TOP TEN TIPS OF EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE EVALUATION

I first presented this workshop at Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Club in November 2015 and another time at Tampines Changkat Advanced Toastmasters Club in December 2015.

Last night, I had the privilege of presenting it again at Duxton Toastmasters Club. I was given 45 minutes for the presentation but completed it in something like 20 minutes! I must have been speaking very fast. I need to learn to slow down.

First I set some ground rules for the participants.

Ground rules:

Listen attentively 

Take notes meticulously 

Participate actively

These are my TOP TEN TIPS for effective Language Evaluation. 

#1 Prepare your LE kit

Pen / paper / highlighter

Clipboard

White board marker

Fully charged phone to access online resources

#2 Prepare WOTD

Show the word, read it and give its function

Explain the meaning (s) of the word

Give some examples 

Eg. galvanise (verb)

To cause someone to suddenly take action, especially by shocking or exciting them in some way

Western charities were galvanised by TV pictures of starving children.

The prospect of his mother coming to stay galvanised him into action and he started cleaning the house.

#3 Organise your space

Decide on format:

Chronological vs topical

Lists vs mind map

#4 Decide on language categories

Brickbats:

Grammar, vocabulary , sentence structure 

Pronunciation

Bouquets: 

Alliteration, metaphor, similes, triads

Parallel structure,  contrast, rhyme, puns

#5 Write quickly and legibly 

Use notations or different colours

Use short forms or abbreviations

#6 Check or let it go?

If you can, use these resources to check any doubts you may have:

Dictionary.com & Thesaurus 

Google 

Speaker

If all else fail, let it go. 

#7 Select examples

For each category, explain the rhetorical device

Include 2-5 examples (or more if time permits)

#8 LE speech organisation

Three sections

1. WOTD
2. Brickbats
3. Bouquets

#9  Be positive, end positively

Avoid naming and shaming

Avoid coming across as arrogant

End with an inspiring message or quote

#10 Expand your expertise

Experiment with new ways of presenting

Read widely and collect rhetorical devices

Have a love affair with words

"You don't have to be great to start,

but you have to start to be great."

- Zig Ziglar

MAKE ME BETTER!

- An evaluation workshop by JONI SIAH
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WHY EVALUATE?

- Encourage the speaker : commendations
- Empower the speaker : recommendations

WHAT TO EVALUATE?

(1) CONTENT
Relevant? Meaningful? Inspiring? Humorous? Well-crafted?

(2) ORGANISATION
- Is the speech well-organised with a clear intro, body & conclusion
- Are the points easy to follow?
- Are there clear transitions?

(3) DELIVERY
Was there effective use of body language? Vocal variety? Pauses?
Was the speaker confident? Fluent?
Was the articulation clear?
Was the stage well-utilized?

HOW TO EVALUATE?

1. Take notes
- Content: intro, main points, conclusion
- Body Language: facial expressions, gestures, stance, movement
- Vocal variety: speaking rate, volume, pitch, pauses
- Use of language: rhetorical devices, choice of words, pronunciation

2. Identify commendations
Select 2 – 3 commendations
Arrange in order of importance

3. Identify recommendations
Select 2 – 3 recommendations
Arrange in order of importance

4. Organise your points
- Use numbers
- Use alliterations
- Use acronyms or abbreviations

5. Prepare your evaluation speech
- Craft your introduction
- Craft your conclusion
- Write down main points and examples
- Timing recommended:
- Introduction 30s
- Commendations 1 min
- Recommendations 1.30 min
- Conclusion 30 s

3 don’ts…
Don’t forget the speaker’s name.
Don’t go on and on. Once you see the red light, wrap up your speech.
Don’t insult the speaker.

What your mind can conceive & believe, you can achieve!
Reach for your dreams!

MAKE ME LAUGH; MAKE ME BETTER

Today I conducted a double-bill workshop Make Me Laugh; Make Me Better with Wee Meng at Katong CC. He presented the first workshop on Humorous Speech Contest and I presented the second one on Evaluation Contest. There were around 40 participants.

What I learned from Wee Meng's workshop:
Craft for Power
Memorise for Confidence
Rehearse for Effect

I especially liked his suggestion to 'plant' friends among the audience and tell them when to laugh beforehand (what a cheat! but brilliant idea... haha!). This works on the premise that laughter is contagious. That's what they do on comedy shows too - canned laughter.

I felt he spent too much time on the segment about crafting. I would have liked him to give us a transcript of his humorous speech and dissect it for laughter points and different types of humour. Just listing types of humour without examples isn't very meaningful. Tying his humorous speech together with the types of humour would have been powerful.

For my presentation, I was rushing along like a bullet train and some people felt lost. Halfway through I was wondering if what I was sharing was too easy and causing people to get bored. During the hands-on segment, only a few participants were taking notes. I wondered why. Then they told me they did not know how to take notes so I took them through the points step by step.

When something comes naturally to you, you take for granted it's easy but for others, it may not be. I felt the winning formula I was sharing was straightforward and easy to apply but I overlooked the fact that some of the toastmasters are very new and hence inexperienced. They did not know what to look out for. As a presenter, I should have been more sensitive to their needs. Asking questions beforehand to ascertain their level of experience might have helped.

Unfortunately due to lack of time, we only had two volunteers to present their evaluation speeches, though I had planned for 4. After the workshop, two participants came up to tell me they have enjoyed and benefitted from the evaluation workshop. That made me very happy.

SPEAK WITH IMPACT WORKSHOP ON 6 DEC 2008
jointly presented by Patrick Chang & Joni Siah

1. Dress to Impress

The audience forms an opinion of you within the first 6 seconds even before you open your mouth. Therefore, dress to impress.

The audience forms an opinion of you within the first 3 minutes after you open your mouth.
Therefore, have an attention-grabbing introduction.

2. Workshop notes

I did not give the audience any notes till after the presentation. Patrick says he's the kind of learner who will feel lost without notes. He suggests preparing notes for the audience with lots of blanks for them to fill in. That way they can follow what you're saying yet not pre-empt what you're going to say. What a brilliant idea! I shall try that for my next workshop.