Be prepared to provide appropriate demonstrations and examples so that the participants and the club as a whole may improve. In the opening of your evaluation, you should give your own POSITIVE impression of how the meeting seemed to you. Keep your remarks focused and precise. The maximum time allowed for the General Evaluation is 10 minutes.

Be honest and sincere.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

General Meeting – theme, tone, professionalism, preparation and timeliness; was the atmosphere warm? friendly? fun? were the duties of the various officers explained for the benefit of the guests?

Chairperson – how were guests greeted? how was the business meeting conducted? how were introductions made? general conduct and control of whole meeting? did meeting start/end on time?

Evaluate how the Chairperson maintains control, harmony ad interest throughout the meeting; to make it function on schedule. Did the Chairperson bridge after each speaker to keep the meeting moving in a smooth, continuous and professional manner?

Greeter(s) – were guests and members welcomed properly? did he/she help to set the tone for the evening? how were guests treated?

Jokemaster – was the joke appropriate for Toastmaster?

Wordmaster – was the “Word of the Day” suitable: did it fit the theme? was it clearly presented and pronounced correctly?

Timer – were presentation crisp and clear? did Timer help keep the meeting on time?

Table Topics Master – was explanation of topics clear or obscure? were topics suitable (and/or fit the theme)? did topics get people thinking and generate discussion? did he/she have command of the session and encourage members to talk? was bridging used to maintain the flow of the table topics session? was the degree of difficulty of the topics suited to the speakers?

Speech and Table Topic Evaluators – the quality of the evaluations – were they positive? helpful? constructive? did they capture the key points of the speakers’ presentations? (if they did not, then be sure to comment) were there specific suggestions and demonstrations for improvement?

When you evaluate the Table Topics and Speech Evaluators, look for the positive characteristics of each presentation as well as the suggestions made for improvement. Observe if the Table Topics Evaluator studies both organization and presentation of the impromptu speeches, and if the Evaluator described his/her personal impressions of each speech. Was there a balance of positive comments and suggestions for improvement?

Toastmaster – was preparation evident? was the toast suitable and in keeping with the theme? were the introductions warm and friendly?

Since the Toastmaster is basically the “introducer”, evaluate the effectiveness of each introduction. Did the introductions build up the speakers’ credibility? Were the introductions inspiring and energetic, giving the audience a good feeling, and making the speaker feel confident and welcomed? Was there “bridging” between speakers?

Inspirator – was the inspiration appropriate? did the inspiration leave the member and guests with something to consider following the meeting?

At the end of your General Evaluation, again give your own positive feelings about the meeting as a whole.

Where necessary, challenge the club to improve by establishing a goal for the club to achieve during the following meeting.

Finally, present the awards for Best Impromptu, Most Improved Impromptu, Best Evaluator and Best Speaker.

Return control of the meeting to the Chairperson.