Prerequisite: Experience as an Evaluator

Time: 1 minute at opening of meeting, 1 to 3 minutes (plus Evaluators’ time) at end of meeting.

• Review "The Chief Evaluator’s responsibilities" in the Effective Speech Evaluation manual.
• It is your responsibility to contact the scheduled Evaluators and Functionaries (Grammarian, Timekeeper, Ah Counter, Vote Counter) before the meeting and ensure that they will be present and prepared. Offer assistance to the Evaluators, if needed. If you have any changes to the Evaluators or Functionaries after making your phone calls, contact the VP Education with the changes so s/he can print out the most current Agenda for the meeting.
• Get biographical information from the Evaluators for your introductions, and try to weave the theme of the meeting through the intros.

1. Arrive early and confirm that your team (Evaluators and Functionaries) is present. If any are not present, assign someone to take that person's position if s/he doesn't arrive by the time the meeting starts.
2. Advise the Toastmaster of any changes in your team. Confirm who the Speakers are and the order in which they are speaking.
3. Assign Evaluators to Speakers and make sure each knows who they will be working with. It's important to assign Evaluators appropriately. Try to assign experienced Evaluators to advanced Speakers. It's okay to assign experienced Evaluators to less experienced Speakers, but don't assign inexperienced Evaluators to advanced Speakers. The Evaluator will feel uncomfortable and the Speaker won't get an appropriate evaluation for his/her skill level.
4. When introduced after the formal speeches, walk quickly to the lectern and shake the Toastmaster’s hand. Proceed to explain the evaluation portion of the meeting by saying something like:

"Mr./Madam Toastmaster, Fellow Toastmasters and Honored Guests. Evaluation is a positive, helping act. As conscientious Toastmasters, our goal must be to help fellow Toastmasters develop their skills. Therefore, evaluations should not only offer constructive ways of improving, but should also preserve or at least enhance the self-esteem of the speaker. We'll begin with evaluations of the Speakers and move into my evaluation of the meeting itself."

5. Introduce each Evaluator, stating the Speaker’s name, Speech number and Speech Title that s/he will be evaluating. Don't give the speech's objectives. This is redundant; the Toastmaster states the objectives when introducing the Speaker so the audience knows which objectives the speaker is trying to accomplish. Then they can vote on which Speaker accomplishes the objectives best. The Evaluator states the objectives because this is what s/he evaluates. Always give the Evaluator’s name and rank (CTM, ATM, DTM) last.
6. Wait until the Evaluator reaches the lectern; shake his/her hand, then sit near by.
7. Lead the applause after each Evaluator has finished as you return to the lectern to shake hands.
8. After all Evaluations are complete, call for the Timekeeper's report for any Evaluator who did not qualify.
9. Ask members and guests to vote for the Evaluator they felt did the best evaluation.
10. Call for the Grammarian's report and the Ah Counter's report.
11. Give your evaluation of the meeting, 1 to 3 minutes. Say something like:

"As your Chief Evaluator this evening, I have been observing all aspects of how the meeting has been conducted, and I will now give my evaluation of the meeting."

NOTE: Was the meeting set up and started on time? Was the Invocation and Pledge appropriate and brief? Was the Business Meeting timely? Did it follow parliamentary procedure? Did the Toastmaster deliver good introductions and keep the meeting on time? Were the helpers' duties described? Were we told to write personal notes to speakers? Note any strengths or weaknesses. Were Tabletopics brief, creative, challenging, and did it end on time? Were the Evaluators positive and constructive? Did the Grammarian and Ah Counter give complete reports? Mention things that were particularly good about the meeting as well as areas where we could improve. Acrid comments, tongue-lashings or whitewashes are not effective in improving performance. Keep it upbeat.

12. Ask for the Timekeeper's report on your own evaluation.
13. Return control of the meeting to the Toastmaster by reintroducing him/her. Wait at the lectern until the Toastmaster arrives to shake your hand.