Debate adjudication training

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• Debate adjudication training

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• Put simply, the adjudicators have three roles to
  fill
• Ensure the debate runs smoothly
• Call the debate correctly
• Provide a useful and considered adjudication
  speech

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• A common mistake is to focus solely on making the
  right decision
• Ensure the debate runs smoothly
• Call the debate correctly
• Provide a useful and considered adjudication
  speech

However, the other two roles will be at least as
important if we are to achieve a credible and
happy debating competition
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• The adjudicator must manage the debate
• At this level, there is often no chairperson or
  only an inexperienced one
• You will be expected to know more then anyone in
  the room about debating and the rules of the
  competition
• From the moment you enter the room, the teams and
  coaches will be looking at you, assessing your
  competence (e.g. from your manner, body language,
  confidence)

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• Taking simple steps to manage the debate
  effectively. This will help to establish your
  credibility as an adjudicator - regardless of age
  or experience

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• When you enter the room.
• Be approachable, confident and courteous in your
  manner
• Be well organised
• Take control

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• When you enter the room.
• Be approachable, confident and courteous in your
  manner
• Your aim should be to establish a good rapport
  with both team, and to set everyone at ease.
  This cheerful behaviour is important.
• Students need to
• Have confidence in you as their adjudicator
• Feel that they are in a non-hostile environment

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• When you enter the room.
• Be well organised
• Have your mark-sheet and note paper handy. Know
  which teams youre judging, the motion, the
  sides, and the speaking times. To have to ask
  for any of these things is unprofessional

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• When you enter the room.
• Take control
• Get the name of the speakers, organise a
  chairperson/timekeeper, and get the debate
  started as quickly and efficiently as possible.
  The teams will be looking to you to organise
  proceedings

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• During the debate
• Be alert to major problems
• Loud team discussions during speeches
• Heckling, or any other unhelpful behaviour
• Points of order
• Extensive coaching from the audience

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• Use you judgement in dealing with these problems

After the debate always ask yourself whether you
could have managed things better. Discuss any
problems with other adjudicators
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• The adjudication speech has two purposes
• Encourage and develop the speakers
• Explain the result

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• The adjudication speech
• Tips
• Try not to give individual criticism/praise (e.g.
  So it all came down to the 3rd opposition, and
  if only John had done more rebuttal) Rather,
  go for statements that are equally specific, but
  more tactful (e.g. By the end of the Proposition
  speeches, the opposition needed to have rebutted
  the propositions crucial points on global
  warming and US disarmament)
• Be aware of formats that will cover the two areas
  of the adjudication speech (e.g. summary of
  strengths and weaknesses in the debate, followed
  by overview/analysis of the result)

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• The Five Rules of an Adjudicators speech
• Think through what youre going to say
• Be aware of time constraints
• Be intelligible
• Be enthusiastic and constructive
• Always be prepared to give helpful, individual
  feedback after the debate

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• The Five Rules of an Adjudicators speech
• Think through what youre going to say
• Use the time given at the end of the debate not
  just to finalise your decision and tally up the
  mark-sheet, but also to prepare brief notes for
  your adjudication speech
• Remember - its better to take a couple of extra
  minutes at the end to plan your speech, than to
  rush into it unprepared

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• The Five Rules of an Adjudicators speech
• Be aware of time constraints
• The ever present temptation is to act as a
  seventh speaker. Instead, you should recognise
  that
• The debaters attention spans will naturally have
  limits
• There will be tight time constraints on the
  competition (students and organisers have to get
  home!)
• Remember - A super-detailed adjudication seldom
  equates to a good adjudication

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• The Five Rules of an Adjudicators speech
• Be intelligible
• Its important to pitch the speech at a level
  appropriate to the school students youre
  judging. In particular, you should avoid jargon
  and elevated technical discussions that will make
  little sense to relatively inexperienced
  debaters.
• Remember - Students will be alienated by an
  excessively sophisticated analysis. Instead,
  your role is to make both the debate and the
  reasons for your decision clear to them.

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• The Five Rules of an Adjudicators speech
• Be enthusiastic and constructive
• The students need to feel that you enjoyed the
  debate and appreciated their efforts. Extended
  criticism or ridicule is NEVER a helpful tool
  with young debaters.
• Remember - 9 times out of 10, students will know
  when they have been terrible or completely
  outclassed. You can make these points without
  humiliating them in front of their peers.

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• The Five Rules of an Adjudicators speech
• Always be prepared to give helpful, individual
  feedback after the debate
• Time constraints will make this difficult, but
  debaters appreciate your interest and (provided
  it is done well) it adds to your credibility that
  you are prepared to discuss matters with them.
• Remember - while you should be prepared to
  discuss the debate, you do not have to actively
  defend your decision in a second debate.