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| Monday, December 01, 2008 |
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7 Improving Speakers, Writers, Leaders EQ
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7B Lesson - A Comprehensive Speaker Evaluation
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This lesson reveals the need for guidelines in situations that suggest criticism would be helpful. Its check-list provides a broad picture of a number of specific evaluation criteria.
The more we practice sharpening our overall behavioral skills, the more it can help us strengthen the skills required while speaking and performing other behavioral tasks. This increased understanding and attention toward the quality of our behavior, thus, enhances our control of it in front of others who may be evaluating it while we are on a stage or in life, as well.
The progression we go through to improve our speaking skills is similar to the progression we go through to improve our overall behavior; learning to understand and practice skill enhancing criteria and avoid those known to be harmful or inappropriate.
Constructive Ways to Suggest Improvements
How many criticisms have you experienced or know of that distanced or dissolved personal and/or professional relationships? Criticism can have emotionally devastating impact. It can have ill effects on a person’s self-esteem, if not given with encouraging due care and taken in a healthy way.
When approaching a situation that suggests criticism would be helpful, quality self-leadership has its guidelines. It requires that we concern ourselves about being objective and yet clearly identifying and communicating our suggested change. Diplomacy tells us it is good practice to be cautious to not emotionally distance or totally alienate the person or group being criticized. This is a healthful concern for us to have in most other life situations, as well; whether we are addressing issues with loved ones, casual friends, acquaintances, employees, employers, businesses or other associates we encounter.
It is just as important to structure a critique with a beginning, body, and closing as it is to do so in preparing a speech. If you are to evaluate a person’s speech or other behavior for suggested change, please consider the following guidelines:
Before the occasion or during the person’s speech, search to define a few positive general characteristics, actions, or other specifics worth complimenting. Speak or note some of these strengths to first use to open your evaluation. Then address in the body of your evaluation what you distinguish as awkward, inappropriate, or for some other reason grounds for improvement. After presenting the body of your evaluation, close by adding another uplifting encouraging statement or reemphasize the strength you mentioned in the beginning.
If you are to critique the person in front of an audience and think any particular points could be embarrassing to the individual, make arrangements to tell the person about those issues in private—and here again, it can be important to apply a meaningfully warm opening and closing. Below is a list of examples of the type of constructive phrases we suggest you begin your sentences with in the body of your critique:
- Something you might want to consider working on is ______________.
- What I’d like to see you improve upon is ________________________.
- With everything else you’ve done, I know you can ________________.
- If I had any suggestions, it would be ___________________________.
- One thing I think you could improve is __________________________.
- Another thing I would suggest considering is _____________________.
- A way that will bring your speech to the next level is ______________.
- What I thought was missing was _______________________________.
- If you ________________, it would add a lot of impact to your speech.
- I think you could really improve on ______________________________.
- Something I would like to see you consider is _____________________.
- To improve future speeches, you might want to practice ___________.
SPEAKER’S EVALUATION CHECK-LIST
This comprehensive check-list includes a number of components and specifics that help identify the overall big picture of what is involved in a speaker’s performance. We wouldn’t expect as many of these skills to be evaluated in a beginner’s speeches as we would an experienced speaker. It would be the same if we were to evaluate a beginner musician or novice in sport, etc. With increased knowledge and practice, the number of specific components evaluated increases.
Note: Although not the most important intent of this form, it can also be used as a speaker’s check-list. It can help remind a speaker of a number of important criteria to pay attention to as s/he is preparing and practicing his/her speech.
Name of person(s) being evaluated __________________________________________
Name of person doing evaluating (optional) ___________________________________
Speaker has asked evaluators to pay close attention to/or ask
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
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