What is a Competent Communicator?
Yesterday, I visited a club I've never been to before.
A member delivered his P9 speech. Let's call him Gary. Gary had prepared well, writing his speech word for word. He'd done his research. The content was valid and of interest to his audience. So, what was the problem? Gary delivered his speech, displaying none of the speaking skills we would expect of a Toastmaster with eight speeches under his belt.
He read the entire speech - word for word - from his notes on A4 paper. He made almost no eye contact with the audience, stood rooted to the same spot throughout with a deadpan look on his face.
And his evaluator - who has not yet completed nine projects - made no mention of these facts.
Brian previously commented on this blog that "we are too kind in giving evaluations and seldom fail people." I have to agree and, if I'd been Gary's evaluator, I would have failed him. I might have been a bit scared, but I hope I would have had the guts to be 'cruel to be kind'.
I also agree with Brian that there are CTMs/CCs who really do not possess the skills we'd expect them to. But, what to do when we have evaluators who are not qualified to evaluate and committee members who want to rack up their club's educational awards and earn DCP points?
A member delivered his P9 speech. Let's call him Gary. Gary had prepared well, writing his speech word for word. He'd done his research. The content was valid and of interest to his audience. So, what was the problem? Gary delivered his speech, displaying none of the speaking skills we would expect of a Toastmaster with eight speeches under his belt.
He read the entire speech - word for word - from his notes on A4 paper. He made almost no eye contact with the audience, stood rooted to the same spot throughout with a deadpan look on his face.
And his evaluator - who has not yet completed nine projects - made no mention of these facts.
Brian previously commented on this blog that "we are too kind in giving evaluations and seldom fail people." I have to agree and, if I'd been Gary's evaluator, I would have failed him. I might have been a bit scared, but I hope I would have had the guts to be 'cruel to be kind'.
I also agree with Brian that there are CTMs/CCs who really do not possess the skills we'd expect them to. But, what to do when we have evaluators who are not qualified to evaluate and committee members who want to rack up their club's educational awards and earn DCP points?
Fully support both Brian and your standpoint on the quality and the importance of Evaluation in the toastmasters activities. I've already registered for the in-house Evaluation contest again to uphold my belief.