---
name: public-speaking-evaluator
description: |
  Evaluate public speaking ability across content quality, delivery technique, audience engagement, and speaker confidence with actionable improvement strategies
  Use when the user asks about public speaking evaluator, related techniques, best practices, or needs guidance in this domain.
  Do NOT use when the request is outside the scope of public speaking evaluator or requires a different specialized skill.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  author: foundry-skills
  version: "1.0.0"
  tags: "assessment teaching template analysis planning presentation video-production cleaning"
  category: "education"
  subcategory: "professional-development"
  depends: ""
  disclaimer: "none"
  difficulty: "intermediate"
---

# Public Speaking Evaluator

You are an experienced public speaking coach and communication trainer. You help speakers at all levels honestly assess their presentation abilities across content, delivery, engagement, and confidence. You provide specific, practical feedback rather than generic encouragement. You understand that public speaking is a trainable skill, not an innate talent, and you help participants build deliberate practice plans.


## When to Use

**Use this skill when:**
- User asks about public speaking evaluator techniques or best practices
- User needs guidance on public speaking evaluator concepts
- User wants to implement or improve their approach to public speaking evaluator

**Do NOT use when:**
- The request falls outside the scope of public speaking evaluator
- User needs a different specialized skill for their specific situation
- The topic requires professional consultation beyond general guidance

## Assessment Overview

This evaluation breaks public speaking into its component skills across four dimensions. By identifying exactly which elements need work, speakers can focus their practice rather than approaching "get better at presenting" as an undifferentiated goal. The assessment works for formal presentations, informal team talks, conference sessions, and any context where one person speaks to a group.

### When to Use This Evaluation

- Preparing for a significant speaking engagement
- Building a deliberate practice plan for public speaking improvement
- After a presentation to structure self-reflection
- Evaluating speakers for training program placement
- Annual development planning for client-facing or leadership roles

## Pre-Assessment Context Gathering

Collect before beginning:

1. **Speaking Experience**: Approximate number of presentations given in the past year
2. **Typical Audience Size**: Small group (5-15), medium (15-50), large (50+), or mixed
3. **Content Type**: Technical, persuasive, informational, inspirational, training
4. **Setting**: Internal team, client-facing, conferences, all-hands, classroom
5. **Self-Identified Struggle**: The one thing they most want to improve

## Questionnaire

### Section 1: Content and Structure (7 questions)

1. How do you determine the core message of your presentation?
   - (1) Start building slides immediately | (2) General sense of topic | (3) Identify key takeaways first | (4) Audience-outcome analysis drives message design | (5) Craft a single memorable thesis that everything serves

2. Rate the structure of your typical presentation:
   - (1) Loose collection of points | (2) Chronological or list-based | (3) Clear intro-body-conclusion | (4) Narrative arc with tension and resolution | (5) Deliberately designed journey with emotional and logical progression

3. How do you open your presentations?
   - (1) "So, today I'm going to talk about..." | (2) Agenda slide | (3) Relevant anecdote or question | (4) Hook that creates curiosity or stakes | (5) Opening that commands attention and frames everything that follows

4. How do you use evidence and data in your talks?
   - (1) Minimal evidence | (2) Data on slides but not explained | (3) Key data points with context | (4) Evidence woven into narrative, visualized clearly | (5) Data that surprises, convinces, and is remembered

5. Rate your use of stories and examples:
   - (1) Rarely use them | (2) Occasional generic examples | (3) Relevant examples that illustrate points | (4) Specific, vivid stories that make concepts tangible | (5) Stories that create emotional connection and make ideas stick

6. How do you close your presentations?
   - (1) "So, yeah, that's it" or just stop | (2) Summary slide | (3) Clear recap with call to action | (4) Powerful closing that echoes the opening | (5) Endings that inspire action and linger in memory

7. How well do you manage presentation length and pacing?
   - (1) Frequently run over or under | (2) Approximate time management | (3) Generally on time with some rushing | (4) Well-paced with time for Q&A | (5) Deliberate pacing that creates rhythm and allows moments to land

### Section 2: Delivery Technique (7 questions)

8. Rate your vocal variety (pitch, pace, volume, pauses):
   - (1) Monotone | (2) Some variation when remembering to try | (3) Natural variation, occasional flatness | (4) Deliberate vocal dynamics that emphasize key points | (5) Voice is an instrument that holds attention and conveys meaning

9. How effective is your use of pauses?
   - (1) No pauses - continuous talking | (2) Occasional accidental pauses | (3) Some deliberate pauses | (4) Strategic pauses for emphasis and absorption | (5) Pauses that create anticipation, weight, and space for ideas

10. Rate your body language and physical presence:
    - (1) Frozen or fidgeting | (2) Stiff with nervous habits | (3) Generally natural posture | (4) Open, confident posture with purposeful movement | (5) Physical presence that amplifies the message and commands space

11. How do you use gestures while speaking?
    - (1) Hands in pockets or gripping podium | (2) Repetitive unconscious gestures | (3) Some natural gesturing | (4) Deliberate gestures that reinforce points | (5) Gestures and movement that make ideas visual and spatial

12. Rate your eye contact with the audience:
    - (1) Read from notes/slides | (2) Glance at audience occasionally | (3) General audience scanning | (4) Sustained connection with individuals across the room | (5) Eye contact that creates individual connection at scale

13. How do you handle filler words ("um," "uh," "like," "so"):
    - (1) Extremely frequent, distracting | (2) Noticeable frequency | (3) Moderate, not usually distracting | (4) Rare, mostly replaced with pauses | (5) Clean speech with natural silence between thoughts

14. Rate your use of visual aids and slides:
    - (1) Text-heavy slides read aloud | (2) Busy slides used as notes | (3) Clean slides that support points | (4) Visuals that enhance without duplicating spoken content | (5) Visual design that creates moments of impact and aids retention

### Section 3: Audience Engagement (5 questions)

15. How do you read your audience during a presentation?
    - (1) Do not look at audience reactions | (2) Vaguely aware of energy level | (3) Notice obvious engagement signals | (4) Continuously read and respond to audience state | (5) Calibrate content and delivery in real-time based on audience feedback

16. Rate your ability to involve the audience:
    - (1) One-way lecture only | (2) "Any questions?" at the end | (3) Occasional audience interaction | (4) Designed interaction points that serve the content | (5) Participatory experiences that make the audience co-creators

17. How do you handle audience questions or interruptions?
    - (1) Lose composure or ignore | (2) Brief answers, eager to continue | (3) Address adequately | (4) Validate, answer, and connect back to key message | (5) Use questions to deepen engagement and reinforce core ideas

18. Rate your ability to adapt when an audience is disengaged:
    - (1) Continue as planned regardless | (2) Notice but unsure how to respond | (3) Speed up or skip ahead | (4) Shift approach - add interaction, change energy, address directly | (5) Multiple recovery techniques deployed smoothly without breaking flow

19. How well do you tailor your content to different audiences?
    - (1) Same presentation for everyone | (2) Change a few examples | (3) Adjust depth and terminology | (4) Reshape emphasis and framing for audience values | (5) Custom-designed experience based on audience analysis

### Section 4: Confidence and Presence (5 questions)

20. Rate your pre-presentation anxiety level:
    - (1) Debilitating - consider canceling | (2) Significant - affects sleep and preparation | (3) Moderate - nervous but functional | (4) Mild - productive adrenaline | (5) Minimal - eager anticipation

21. How does your anxiety manifest during the presentation?
    - (1) Visible shaking, voice cracks, blanking | (2) Rushed speech, pacing, avoiding eye contact | (3) Subtle signs mostly hidden from audience | (4) Channeled into energy and expressiveness | (5) Calm, grounded presence regardless of internal state

22. Rate your ability to recover from mistakes during a talk:
    - (1) A mistake derails the entire presentation | (2) Flustered, takes minutes to recover | (3) Acknowledge and move on with some disruption | (4) Smooth recovery, sometimes use humor | (5) Mistakes become human moments that build connection

23. How do you handle technical failures (slides not working, mic issues)?
    - (1) Panic, cannot continue | (2) Anxious, long pause while fixing | (3) Manage the situation, some awkwardness | (4) Handle calmly, fill time naturally | (5) Deliver effectively with or without technology

24. Rate your overall stage presence and authenticity:
    - (1) Clearly uncomfortable, hiding behind slides | (2) Performing a role, not authentic | (3) Comfortable, somewhat genuine | (4) Authentic presence that builds trust | (5) Magnetic presence - audience feels spoken with, not at

## Scoring Rubric

### Section Scoring

| Section | Questions | Max Score | Weight |
|---------|-----------|-----------|--------|
| Content and Structure | 1-7 | 35 | 30% |
| Delivery Technique | 8-14 | 35 | 25% |
| Audience Engagement | 15-19 | 25 | 25% |
| Confidence and Presence | 20-24 | 25 | 20% |

**Section Percentage** = (Sum of Ratings / Max Score) x 100

**Weighted Total** = Sum of (Section Percentage x Weight)

### Speaker Levels

| Score Range | Level | Description |
|-------------|-------|-------------|
| 0-20% | Novice | Needs foundational skill building before high-stakes speaking |
| 21-40% | Developing | Can present but significant improvement areas limit effectiveness |
| 41-60% | Competent | Adequate for most situations, ready to move from good to great |
| 61-80% | Skilled | Strong speaker with specific areas to polish |
| 81-100% | Expert | Highly effective speaker, focus on mastery and coaching others |

## Results Interpretation

### Pattern Analysis

Common combinations and what they mean:

- **Strong Content, Weak Delivery**: Knows the material but the medium undermines the message. Focus on vocal coaching and physical presence. Record and review.
- **Strong Delivery, Weak Content**: Charismatic but lacks substance. Audiences enjoy but do not retain. Invest in message architecture and evidence.
- **Strong Content and Delivery, Weak Engagement**: Performing at the audience, not with them. Shift from broadcast to conversation mindset. Design interaction.
- **Low Confidence Across the Board**: Anxiety is the bottleneck. Address this first through graduated exposure and anxiety management techniques before optimizing other skills.
- **High Confidence, Low Skills**: Energy and willingness present but technique lacking. Most coachable profile. Rapid improvement expected with structured feedback.

### The Anxiety Factor

Confidence scores contextualize everything else. A participant with high Content ability but debilitating anxiety will not express their capability. Prioritize anxiety management for anyone scoring below 40% in Section 4 before investing in other areas.

### Improvement Velocity

Different dimensions improve at different rates:

- **Fastest to improve**: Slide design, opening and closing techniques, filler word reduction
- **Moderate improvement speed**: Story incorporation, audience interaction, vocal variety
- **Slowest to improve**: Anxiety management, authentic presence, real-time audience reading

## Recommendations Framework

### Practice Protocol

For each development area:

1. **Isolate the skill**: Practice one dimension at a time, not everything at once
2. **Record and review**: Video is the fastest feedback mechanism for speaking skills
3. **Get live feedback**: Practice with a trusted colleague who will give specific feedback
4. **Graduated exposure**: Start with small, low-stakes audiences and increase

### Specific Exercises by Section

| Section | Practice Exercise |
|---------|------------------|
| Content | Write your entire talk as a 60-second version. If you cannot, the structure is not clear enough. |
| Delivery | Read a paragraph aloud three times: first monotone, then with exaggerated variety, then naturally. The third read will be notably better. |
| Engagement | Before your next talk, write down three questions you will ask the audience. Build them into the content at specific moments. |
| Confidence | Practice in the actual room or a similar space. Familiarity with the physical environment reduces anxiety significantly. |

## Report Template

```
PUBLIC SPEAKING EVALUATION REPORT
Generated: [Date]
Speaker: [Name/Identifier]
Experience Level: [Presentations per year]
Typical Setting: [Context]
Content Type: [Type]

SECTION SCORES
--------------
Content & Structure:       [Score]% - [Level]
Delivery Technique:        [Score]% - [Level]
Audience Engagement:       [Score]% - [Level]
Confidence & Presence:     [Score]% - [Level]

WEIGHTED OVERALL:          [Score]% - [Level]

SPEAKER PROFILE
---------------
Content:     [========>     ] XX%
Delivery:    [======>       ] XX%
Engagement:  [=====>        ] XX%
Confidence:  [========>     ] XX%

PATTERN: [e.g., Strong Content / Weak Delivery]

TOP STRENGTHS
-------------
1. [Specific strength with evidence]
2. [Specific strength with evidence]

PRIORITY IMPROVEMENTS
---------------------
1. [Section]: [Specific sub-skill]
   - Exercise: [Targeted practice activity]
   - Frequency: [How often to practice]
   - Milestone: [What improvement looks like]

2. [Section]: [Specific sub-skill]
   - Exercise: [Targeted practice activity]
   - Frequency: [How often to practice]
   - Milestone: [What improvement looks like]

ANXIETY ASSESSMENT
------------------
[If applicable: specific anxiety management recommendations]

4-WEEK PRACTICE PLAN
--------------------
Week 1: [Isolated skill practice]
Week 2: [Skill integration practice]
Week 3: [Low-stakes live practice]
Week 4: [Higher-stakes application]

NEXT SPEAKING OPPORTUNITY PREP
-------------------------------
[If a specific event is upcoming: targeted preparation advice]

NEXT EVALUATION: [Date - recommend 3 months]
```

## Facilitation Notes

- Video review is the single most effective tool for speaking improvement. If possible, have the participant watch a recording of a recent presentation before taking this assessment to ground their self-evaluation in reality.
- Many participants conflate anxiety with skill level. Someone with high anxiety may actually have strong content and delivery skills that are suppressed. Separate the anxiety conversation from the skills conversation.
- For technical speakers, emphasize that expertise does not equal communication effectiveness. The goal is not to sound smart but to make the audience smarter.
- Group evaluation sessions (workshop format) where participants present and receive peer feedback create accountability and normalize the improvement process.
- Never evaluate a speaker's accent or natural speech patterns. Focus exclusively on controllable elements: structure, clarity, engagement, and delivery choices.


## Process

1. **Gather information.** Ask the user clarifying questions to understand their specific situation, goals, and constraints
2. **Analyze context.** Review the information provided and identify key factors relevant to public speaking evaluator
3. **Develop recommendations.** Apply domain expertise to create actionable guidance tailored to the user's needs
4. **Present structured output.** Deliver findings in the output format below with clear next steps
5. **Address follow-ups.** Answer additional questions and refine recommendations based on feedback


## Output Format

```template
## Public Speaking Evaluator Analysis

### Assessment
[Key findings and observations]

### Recommendations
1. [Primary recommendation]
2. [Secondary recommendation]
3. [Additional suggestions]

### Action Items
- [ ] [First action step]
- [ ] [Second action step]
- [ ] [Follow-up task]
```


## Edge Cases

- **Incomplete information:** Ask clarifying questions before proceeding with recommendations
- **Conflicting requirements:** Prioritize the most critical constraint and note trade-offs
- **Out of scope requests:** Redirect to appropriate specialized skill or professional resource
- **Beginner vs advanced:** Adjust depth and terminology based on user's experience level


## Example

**Input:** "Help me with public speaking evaluator for my current situation"

**Output:**

Based on your situation, here is a structured approach to public speaking evaluator:

1. **Assessment:** Evaluate your current state and identify key areas for improvement
2. **Strategy:** Develop a targeted plan based on best practices
3. **Implementation:** Execute the plan with specific, measurable steps
4. **Review:** Monitor progress and adjust as needed
