General Evaluator -
Giving feedback on a meeting

The General Evaluator presides over the evaluation portion of the meeting and assesses the quality of the meeting as a whole. The General Evaluator role is a dual one of communication (evaluating the Speech Evaluators) and leadership (presiding over the Evaluation portion of the meeting). Since the role is advanced, the member should have prior speaking and evaluation experience before attempting the duties of General Evaluator.

Preparation is essential to ensure the General Evaluator's portion of the meeting runs smoothly and that fellow Toastmasters receive the most out of the evaluations.

Before the Meeting

About five days before the meeting, the General Evaluator contacts the Toastmaster of the Day, the Table Topics Master, and the members of the evaluation team. The General Evaluator discusses the particulars of the meeting (including any planned theme) with the Toastmaster. The Table Topics portion of the meeting is discussed with Table Topics Master. The General Evaluator inquires if either party is trying to improve. If so, the parties discuss areas that the General Evaluator should pay particular attention to.

The General Evaluator calls members of the evaluation team (Ah Counter, Grammarian, Timekeeper, and the Speech Evaluators) to remind them of their roles and to confirm meeting attendance.

Phone calls to each Speech Evaluator should address the following:

• Confirm that the Speech Evaluator knows which speaker is being evaluated and has spoken to the speaker about the speech objectives.
• Coach less experienced Speech Evaluators.
• Ask for information to use when introducing the Speech Evaluator.
• Discuss whether the Speech Evaluator wants anything in particular noted for feedback.

At the Meeting

The General Evaluator meets with the Evaluators to ensure each has received the manual from their assigned speaker. If an Evaluator is absent, the General Evaluator coordinates with the Educational Vice President to find a replacement.

During the Meeting

The general evaluation is a comprehensive evaluation of the meeting. To prepare for the general evaluation, the General Evaluator watches and listens carefully while taking notes.

Specific items to note include the following:

• Does the meeting flow well and is it staying within time?
• Are introductions of meeting participants properly made (including the handshake)?
• Is the lectern ever left unattended?
• Are all members with meeting roles prepared?
• Are the Table Topics appropriate - not too difficult or too easy?
• Does the Table Topics Master restrict participation to members who do not have a role or have a minor role and ensure there are no unspoken Toastmasters?
• Does the Toastmaster of the Day seem prepared and enthusiastic when conducting the meeting?
• Are the Toastmaster's introductions for the speakers prepared and given warmly?
• Are guests welcomed properly?
• Do the Speech Evaluators perform adequately and present appropriate feedback?
• Is the meeting room set up properly?
• If there is a business session, is parliamentary procedure correctly followed?
• What works well?
• What can be improved?

The Evaluations

When called by the Toastmaster, the General Evaluator briefly describes the GE role and the purpose of speech evaluation. The General Evaluator then introduces each Speech Evaluator in turn. At the conclusion of the speech evaluations, the General Evaluator confirms with the Timekeeper that all Speech Evaluators were within time and invites the members to vote for the Best Evaluator.

The General Evaluation

As the votes are collected, the General Evaluator provides a 3-5 minutes general evaluation consisting of constructive feedback about the Toastmaster of the Day and the meeting in general, the Table Topics, and the evaluations. The General Evaluator does not comment on the prepared speeches.

Like a speech evaluation, the general evaluation should sandwich suggestions for improvement between commendations. At the conclusion of the general evaluation, the General Evaluator calls on the Grammarian and the Ah Counter for their reports and then returns control of the meeting to the Toastmaster of the Day.