How do you critique speeches?

1 Define your criteria

Before you start evaluating a speech, you need to have a clear idea of what you are looking for. Depending on the purpose, context, and audience of the speech, you may have different expectations and standards. You can use a rubric or a checklist to guide your assessment, or you can create your own criteria based on the goals and objectives of the speaker. Some common elements to consider are content, organization, delivery, language, and impact.

2 Observe and take notes

As you listen to the speech, pay attention to both the strengths and the weaknesses of the speaker. Try to be objective and avoid personal biases or preferences. Take notes of specific examples that illustrate your points, such as quotes, statistics, gestures, or anecdotes. You can also use symbols, abbreviations, or codes to save time and space. For example, you can mark + for positive aspects, - for negative aspects, or ? for unclear or confusing parts.

3 Analyze and summarize

After the speech, review your notes and identify the main themes and patterns. What did the speaker do well? What did the speaker need to improve? How did the speaker affect the audience? How did the speech meet the criteria? You can use a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to organize your thoughts and highlight the key points. You can also summarize your evaluation in one or two sentences that capture the overall impression and feedback.

4 Communicate and recommend

When you are ready to share your critique with the speaker, choose an appropriate time, place, and tone. You want to be honest, but also respectful and supportive. You can use the sandwich method to structure your feedback: start with a positive comment, then state your constructive criticism, and end with another positive comment. You can also use the STAR method to make your feedback specific, timely, actionable, and relevant. For each point, you can state the situation, the task, the action, and the result. Finally, you can offer some suggestions or recommendations for improvement, such as resources, examples, or exercises.

5 Follow up and reflect

Critiquing speeches is not a one-time event, but a continuous process of learning and improvement. You can follow up with the speaker to see how they implemented your feedback and what results they achieved. You can also ask for their feedback on your critique and how they felt about it. You can reflect on your own performance as a critic and identify areas where you can improve. You can also seek feedback from other critics or experts to compare and contrast your perspectives.

6 Practice and improve

The best way to master the skill of critiquing speeches is to practice it regularly and consistently. You can critique your own speeches by recording them and watching them later. You can critique other speakers by attending events, workshops, or online platforms. You can critique with others by joining a club, a group, or a community. You can also critique different types of speeches, such as informative, persuasive, motivational, or entertaining. The more you critique, the more you will learn and improve as a public speaker.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?