"TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL" 2016

At my previous post I started to talk about evaluation. It is evident, that, in order to improve, we need to evaluate others and reflect their qualities or features on ourselves.

The source for my evaluation will be the US nonprofit educational organization, Toastmasters International. It operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of promoting communication, public speaking and leadership.

I am going to evaluate three speeches, performed by top-finishers Darren Tay (first-place), Aaron Beverly (second-place) and Josephine Lee (third-place).

For the evaluation procedure I will use the Chart, created by our Professor, according to Speech Content, Speech Delivery and General effectiveness. For each section there is a certain number of points.

Now it’s time for me to evaluate the Speakers. 

The first performer was Darren Tay with his his dynamic and genuine speech titled "Outsmart, Outlast".

Name	“Outsmart, Outlast” by Darren Tay	Max	Given
I	Speech Content	45	38
	Organization (comment on effectiveness of introduction; clarity of body, including both major divisions and support points; and efficacy of conclusion)	20	19
	Support (comment on speaker's use of facts, stories, illustrations, examples and/or logic to expand, explain, defend, inform the audience)	15	13
	Cohesion (comment on the speaker's ability to unify the speech and keep clear focus through use of transitions, summaries, and other unifying elements)	10	8
II	Speech Delivery	40	31
	Vocal presentation	20	17
	1) volume
	2) tempo
	3) pitch
	4) emphasis
	5) clear articulation
	Physical presentation	20	17
	1) eye contact
	2) gesturing
	3) posture
	4) facial expression
	5) movement
	6) dress
III	General Effectiveness	15	15
	Amount of time used (8 mins)
	Adherence to time requirements (comment on whether or not the speaker made good use of time, including whether the speech was too short or too long)	5	5
	Creativity (comment on art/uniqueness/individualized nature of the speech)	10	9
	TOTAL POINTS:	100	88

The second was Aaron Beverly with his speech "Leave a lasting memory using as few 
words as possible and strive with every fiver of your being to avoid being the type of person who rambles on and on with no end in sign more likely than not causing most listeners to sit and think to themselves oh my goodness can somebody please make this stop". 

Name	“Leave a lasting memory using as few words as possible and strive with every fiver of your being to avoid being the type of person who rambles on and on with no end in sign more likely than not causing most listeners to sit and think to themselves oh my goodness can somebody please make this stop” by Aaron Beverly.	Max	Given
I	Speech Content	45	42
	Organization (comment on effectiveness of introduction; clarity of body, including both major divisions and support points; and efficacy of conclusion)	20	18
	Support (comment on speaker's use of facts, stories, illustrations, examples and/or logic to expand, explain, defend, inform the audience)	15	14
	Cohesion (comment on the speaker's ability to unify the speech and keep clear focus through use of transitions, summaries, and other unifying elements)	10	9
II	Speech Delivery	40	38
	Vocal presentation	20	19
	1) volume
	2) tempo
	3) pitch
	4) emphasis
	5) clear articulation
	Physical presentation	20	18
	1) eye contact
	2) gesturing
	3) posture
	4) facial expression
	5) movement
	6) dress
III	General Effectiveness	15	13
	Amount of time used (8 mins)
	Adherence to time requirements (comment on whether or not the speaker made good use of time, including whether the speech was too short or too long)	5	5
	Creativity (comment on art/uniqueness/individualized nature of the speech)	10	8
	TOTAL POINTS:	100	91

The Third Performer was Josephine Lee. Lee is an entrepreneur from Santa Ana, California (the birthplace of Toastmasters International). Like Tay and Beverly, she mixed humor with dramatic content. Her speech, “I Will Be There” explored the enduring value of friendship.

Name	“I will be there” by Josephine Lee.	Max	Given
I	Speech Content	45	40
	Organization (comment on effectiveness of introduction; clarity of body, including both major divisions and support points; and efficacy of conclusion)	20	16
	Support (comment on speaker's use of facts, stories, illustrations, examples and/or logic to expand, explain, defend, inform the audience)	15	14
	Cohesion (comment on the speaker's ability to unify the speech and keep clear focus through use of transitions, summaries, and other unifying elements)	10	9
II	Speech Delivery	40	32
	Vocal presentation	20	17
	1) volume
	2) tempo
	3) pitch
	4) emphasis
	5) clear articulation
	Physical presentation	20	17
	1) eye contact
	2) gesturing
	3) posture
	4) facial expression
	5) movement
	6) dress
III	General Effectiveness	15	14
	Amount of time used (8 mins)
	Adherence to time requirements (comment on whether or not the speaker made good use of time, including whether the speech was too short or too long)	5	5
	Creativity (comment on art/uniqueness/individualized nature of the speech)	10	9
	TOTAL POINTS:	100	87

Having evaluated the speeches, I can suggest my own leaderboard:

1. Aaron Beverly

2. Josephine Lee  

3. Darren Tay

I must say, I liked all the given performances. Each of them was inspiring and enjoyable to watch. But I, personally, would highlight the performance of Aaron Beverly. It appeals to me more, than the other two, I think mostly because it touched the issue which is relevant to me. Aaron spoke about how few words can influence one’s attitude, make happy or inspired. I consider myself quite, rarely speaking person. I’m used to filter words in my head to make them be used for good:

“Words can be medicines; they can also be poisons. Words can heal; they can also kill... It all depends on how, when and where they are use and against whom! Let us not abuse our words. It's a misuse of the tongue!”― Israelmore Ayivor.

Aaron’s performance is simply eye-catching. His manner of speaking makes you being engaged and involved, as if he was talking to you directly.

His Speech was well-organized. He started his introduction with an ice-breaker, and the whole structure was filled with various intensifiers, shares stories from his life to capture the audience’s attention which create a perfect cohesion. The stories of his life are well-connected, supported by transitions from one part to another which creates the holistic perception of his idea.

Throughout his speech, Aaron demonstrates his amazing vocal presentational skills, using pauses of hesitation, varying his voice characteristics: tempo, pitch, volume in order to keep the audiences attracted, or to influence, or to give the audience a moment for self-reflection. Aaron expresses his emotions, mostly in humorous way, which makes the audience laugh and enjoy the performance. He uses gestures perfectly neatly, supporting his speech.

To sum up, I loved Aaron’s performance. 

I am sure, he is one of the people to look up to on a way to Public Speaking success.