There is a special role that we as TM get to fill. It is one of the most important things we do as a club member, and it isjust as important as making a prepared speech. This role allows us to develop the ability to listen with a morediscriminating ear.  It gives usvaluable practice in making thoughtful, off-the-cuff comments. It gives us practice in pulling our thoughts together quickly in order toprovide constructive insights for someone else. It allows us to have a part in helping a fellow club member reach theirpersonal goals.

Of course, I am referring to the role of speech evaluator. The time will come when you are asked to evaluate another member'sprepared speech.  Your job is toprovide an honest response to the speaker's presentation, but to do so in aconstructive manner.  Your choice ofwords is an integral part of providing useful, useable feedback to your speaker. By following a few simple "ABC" guidelines, you can be sureyour evaluation is on target, and that it will indeed help the speaker improvetheir presentation skills.

1. Avoid being judgmental.  Phrase your responses in terms of how the speech affected you.  Instead of saying, "Your opening was weak", say, "It seemed to me that you were very constrained in your opening."  Or instead of saying "You did not make good eye contact with the audience", say "I had the impression you were deliberately avoiding eye contact with individuals in the audience."
2. Be aware of the speaker's goals and history. Is this a technical speech?  If so, pay close attention to how well and how carefully information of a technical nature is conveyed.  Is it an entertaining speech?   Then you are more concerned with the effectiveness of the humor. For example, if your speaker is doing his Jerry Clowers imitation, this is not the time to go over the grammar with a fine-tooth comb.  Get with your speaker ahead of time to find out what is expected of you in evaluating this particular speech.  Has the speaker made improvement since their initial speeches?  If this speech represents significant growth, recognize this fact, and evaluate accordingly.  Don't use the same standard that you would use to critique a more advanced speaker.  Remember that your goal is to help the speaker to do better, but you do not want to discourage them needlessly.
3. Couch your suggestions for improvement in wording that emphasizes how you and the audience would be affected by the suggestions.  Instead of saying, "Try not to grip the lectern as if you were holding on for dear life", say "My impression is that if you would make a point of occasionally stepping away from the lectern, you would appear more confident."   Or instead of saying "Your use of visuals was awkward and distracting", you could say "I felt that I would have followed your ideas more easily if you had been comfortable using the overhead projector." 

Insummary, a good evaluation is just as important as a good speech. Why?  Because a goodevaluation can let a speaker know how they are coming across to the audience.  It underscores their strengths, and suggests areas wherechange is needed.   Itcontributes to the self-development of the speaker, and at the same time, ithones the ability of the evaluator to listen more effectively. Using the "ABC" guidelines I suggested (Avoid being judgmental,Be aware of the speakers goals and history, and Couch your suggestions wisely),you will be able to present your feedback in an honest, yet sensitive manner. Your evaluation will indeed be a "word fitly spoken".