The General Evaluator evaluates everything, except items that have been evaluated already, at the end of the meeting.

Prior to the meeting

Study the agenda.

If you have any questions about the agenda, ask the Toastmaster of the meeting.

During the meeting

Take notes on everything important that happens or, in your view, should have happened.

In particular, assess the usefulness of the evaluations. If an evaluator is over-harsh, you have an ideal opportunity to put things right.

You would not normally evaluate the Speakers who have already been evaluated, but you might want to comment on aspects of the speeches you think the evaluators missed.

You need not restrict your observations to items on the Agenda. You can also comment on the meeting room, the temperature, the banner etc.

Think of something original to say!

For some meetings, the General Evaluator is responsible for the Evaluation team, which may consist of the Speech Evaluators and Table Topics Evaluators. This involves the following additional duties:

Before the meeting starts

Greet all Evaluators who are present. If an Evaluator is missing, consult with the Vice President Education and arrange for a substitute.

Brief the Evaluators that evaluation is a positive, helping act. Their goal must be to help fellow Toastmasters develop their skills. Emphasize that evaluations should enhance or at least preserve the self-esteem of the speaker.

Ensure the individual Speech Evaluators have the Speaker’s manual or Pathways evaluation form, understand the project objectives and how to evaluate them. Suggest they talk to their Speakers to discover any special evaluation requirements.

During the meeting

Before the first Evaluation, deliver a brief but thorough talk on the purpose, techniques, and benefits of evaluation – particularly for the benefit of any guests. Evaluation should be a positive experience designed to help people overcome weak habits and enhance their attributes.

Example script

Thank you Mister/Madame Toastmaster, good evening fellow Toastmasters, and most welcomed guests.  

My name is_____________and I will be your General Evaluator for today. I will be evaluating everyone who hasn’t been evaluated yet and will be giving an OVERALL evaluation of the meeting as a whole tonight.

  1. Sergeant of arms – have the room set up properly
  • Temperature?
  • Was water available?
  1. President
  • Did the meeting start on time/ opened well?
  • Were the guests welcomed?
  • Was the business meeting kept within allotted time (minutes)
  1. Toastmaster
  • Were the meeting roles explained?
  • Were guests given an opportunity to introduce themselves?
  • Were the transitions between speeches smooth?
  • Will the meeting end on time?

  1. Functioning roles – Jokemaster, timekeeper, grammarian, ah counter
  • Did everyone explain his or her duties well and give good reports?

  1. Evaluators
  • Did the introductions include…
    • The objectives of the speech?
    • The speech title?
    • Timings?
  • Evaluation
    • Did it begin on a positive note?
    • Was at least one suggestion for improvement made?
    • Were more than 3 suggestions made?
    • Was encouragement added at the close?

  1. Table Topics Master
  • Were the topics appropriate?
  • Were the topics introduced in 1 minute or less?
  • Were any special techniques (e.g., props, gestures) employed?
  • Were members called on in the appropriate order (those with no role, then smaller roles, then larger roles)?
  • Were guests invited to participate?

  1. Overall
  • Did the meeting begin on time? Is it still running on time?Has everyone in attendance had an opportunity to speak?
  • Did we learn something NEW and have FUN?

Thank You, it was a pleasure serving as your General Evaluator, I will now turn the lectern back over to our Toastmaster of the Day (give name, shake hands and take your seat).: