Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Active Listening
• Part 2 of 3: Assessing Specific Performance Moments
• Part 3 of 3: Constructive feedback
• Tips

Public speaking is a difficult test. Whether you're giving a speech in class, chatting with a friend in an informal setting, or making a toast, constructive feedback will help you understand the speaker's intent and the event will run more smoothly. Learn to actively listen and take note of the most important parts of the talk, and then try to focus on critical remarks. Remember that you care primarily about the speaker.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Active Listening

1. 1 Give the speaker your full attention. It is impossible to assess the speech without hearing it. Whether you are evaluating a speech in class or helping someone prepare for a public speaking, sit still and listen to the speech in its original form. Listen carefully and interact with the speaker.
   • Turn off gadgets and remove any distractions. Look at the speaker while speaking. Free your hands from unnecessary things. You can take a notebook.
   • Never rate speech based on text only. In other words, do not reread the speech and comment on it. Give the speaker an opportunity to make a speech.If the speech has already been written, it must be listened to in order to be assessed in a reliable manner.
2. 2 Determine the main message of your speech. The first thing to do is to understand the main idea that the speaker wants to convey. If you are listening to a reasoned speech, it is especially important to identify the thesis or main idea that the speaker is trying to prove through his speech. The presenter's job is to get the message across, so try to get the message across quickly enough.
   • If you cannot identify the main idea of ​​the presentation, try to guess what the speaker is trying to prove. Write down your thoughts. When you give a rating, you will already have a useful review in your hands.
   • For some types of speeches, such as a toast or a thank you speech, the basic message is clear, but try to pretend it isn't. Does the speaker clearly convey the idea of ​​the speech? Or maybe the event negates the value of the performance? Can the speaker more clearly convey the purpose of his speech?
3. 3 Try to follow the speaker's argument. The essence of the performance can be compared to the surface of a table: a table without legs is of no value. Speech should be supported by examples, arguments, logical reasoning, and any research that supports the main idea. How does the speaker prove to the audience that his point of view is correct?
   • If you are listening to a reasoned speech, try to come up with answers, questions, and cues that you can use later for feedback. What was illogical in the speech? Have arguments been used to understand the main point? Were there any gaps in the argument? # * If you are listening to an informal speech such as a toast or greeting, focus on organizing the information. Does this talk make sense? What follows from this? Are there any gaps in the argument?
4. 4 Do not be afraid of persuasion. The worst way to assess speech is to perceive it only from your own position. Even if you are going to listen to a speaker who proves that the Earth is flat, try to objectively evaluate the performance. Listen to the essence of the talk and the other person's presentation. Even if you disagree with someone else's opinion, don't let your biases influence your criticism.
5. 5 Take notes. Identify the speaker's key points and arguments and write them down in a notebook. You should not be too formal about the speech, but having a short summary of the speech will allow you to collect material for subsequent feedback on the speech. Take careful notes, and it will be much easier to evaluate the speech.
   • Record memorable quotes or portions of your talk for praise. Indicate the time when the speaker received an approval from the audience or a negative response.

Part 2 of 3: Assessing Specific Performance Moments

1. 1 Rate the content of the speech. The most important part of the speech is not the style or charisma of the speaker, but the essence of what was said. Performing in front of an audience is difficult because you have to not only write your essay, but also reproduce it to the public. The most important point in the presentation is to focus on the essence of the speech. If you are giving a reasoning speech, it will most likely include thorough research, real-life examples, and clear points of the plan. In informal speech, you can use anecdotes, stories and jokes. As you grade your speech, remember to answer the following questions to help you shape your feedback:
   • Which argument was the main one in the speech?
   • Was the presentation clear and well-articulated?
   • Have the above arguments been supported by research? How clear were the examples?
   • Was the content of the presentation clear to the audience?
   • Was the speaker able to prove his point of view?
2. 2 Assess the structure of your speech. In order for the content of speech to be understandable and easily digestible, you should clearly think over its structure. Any speech, formal or informal, should be easy to understand.If the speaker is not talking to the point, or jumping from point to point like a tennis ball, the structure of the speech needs to be redone. To help you assess the structure of speech, keep the following questions in mind to help you frame your feedback:
   • Was the reasoning logically structured?
   • Is it easy to follow the progress of the performance? Hard? Why?
   • Does the speaker logically move from one point of view to another?
   • What can you add to make the speech easier to understand for you?
3. 3 Rate your speaking style. If the content of the speech conveys the subject of the speech, then the style refers to the manner in which the speech is delivered. In good speech, style and content must match. Most likely, a serious presentation about the dolphin population will not involve getting to know the audience or participating in the presentation process. The definition of style also includes the use of jokes, connection with the audience, and other personal elements. The way you write your speech affects the style and tone of the speech itself. Were the jokes delivered in an appropriate tone? Was the research conducted in a thorough and detailed manner? Keep in mind the following questions:
   • How would you describe the style of speech and speaker?
   • Did the presentation style work for the content, or, on the contrary, did it interfere with the essence of the speech? Why?
   • How convincing was the speaker?
   • How was the performance time allocated? Was it easy to follow the speaker's train of thought?
4. 4 Rate the tone of your speech. Speech tone refers to the overall impact of content and style. Speech tone can be light, serious, or playful. There is no right or wrong tone for a performance. It is sometimes appropriate to use jokes or stories in the eulogy process, but such methods can be disastrous. Sometimes you can tell a touching story about your boss at his retirement party, but in this case, you are playing with fire. The tone should match the presentation and the excuse for the meeting.
   • Who is the target audience for your speech? What are her expectations from the speech and speaker?
   • How would you describe the tone of the speech?
   • Does the tone of the speech match the content? How?
   • If not, how can you improve the tone of your speech?
   • How does the tone of the speech match the target audience?

Part 3 of 3: Constructive feedback

1. 1 Write down your review. It doesn't matter for what reason or why you leave a review. In any case, write down your grievances, praise, and comments so that the speaker has written confirmation of your feedback. If you have any suggestions, it will be difficult for the speaker to forget about them, especially if the review followed immediately after the speech. It is best to write a short review of no more than 250-300 words in order to assess the performance.
   • If you are grading speech in class, you will most likely need to fill out a form or give your performance a point. Follow the class teacher's requirements and assess the performance appropriately.
2. 2 Summarize the essence of your speech. Write down what you understood. It is best to start your review by summarizing what you have learned from the talk. This is a good way to let the speaker know what you think was conveyed accurately and what needs to be improved. Don't worry about the accuracy of your resume. If you have listened carefully and tried to understand the essence of the speech, any mistake in your resume will be a signal to the speaker. He will understand that this point needs to be covered more clearly.
   • Try to start your answer by saying, "I heard what you said ..." or "I understood from your presentation that ..."
   • A good resume should consist of several evaluative sentences. Ideally, it should take up just under half of your review. Determine the main idea and main arguments in your speech. The resume should be solely focused on content.
3. 3 In your review, focus on the content of the talk. Not everyone can be Martin Luther King.It is not always necessary to put the speaker's qualities first, especially in a lesson, in a wedding speech or in a business presentation.
   • If the speaker is a bore, focus on how the content of the speech matches the manner of the speaker and how you can change the tone during the presentation. All these things can be changed during the performance. If you tell a speaker to be "more dynamic" or "funnier," you are not providing quality feedback.
4. 4 You always need to find a reason for praise. Even if you’re watching your best friend deliver the worst best man’s speech ever, it’s important to find cause for praise. Start your review with positives and good reviews. Use only constructive criticism in your review. If you start a review by pointing out that the speaker was very nervous, or his speech was lean, this will only make the situation worse.
   • If you think that the speech was boring, it is best to express your thoughts like this: "The speech was smooth and the tone was appropriate for the situation."
   • If the speaker is nervous, try to calm them down with compliments, "Your speech was convincing. The material speaks for itself."
5. 5 Try to base your feedback on the revision of the presentation. Aim your feedback for small changes that will be needed to improve your speech. Do not talk about what has failed or did not work in practice. The details will help provide constructive feedback. The speaker will try to make adjustments to the speech. This is better than negating all the efforts of a person.
   • Don't say, "I didn't like the jokes in your speech." Better to say, "Next time, it's better to skip the jokes, and the speech will be more lively."
6. 6 Try to list no more than three tips for improving your speech. If you load a person with fifty tips, he will think that his work is not worth a damn. It is important for you as a critic to focus on the three main tips and ignore the secondary things.
   • Focus on corrections in content, speech structure, and tone first. Only then can other aspects be assessed. These are important categories for improvement and best practices for correction. Put these aspects among the most important.
   • Worry about the specifics of a late recall. The presence of a joke at the end of the speech should be the last concern of the speaker. If the speech is good enough, move on to secondary criteria.

Tips

• Always start and end your review with words of praise.
• Only refer to notes if you are giving a formal or written assessment.