Yow Kia

12th of September, I was invited to be project evaluator in Raintree Toastmasters Club Chapter Meeting. This time round, I was evaluating Project one by Daniel. This is the second time I evaluated a Project one speaker. I was told that evaluating project one is quite a heavy responsibility task. Why say so? It’s because whether the speaker will continue his Toastmasters Journey, most of the time, it’s based on the evaluation given to him at his first project.

I have heard that there were members who quit Toastmasters Club because they couldn’t stand the criticism that they received during their first project. We can’t blame that it’s the speaker’s fault that he can’t take the criticism. Criticism… To me, it’s quite a negative word. Not everybody can treat CRITICISM positively, especially for a beginner. A beginner would expect you to give him some encouragement and pass him some tips to improve. “Your pronunciation is very bad, you should go back to primary school to re-learn your pronunciation.” “Your grammar is even worse than my eight-year-old son.” Do these two sentences hurt you?

Therefore, to be a good evaluator, especially when you want to evaluate a project one, please mind your language used.

Here are a few examples of how to turn a negative comment into positive:
1) You didn’t maintain eye-contact.
=> It appeared to me that you avoided eye-contact.
2) You shouldn’t fold your hands in front of your chest.
=> I discovered that when I placed my hands above my waist height and started to incorporate some movements, I felt more natural and comfortable. Perhaps you could try this in your next speech.
3) Your pronunciation is very blur and unclear.
=>I used to have pronunciation problem. A technique I have found helpful is listen more to English Native Speaker and follow the way they speak. Listen and read more often….

Here are a few positive sentences that you could use:
1) Congratulations on taking the first step to deliver your first speech in front of so many experienced Toastmasters. Well Done!
2) You vowed us with your well-prepared speech by telling us all about yourself! Good job!
3) From what I’ve observed just now, you definitely have the potential to be a good speaker in the future! Keep it up!