Judge a Debate

Debates occur in settings like classrooms and school tournaments. They may also be a part of your political process, as politicians debate important issues before elections. You can learn how to judge a debate by knowing its basic format and by understanding your role as judge.

Steps

  1. Understand the basic debate format and terminology. Debates are structured arguments or discussions. Teams alternate speeches, where they present their own arguments and refute those of the other team. While debaters may use emotion, they should not yell or be rude to one another or to the audience.
    • Each side must present and prove their arguments. Affirmative teams will be arguing for a particular issue or resolution. Negative teams will be arguing against it. Sometimes, teams do not know what side they will argue until the debate is ready to start.
    • Each side has a chance to present their own arguments, as well as to offer rebuttals to the other side's arguments. No new arguments or evidence can be brought up during a rebuttal.
    • Some debates include cross-examinations, in which one side can question the other side. There are no limitations as to the questions that can be asked, as long as debaters are courteous.
  2. Identify the type of debate you are judging. Examples include Lincoln-Douglas, Parliamentary, Public Forum, and Policy (Team) debates. Know which one you are judging so you can properly enforce its time limits and rules.
    • Lincoln-Douglas debates provide one team the opportunity to present their argument, and then the other team to cross-examine them. Then Team 2 presents their argument and Team 1 cross-examines them.
    • Parliamentary format is as follows: Prime Minister (constructive), Leader of the Opposition (constructive), Member of the Government (constructive), Member of the Opposition (constructive), Leader of the Opposition (rebuttal), and Prime Minister (rebuttal).
    • Public Forum debates alternate between teams presenting their arguments. Between rounds, however, there is a period called crossfire, where each speaker in the round is allowed to question the other speakers.
    • Policy debates (or team debates) allow each team two periods of time in the first half of the debate to present their arguments. The second part of the debate consists of two periods of rebuttals.
  3. Enforce debate rules. Debates can take place as school competitions, speech tournaments, or classroom assignments. Each one may adhere to different rules and guidelines. Read those beforehand so you are aware of them. However, there are some general rules and responsibilities every judge needs to uphold during a debate.
    • Do not give any feedback during the debate. Share this information only after the debate is over. This is especially important if you are judging a competition or tournament.
    • Enforce time limits. Each segment of the speech has a specific time frame. Do not allow debaters to exceed their time limit. In some cases, debaters may finish their sentence when time is called, but they may not say anything more than that.
    • Debaters may not have outside help. Do not allow them to talk with others who are not on their team or to utilize electronic devices during the debate.
  4. Listen carefully. Take notes of each side's arguments. Indicate strengths and weaknesses. In some cases, you will be given a worksheet or ballot to write on. Otherwise, bring your own notebook paper.
    • Note when a specific argument has been dropped. One side may bring up a weak point, but if the other side does not refute it, that argument has been dropped. In that case, the "point" goes to the team who used the argument, however weak it may seem.
    • Evaluate evidence. As debaters speak, they should cite the sources they are using. If any seem unreliable, irrelevant, or outdated, take note. In some cases, you may ask a debater to verify their evidence.
    • Identify any fallacies. Fallacies are arguments that sound logical, but really are not. If you are not familiar with different types of fallacies, do a little research before the debate to learn about them.
  5. Choose a winner. Judging a debate is somewhat subjective. However, it is important that you do not allow personal bias or beliefs about the issue to influence who you choose as winner.
    • Decide who presented the most logical argument. Some teams have a solid reason for their side of the issue. If it is a strong reason, supported with the appropriate evidence, you can deem them the winner.
    • Determine who presented the most comprehensive argument and responses. In some cases, teams may not have a strong argument, but a set of smaller, more comprehensive reasons for their side of the issue. They may also have strong rebuttals to the other team's arguments. In these cases, you may deem this team the winner.



Tips

  • Offer constructive comments and criticism on your ballot. Help debaters understand why a particular side won, which arguments were weak, and how they could improve.
  • Improve your debating skills by attending model United Nations event.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Judge_a_Debate&oldid=357028"