How to Give a Toastmasters Speech Evaluation: A Practical Guide

A good evaluation can be the most valuable three minutes of a member's month. It tells them what worked, gives them one or two things to try, and makes them want to speak again. Here's a simple structure anyone can use, and how Toastmanagers makes sure you turn up prepared.

What an evaluator does

You give each speaker spoken and written feedback on their presentation. The spoken evaluation usually runs 2 to 3 minutes, so you can't cover everything. Your job is to choose what will help most.

Before the meeting

• Find out the speaker's title, path, and project
• Read the project's evaluation criteria
• Ask the speaker whether there's anything they want you to watch for

That last question is the most useful thing you can do. "I'm working on pausing" gives you a clear focus.

In Toastmanagers, each speaker enters their speech title and Pathways project on the schedule. Speaker #1 and Evaluator #1 appear as matching roles, so you can see exactly who you're evaluating.

During the speech

• Watch and listen first, and resist writing the whole time
• Note exact phrases you can quote back
• Mark the moment the audience leaned in
• Note one specific thing that would have made it stronger

A structure that works

Many clubs use commend, recommend, commend. It works because it's honest and kind at the same time.

1. Open with the effect

"Marcus, by the time you reached the part about your father's workshop, I'd stopped looking at my notes."

2. Two or three specific strengths

Say what they did, and why it worked. "Your pause before the final line let the room catch up with you" beats "good pausing."

3. One or two recommendations

Be specific, and give the speaker something to do next time.

"When you described the three lessons, they arrived quite quickly. Next time, try holding up a finger for each one and leaving a beat between them. I think we'd remember all three."

4. Close with encouragement

End by reminding the speaker what you most want them to keep doing.

Common mistakes

• Retelling the speech
• Listing every flaw you noticed
• Hiding feedback behind "maybe" and "sort of"
• Offering praise so general it could apply to anyone
• Forgetting the written evaluation

Speak from your own experience

Say "I felt" and "for me", not "the audience felt" or "you should." It keeps you honest, and it's much easier to hear.

Keep evaluators in rotation

Evaluating is a skill, so everyone needs regular turns. But in many clubs, the same few experienced members get asked every week, and a spreadsheet won't show who's been skipped. Auto-assign in Toastmanagers balances evaluator slots across each member's history, and the member can mark evaluations as "prefer" or "avoid" while they build confidence. Officers can still make any final change by hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a new member evaluate?
After they've seen a few meetings, yes. Pair them with an experienced speaker who will welcome honest feedback.

What if the speech was brilliant?
Find something to stretch them anyway. Experienced speakers want to hear what would make it even better.

What if the speech was weak?
Lead with what truly worked, however small, and choose only the one change that would help most.

Questions? Email us at managerstoast@gmail.com. We read every message.