The general evaluator has a number of responsibilities:

• Coordination before the meeting
• Make sure the team is ready
• Introduce the evaluation section of the meeting
• Provide a general evaluation of the meeting

Coordination Before the Meeting

The General Evaluator should contact each member of the evaluation team prior to the meeting to confirm attendance.  If roles need to be filled, the General Evaluator needs to work with their team and the members of their club to ensure a replacement.  The Toastmaster can do this, but it is helpful when the General Evaluator takes the lead of their team.

As General Evaluator, it is also your responsibility to make sure that you team is comfortable in their roles.  If you have anyone on the team that is in the role for the first time, suggest some tips and make them feel supported.  Remind the evaluators to contact their respective speakers.  You can also provide pointers to the evaluators if you know them well.  Challenge them to do something in their evaluation.

Make Sure the Team is Ready

Make sure that your team is present a few minutes before the start of the meeting.  If it looks like someone is missing, create a contingency plan in case they do not show.  Make sure that the evaluators have their assigned speakers manauals.  It is also a good time to remind members of the evaluation team to give someone their Competent Leadership manual for a written evaluation.

Introduce the Evaluation Section of the Meeting

This is perhaps the simlpest part of the General Evaluators responsibilities.  Introduce each of the members of the evaluation team, from the speech evaluators to the Grammarian, Timer, Vote Counter, etc.

Rather than choosing a shotgun approach, try to make the evaluation section of the meeting a mini-meeting.  It is the General Evaluators job to tie in the evaluations and keep the flow established by the Toastmaster.  Avoid launching into introducing the first evaluator.  Give them a chance to gear up for their introduction.  Say something like, "Before I introduce Kevin, I want to take a few seconds to talk about the meeting so far."

Provide a General Evaluation of the Meeting

It is the General Evaluator's responsibility to evaluate the meeting as a whole.  You get a chance to comment on any part of the meeting.  Be positive and be specific.  Provide suggestions on how something can be improved.  Also give reasons why something would be better done a different way.  As an example, you can point out the meeting started late.  Suggest to the club that they start future meetings right on time to respect all those present.  Suggest ways to work around people being absent.

The General Evaluator should focus on areas of the meeting not addressed elsewhere.  While you may have really enjoyed one of the prepared speeches, it is the speech evaluators role to evaluate it.

Here is a list of some areas a General Evaluator can comment on:

• Communication before the meeting 
• Setting up the meeting room
• Logistics of the meeting room especially if there are challenges
• Level and length of applause
• Control of the lecturn
• General timing comments
• Toastmaster performance
• Introductions
• Transitions
• Flow
• Table Topics especially if you don't have a TT Evaluator
• Performance of the evaluators
• What could they do to improve
• Correct mistakes in roles

Summary

The General Evaluator is uniquely positioned to comment on the entire meeting.  This is an excellent role to improve how future meetings flow.  Treat the role with respect, and avoid purely introducing your team and rehashing the meeting.  Provide solid, constructive feedback and everyone will benefit.