Self evaluation is something that takes a long time and a lot of practice to get right. It involves taking a serious look at yourself, and occasionally it’s not what you wanted to see. Now, before you start the process of evaluating yourself, you should get practice evaluating others, from your own NYLT course, Scout Troop, or even speakers at your school or workplace. Often times the focus of evaluation is directed toward a formal presentation, but don’t limit your learning to just presentations but also evaluate individuals’ abilities to lead themselves and teams.
The first step that anyone needs to take as a self evaluator is to learn how to effectively evaluate. When watching someone present or speak, look for anything that engages or bothers you. Make a note about a really catchy turn of phrase or engaging hook. Conversely, pay attention for any bad habits or repetitive wording that draws you away from the speaker. Once you have practiced this enough, you will eventually begin to discover a voice in your head that analyzes the speakers rhetoric and style. In addition to analyzing presenters, look at leaders that you encounter and evaluate their styles and methods. Watch their demeanor and how they apply the NYLT tools. Considering this, how could they improve? As soon as you are able to absorb the information and the style, you can begin practicing on yourself.
For presenting, try speaking in front of a full body mirror. Give a speech or presentation watching your body language and your verbal language. Make notes for yourself, and compare those with presentations that you have seen before, both good and bad. Self evaluation can be tricky to do and can often take your attention away from the actual presentation, so always remember to evaluate after a formal presentation. While leading a group or accomplishing a task, self evaluation is just as important. Remember to review the original vision, group performance, and your personal performance regularly.
Keep in mind that it is important to compare your self evaluation afterwards, for both presenting and leading, to the feedback you get from others. Once you are comfortable in front of people you can work on self evaluating, and you will often find, as I have, that the adrenaline of being in front of people changes the way you present and lead, and being able to evaluate yourself is one of the most useful tools for becoming a better public speaker, giving fantastic presentations, and developing as a confident leader
