How to Evaluate a Speech

Evaluating a speech—whether you’re helping a co-worker prepare a business presentation or listening to a keynote speaker at a conference—can be a challenge. Careful listening, praise and constructive criticism are the keys to success when evaluating a speaker’s presentation.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Notepad
• Pen

1. Listen carefully to the speech or presentation while it’s being delivered. Take notes on the speaker’s use of gestures, eye contact, voice inflection and speech content.
2. Thank the speaker for taking the time to speak to your group.
3. Praise at least three areas of the speech. Perhaps the speaker’s use of humor really seemed to connect with the audience or she hardly referred to her notes throughout the presentation.
4. Share no more than three areas of improvement. It’s incredibly important to keep your criticism constructive and upbeat. You want to encourage the speaker to work on improving his skills for his next speaking opportunity. Mention, for example, that the speaker may consider using more gestures, which would make him appear more confident and relaxed during his speech.
5. Share your overall impression of the speech. This is probably the most important part of your evaluation as it’s your opportunity to end your feedback on a high note. Even if the speaker obviously had an off day, be sure to share at least two more points of praise.
6. Thank the speaker again for her presentation and tell her you look forward to listening to her next speech.

Tips & Warnings

• Always begin and end your evaluation with praise.
• Refer to your notes only if you are giving a formal or written evaluation.