adjudication briefing

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adjudication briefing
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adjudication briefing

• format of tournament
• rules
• practicalities

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tournament format

• 9 rounds
• round 1 is randomly drawn
• rounds 2-9 are power matched
• top 32 teams break through to knockout rounds
• esl break top 8 esl teams outside top 32

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points to note

• judging conflicts (e.g. will not judge own team)
• consensus decisions among the panel
• oral adjudications in rounds 1-6
• closed adjudications rounds 7-9
• adjudicator accreditation (tests, feedback
  experience)
• adjudicator break (judges for the knockouts)

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rules

• Judges should be familiar with the Worlds rules
• points of information
• definitions
• matter the content of a speech
• manner the structure and style of a speech
• the role of different teams in the debate
• marking scheme

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positions in the debate

• 1. prime minister 2. leader of
  opposition
• 3. deputy prime 4. deputy leader of
• minister opposition
• 5. member of govt 6. member of opp.
• 7. govt whip 7. opposition whip

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basic format

• 15 minutes preparation time
• printed or written material permitted
• electronic equipment prohibited
• 7 minute speeches

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points of information

• first and last minutes of speech are protected
• time signal to indicate these points
• member offering POI should stand
• speaker may accept or decline

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points of information

• POIs should not exceed 15 seconds
• the speaker may ask the offering member to sit
  where the offeror has had a reasonable chance to
  be understood
• members should attempt to answer at least 2 POIs
  in their speech
• there are no points of order or points of
  personal privilege

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points of information

• may take any form the offeror wishes
• questions, clarification, facts, challenges,
  rebuttal, even jokes
• POIs assessed as matter

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assessing points of information

• effectiveness and persuasiveness
• member offering point of information
• speaker answering point of information
• participation in debate as a whole

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motions

• open motions
• e.g. this house believes the glass is half
  full
• semi-closed motions
• e.g. this house would alter its genetic code
• closed motions
• e.g. this house would bomb Iraq

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definitions

• the definition should state the issue(s) for
  debate arising from the motion, stating the
  meaning of any terms in the motion which require
  interpretation
• PM should provide the definition at the beginning
  of his/her speech

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definitions

• the definition must
• (a) have a clear and logical link to the motion
• (b) not be self-proving /truistic
• (c) not be time-set
• (d) not be place-set unfairly

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(a) clear and logical link

• average reasonable person would accept the link
  between motion and definition as explained by the
  speaker
• semi-closed motions treat the motion as an issue
  for debate
• e.g. this house would alter its genetic code
• closed motions take stricter approach
• e.g. this house would bomb Iraq

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(b) self-proving definitions

• x should / should not be done, and there is no
  reasonable rebuttal
• e.g. were going to argue that murder should be
  illegal
• x is already the case, and so there is no
  reasonable rebuttal
• e.g. were going to argue that the murder rate
  in the US is higher than in Scotland

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(b) self-proving definitions

• status quo cases are not necessarily
  unreasonable
• e.g. were going to argue that the european
  union should adopt the single currency
• its a fair definition, because there is a
  reasonable rebuttal

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(c) time setting

• ...its 1936. Youre about to be introduced to
  Adolf Hitler, youve got a gun in your pocket,
  and youre not particularly pleased to see him.
  Were going to argue that you should shoot him
  and save millions of lives...
• all debates must take place in the present

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(d) unfair place setting

• the members should debate the motion in the
  spirit of the motion and the tournament
• have regard to the issue being debated
• have regard to the teams in the debate

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definitional challenges

• the leader of the opposition may challenge the
  definition if it violates one of the four
  criteria above and he should clearly state that
  hes doing so.
• only the leader of the opposition may challenge
  the definition no-one else
• the leader of the opposition should substitute an
  alternative definition

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assessing definitional challenges

• the adjudicator should determine the definition
  to be unreasonable where it violates any of the
  criteria above
• the onus to establish that the definition is
  unreasonable is on the members challenging it.
• where the definition is unreasonable, the
  opposition should substitute an alternative
  definition that should be accepted by the
  adjudicator provided it is not also unreasonable.

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assessing definitional challenges

• where an alternative definition is substituted by
  the opening opposition, the closing government
  may accept that definition and introduce matter
  which is inconsistent with the opening
  governments matter.

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matter

• matter is the content of a speech
• matter includes arguments and reasoning,
  examples, case studies, facts and any other
  material that attempts to further the case
• matter includes points of information

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the elements of matter

• matter should be
• relevant to the debate
• logical
• consistent within their speech, with their
  partner, and also with the other team on their
  side of the debate

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the elements of matter

• all members (except the last two in the debate)
  should present positive matter
• the govt whip may choose to do so
• the opp whip may not do so
• all members (except the prime minister) should
  present rebuttal

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assessing matter

• matter should be persuasive
• adopt the viewpoint of an average reasonable
  person disregard any specialist knowledge you
  may have
• Judge should not allow bias or discrimination to
  influence their decision

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manner

• manner is the presentation of the speech
• style
• structure

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style

• any element which affects the overall
  effectiveness of the speakers presentation
• eye contact
• voice modulation
• hand gestures
• clarity of language and expression
• use of notes

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structure

• structure of the speech should
• include an introduction, conclusion, and a series
  of arguments
• use the allotted time properly
• teamwork

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assessing manner

• overall effectiveness of presentation
• at a world championship, there are many styles
  which are appropriate, and you should not
  discriminate against a speaker simply because
  their manner would be considered inappropriate
  in your own country

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the role of teams in the debate

• 1st govt
• definition
• justification of case
• rebuttal of 1st opp (deputy prime minister)
• 1st opposition
• rebuttal
• alternative where appropriate

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the role of teams in the debate

• 2nd govt
• anything which makes them stand out from the
  debate
• job is simply to be better than 1st govt
• how does a team do this?

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the role of teams in the debate

• 2nd govt
• introduce new material consistent with 1st govt
• e.g. new lines of argument
• e.g. different focus to the case
• e.g. widening / narrowing of debate
• repetition of 1st govt isnt enough

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summary speeches

• Summary of debate as a whole, with particular
  emphasis on own team
• responsive to dynamics of debate -spend more time
  on the more important issues
• no one correct way of doing this
• speaker by speaker
• issue by issue
• thematic

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ranking teams

• rank teams from 1st to 4th
• (Note judges MUST fill out their ballots 1st,
  2nd, 3rd, 4th and the tab system will convert
  into the 3, 2, 1, 0 point for ranking. If the
  ballot is incorrectly filled out then there is a
  danger that the wrong result will be entered)
• teams may be placed last automatically, where
  they fail to arrive more than 5 minutes after the
  scheduled time for the debate

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marking scheme

• A 90-100 excellent to flawless
• the standard of speech you would expect to see
  from a speaker at the semifinal / grand final
  level of the tournament. this speaker has few, if
  any, weaknesses.
• B 80-89 above average to very good
• the standard you would expect to see from a
  speaker in contention to make the break. this
  speaker has clear strengths and some minor
  weaknesses.

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marking scheme

• C 70-79 average
• the speaker has strengths and weaknesses in
  roughly equal proportions.
• D 60-69 poor to below average
• the speaker has clear problems and some minor
  strengths.
• E 50-59 very poor
• the speaker has fundamental weaknesses and few,
  if any, strengths.

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practicalities

• consensus decision making
• speed ballot (must be filled in ASAP)
• detail ballot (One per room not one per judge)
• oral adjudications (given by the chair judge
  unless dissenting)

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agreeing rankings and scores

• agree team rankings 1st 4th
• Fill in and return the Speed ballot to a runner
  outside your room
• award individual speaker marks (this is done by
  concensus and ONE form is returned. This is a
  change from past Worlds and was first done in
  Toronto
• no low point wins i.e the team that finishes
  first must get more speaker marks than the team
  in second and so on

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agreeing rankings and scores

• agree rankings and scores by consensus. Where
  unanimous consensus cannot be reached the judges
  vote.
• The Chair judge does NOT have the right to
  over-ride the majority decision if he/she is
  dissenting
• You must make a decision. Where all judges are
  deadlocked in different opinions and no majority
  can be reached then, and only then, may the chair
  make an over-riding decision

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oral adjudications

• ballots go in before you start
• chair of panel (unless dissenting)
• announce team rankings
• reasons behind decision
• constructive criticism
• dont exceed 10 minutes

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feedback and complaints

• oral adjudication
• queries and clarification
• polite and non-confrontational
• adjudicator evaluation form
• adjudication team
• all complaints will be followed up