I recently noticed that about 30-60% of newbie evaluators (and about 10-20% of those who have been presenting evaluations for a while) take extremely detailed handwritten notes up to the lectern to present their oral evaluation. Guess what happens when we take notes that include any one (or more) of the following: tiny writing, indecipherable scribble, notes without spaces between separate thoughts, lots and lots and lots of writing without any emphasis on key ideas, or any variation on these? And try to use these to present a speech?
1. We spend time trying to read our own writing (and often saying um/ah)
2. If we don’t leave spaces between ideas and lose our place, we spend time trying to find our place (and often say um/ah OR there is an uncomfortably long pause)
3. Because we have wasted precious time trying to read our own notes, we run out to time to actually evaluate.
It’s not particularly easy to take brief notes, or to quickly condense detailed notes into brief notes. Top evaluators don’t take notes with them at all (although they take notes while the speaker is presenting). Emulating this can take a lot of us many years.
In the meantime, I recommend large, clear print on your handwritten notes. If possible, try to write just a couple of words that will bring your idea back to you at a glance when you’re at the lectern (ie. “pace – too fast – try pausing between words – visualise slower pace”). Leave gaps on the page between ideas to help you separate ideas quickly.
Another suggestion would be to simply highlight the key words/ideas in your notes. Why not make it easier on yourself as an evaluator by making your ideas pop out at a glance? Something to consider…
