Evaluating the Evaluation
Let’s talk about contests. I entered my first ever one this year in the Evaluation Category. For clarity, there are five International Contests available to me, of which I focus on three: Speech, Evaluation and Table Topics. There are six rounds separating me from a World Title: Club, Area, Division, District, Semi-Final and World Championship. For the Evaluation Contest, I have five minutes to prepare my thoughts on a Test Speech given by a fellow Toastmaster member, which I then have to deliver in a minimum time of 1:30 and a maximum time of 3:30. If I go under or over either of those limits, I automatically fail.
In terms of my first season of competition, the Club level was far from vintage… Nerves attacked me on the stage, I rushed the conclusion when I saw the Red Light and I wasn’t as clear-cut as I usually am. I came Third in that contest which frustrated me considering how generally consistent I had been up to that point. However… The Winner of the Club Contest was unable to attend the Area Contest because of commitments elsewhere. So… As the Third Place contestant, I had the opportunity to go forward in his place. Initially, I was reluctant to do so because I felt my confidence had been knocked by my Club performance, but I eventually said yes because the main reason I entered this year was to test my skills as an evaluator against what was out there in the Area.
Speaking of which, the Area Contest took place in Roscrea, a small town in the Premier County of Tipperary. It was my first time in Tipperary, let alone Tipperary on a Thursday Night. I was fortunate to have transport from my Club’s President and Chief Judge to the venue. The Area Speech Contest also took place at the same time and the quality was quite high, with everyone bringing a different speech style to the event. I thought every speech was so good that it had to come down to who delivered the cleanest performance and there was one who had no obvious mistakes and thus came out on top.
And then came the Area Evaluation Contest. The order of who would be evaluating was drawn a few days before and I drew first. The Test Speech was the aforementioned A Strange Speech. My evaluation loved the Speech itself, and felt it was over delivered well. My main points for improvement were not having hands behind the back when not using gestures, using vocal variety to really emphasise any quotes used and watching the amount of Crutch Words used. I also felt more relaxed on the stage at this level, although I wasn’t sure I had done enough when watching the other four evaluators. And yet… I won! I was genuinely shocked considering how fierce the competition was and how the others delivered their evaluations. I had a fellow Toastmaster with me who came second in the same competition and argued that the fact I was the only person to give three recommendations tipped the scales in my favour. That and my depth in the analysis department.
Being successful in the Area allowed me to progress to the Division round. This time set in Thurles, once again in Tipperary and the home ground of the county’s Hurlers. My Toastmaster who came second in the Area contest provided transport and I felt a lot more relaxed going to the contest now that I had a good idea how to succeed in competition. The Division Speech contest was first. One speaker completely crumbled and didn’t even make the Green Light, meaning he was automatically disqualified. It was difficult to watch because he was really on fire with his delivery and then, all of a sudden, he ran out of things to say… But it was a reminder that pressure can affect anyone at any level. The other thing that I found interesting was seeing the Speaker who won the Area Contest produce the same speech, but notably not as polished as before. While the final speaker stole the show and was a shoo-in for the win, which indicates to me that as you progress through the levels, you need to keep on stepping up and showing strength and versatility. Trying to replicate what you’ve done the level before is, to me, quite risky and you better be Maggie Smith levels of polished if you decide to go down that route.
As for the Evaluation Contest, it was a tricky one. The Speech itself had the title Banjaxed, a term I had never heard of. I had to work hard to understand the nature of the speech itself. Which I made my first recommendation right off the bat. Big mistake in hindsight because it boxed me in and left me with no choice but to keep calm and carry on. I praised all the speaking basics I mentioned earlier as being a big part of my checklist. I also pointed out the fact that a strong sense of humour was present but recommended avoiding the notion that a Cork Native would NEVER be caught dead in the county of Kerry. The reason was because I didn’t get it (maybe because I’m from Limerick and don’t hang around people who talk like that) and I suspected that a majority of an audience further afield wouldn’t either because it sounds so Irish and only something a pure Irish person would understand. My other recommendation was keeping hands by the side because it looked to me that hands were sometimes dangling around pockets, sometimes not, I wasn’t 100% sure but I thought it would be wise to call that out anyway. Did I have a summary? Not really. I didn’t want to run over time. And I sounded more nervous than the Area contest. However, it seems my analysis was enough to secure Second Place and a silver plate trophy.
So, what have I learned from this season of competition? Two things: Practice makes perfect, and preparation can actually be done for this type of contest. I think I have the core of a winning formula, but I need to start treating Evaluations like speeches in and of themselves. That means each one needs a clear structure with quality analysis, as usual, and a summary that wraps everything up nicely. Not a problem! More importantly, I’ve found a medium where I can enjoy competing against other people. In many other settings, that has never materialised. And in my next post, I’m going to explain in detail why I’ve never found any passion for Sport. Or at least the playing of Sport.
In the meantime, I’ve been thankful for discovering Limerick Toastmasters as The Aspie behind The ADog Blog. And remember, I speak by myself, for myself. Unlike Autism Speaks.
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