Enlightening Evaluations

Mary Schoendorfer, DTM, planned four workshops in July and August that boosted summer attendance and helped members strengthen their evaluation skills. She also used the series to complete a High Performance Leadership (HPL) project. Her committee met regularly to plan the sessions, discuss what went well, and identify ways to improve.

Two workshops were held on Zoom and two were held in person, where members enjoyed homemade treats and chai tea. At each meeting, two speakers presented manual speeches and received feedback from at least three evaluators.

The August 11 workshop gave members a different challenge: evaluating two TED Talk speakers. At our final workshop, we had the pleasure of hearing from guest speaker Molly Hamilton, the 2022–2023 District 42 International Speech Contest winner.

It was rewarding to watch our evaluators grow more confident and skilled at providing Enlightening Evaluations. We promoted the workshop series on our club website and Facebook page, helping bring members together for a summer of learning and connection.

Doris Henn, DTM
Literally Speaking Toastmasters VP Public Relations