JUDGING INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

 

Hi!

 

Welcome to Judge Training for LD Debates.

 

We hope you find this helpful.

 

KEY THINGS YOU NEED TO DO TO WHEN JUDGING INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

 

 

1.         PICK UP YOUR BALLOT AT THE BALLOT TABLE AS SOON AS IT IS AVAILABLE.

Go to the Hunter Foyer for your ballot—across the street from Reid.

 

2.         GO RIGHT TO YOUR ROUND. Your ballot will tell you which room to go to. NEED HELP FINDING YOUR ROOM? Ask a Whitman “Guide,” our ballot table people, or a Whitman professor or student.

 

3.         DOUBLECHECK--When you get to your round, check to make sure the teams or speakers in the room are the ones you are supposed to judge. For example, ask the students, "Is 12 Johnson here?" If you are in error—alert the students or possibly you need to go to the right room.

 

4.         FILL OUT THE TOP PORTION OF THE BALLOT
At the beginning of the round, write the code, team school and initials, your name, round number and the names of the students on the ballot. Again, make sure you have the right debaters.

 

5.         MAKE SURE YOU START AS SOON AS YOU CAN
Don’t let speakers wait or stall. The first speaker MUST start by the time stated on your ballot. REMEMBER—if you let a round start late, your ballot will probably be late and then you will be fined.

 

6.         GIVE TIME SIGNALS IN EXTEMP AND IMPROMPTU SPEAKING ONLY.
Time the speech. When there are five minutes left, hold up your hand with all five fingers showing. When there are four minutes, four fingers, etc. You curl your finger in half to indicate half a minute left. Say “time” when time has expired.
IN ALL OTHER EVENTS, YOU TIME THE SPEECH BUT YOU DO NOT GIVE TIME SIGNALS.

 

7.         CHECK ITEMS ON YOUR BALLOT. WRITE COMMENTS ON THE BALLOT. AND AT THE SAME TIME, LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE SPEAKER.

Yea, it isn’t easy but do the best you can.

 

8.         AFTER EACH SPEECH, RATE THE SPEAKER

As noted on your ballot, you rate the speaker somewhere between a 24 (needs improvement) and 30 (outstanding). Most scores are 26 to 28.

 

9.         AT THE END OF THE ROUND, AFTER EVERYONE HAS SPOKEN, RANK THE SPEAKERS.

Give the best speaker in the round, the 1. Give the second best speaker, a 2. Etc.

NOTE: If you are going to rank a speaker lower for going over time, you are required to show the speaker the time on a stopwatch/timer immediately following the speech. If you don’t or can’t do this, you may not lower the student’s ranking for being overtime (though you still stop the speech when your timing indicates the speech is over).

 

10.      TURN IN THE BALLOT TO THE BALLOT TABLE—ON TIME—OR YOUR SCHOOL GETS FINED.

Please turn in your ballot to the ballot table in the Hunter Foyer. When you do—wait to have it checked so that we make sure it is accurate.

 

1.         NOTE: All rounds at Whitman are open to the public including other competitors and anyone who wishes to take notes. Only disruptive audience members may be removed from rounds.

 

Click here to go to Things you can expect for IEs (Step 2)