Kubesch uses these Toastmasters-based evaluation tips in her classroom:
- Connect with the student prior to their speech. That helps give them a feeling of support.
- Offer no more than what one student can take in. Keep suggestions to no more than three.
- Indicate parts of a speech that need clarification and point to areas that work well. Students tend to redo all of their work not knowing if any portion of it is good.
- Go easy on praise. Sharing only positive feedback is detrimental. Many educators fall into this trap in a misguided effort to increase their students’ self-esteem, Kubesch says. This backfires as it quells a student’s ability to accept that their work is not perfect, and educators lose their constructive feedback skills.
- Keep a student’s dignity intact. Address them by name while sharing what went well in their speech. Address the audience when mentioning what can be improved. Focus on the speech, not the speaker.
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