What This Project Is About

Every Toastmasters club runs on feedback. Members give speeches, other members evaluate them, and everyone improves a little faster than they would on their own. Evaluation and Feedback is the Level 1 project that teaches you both halves of that exchange: how to receive an evaluation gracefully and put it to work, and how to give one that genuinely helps another speaker.

It has an unusual shape. Most projects ask for one speech; this one asks for two speeches and an evaluation, spread across several meetings, because applying feedback takes time and a second attempt to demonstrate. By the end you will have practised giving tactful feedback, using positive language, and staying open-minded about criticism of your own work.

Project Requirements

The project has three speaking components, and each one has its own evaluation form.

Speech One: 5-7 minutes, any topic.* Write and deliver an original speech on whatever subject you like. It can be humorous, informational, or any style you choose. Your evaluator will focus on your speaking style and recommend improvements you can carry into your next speech. This speech is assessed with *Evaluation Resource 1, the First Speech form.

Speech Two: 5-7 minutes, applying the feedback.* At a later meeting, deliver your second speech. You may present the same speech again, a revision of it, or an entirely new one, depending on the feedback you received and what you want to work on. If your feedback was about delivery, repeating the same speech is a perfectly good choice. **The evaluator of your first speech should evaluate your second speech** so they can see the change; if they are unavailable, share their written feedback with whoever takes their place. This speech uses **Evaluation Resource 2, the Second Speech form, which carries the same criteria as the first plus one extra: *Applied Feedback. There is also a space at the top for you to write down which change you have made, so your evaluator knows what to look for.

Evaluator Speech: 2-3 minutes.* Once both speeches are done, volunteer as a speech evaluator at a club meeting and deliver constructive feedback on another member's presentation. Your own performance in the role is assessed with *Evaluation Resource 3, the Evaluator Speech form. Note the timing carefully: your evaluation must fall within 2-3 minutes to score well on Delivery.

Completing the Project

Book your first speech with the VP of Education, and ask who your evaluator will be.
Talk to your evaluator beforehand if you can. Tell them the specific skills you want to develop. The more specific you are, the more useful their feedback will be.
Read the evaluation form before you write. Knowing the criteria in advance shapes a better speech.
Deliver speech one, then listen to your evaluation calmly and take notes. Remember the feedback is about the speech, not about you. If something stings, write down a question and ask it afterwards rather than reacting in the moment.
Choose one skill to work on, maybe two. Trying to fix everything at once is overwhelming. Set the rest aside for a later project; it will keep.
Be clear about your goal and tell your next evaluator what it is. Write it on the second speech form if you cannot speak to them directly.
Deliver speech two, showing that one change in action.
Serve as an evaluator. Contact the speaker in advance to learn about their project and their goals, then take a few notes during the speech without burying your head in your notepad.

When it is your turn to evaluate, the single most useful idea in the guide is the difference between advice* and *feedback. Advice is an opinion ("you need to improve your eye contact"). Feedback is information ("I saw that you were looking at the back wall rather than the audience"). Feedback tells the speaker how they were perceived and lets them decide what to do about it.

A few more principles worth carrying into the role: start by stating what you observed, honestly and respectfully; use I statements to keep the focus on behaviour rather than the person; favour positive remarks over negative ones; and limit constructive criticism to two or three points, so the speaker leaves with small, attainable goals rather than a long list. For a newer speaker, lead heavily with what went well.

Project Checklist

Schedule your first speech with the Vice President Education
Write your first speech, on any topic you like
Rehearse it
Present your first speech and review your evaluation carefully
Schedule your second speech with the VP of Education, with the same evaluator if possible
Write your second speech, incorporating the feedback you received
Rehearse it
Present your second speech
Volunteer as a speech evaluator at a club meeting, arranged in advance with the VP of Education
Reflect on what you have learned across the whole project

What Your Evaluator Looks For

All three forms score the same core qualities on a scale from 1 (Developing) to 5 (Exemplary):

Clarity: spoken language is clear and easily understood
Vocal Variety: tone, speed, and volume used as tools
Eye Contact: used effectively to engage the audience
Gestures: physical gestures used effectively rather than distractingly
Audience Awareness: awareness of audience engagement and needs
Comfort Level: appearing comfortable in front of the audience
Interest: engaging content that is well constructed

The second speech form adds Applied Feedback*: whether the feedback from your first speech is visibly applied to the second. The evaluator speech form adds **Delivery**, meaning tactful and constructive feedback given within the 2-3 minute window, and *Engaged, meaning you stayed attentive while everyone else was speaking too.

Each form also has space for written comments under three headings: what you excelled at, what you may want to work on, and how to challenge yourself next time.

Downloads

Back to the Level 1 Guide

Level 1: Evaluation and Feedback