Thank You for Judging!
Tierra Linda Middle School S&D Team would like to wholeheartedly thank you for volunteering your time and energy to judge—you are the reason that our students can succeed at tournaments.
Basics Of Judging
While judging will range from event to event, the general guidelines are relatively the same. Before we explore the specific judging guidelines for each event, let’s look at the main ideas you should vote on.
Be Fair and Consistent
Apply the same standards to all competitors. Don’t let speaking order, school reputation, or personal preferences influence your evaluation. Judge each performance on its own merits using the criteria for that specific event, and ensure that you are as fair as possible.
Provide Constructive Feedback
Give specific, actionable comments that help students improve. Point out what worked well and what could be stronger. Your ballot is often the most valuable learning tool competitors receive at a tournament.
Respect the Students’ Work
Remember that competitors have invested significant time and effort into their performances. Stay engaged, avoid distractions, and give each speaker your full attention. Even if a performance isn’t polished, recognize the courage it takes to compete and offer encouragement.
Debate
Congressional Debate
Congressional Debate is a legislative simulation event where competitors act as senators and representatives, delivering speeches for or against proposed legislation while following parliamentary procedure. The format includes authorship speeches, questioning periods, and opportunities to preside over sessions, requiring students to debate diverse policy topics extemporaneously while building a legislative record across multiple rounds.
Video Guide
NSDA Congressional Debate Overview
Brief introduction to judging Congress rounds, including speech evaluation and ranking criteria.
Detailed Guide
NFL Congressional Debate Judging Manual
Comprehensive PDF covering argumentation, refutation, delivery, and presiding officer evaluation.
World Schools Debate
World Schools debate is a three-on-three format that combines prepared and impromptu debate, where teams argue both sides of monthly motions with half the debates prepared and half impromptu. The format includes constructive speeches, reply speeches, and points of information, emphasizing teamwork, accessible argumentation, and balanced analysis that represent diverse global perspectives rather than relying on extensive evidence or technical debate theory.
Video Guide
Foundation World Schools Debate Overview
Brief description of World Schools Debate, involving speaker roles and consideration points for judging.
Detailed Guide
NSDA World Schools Debate Judging Manual
Comprehensive PDF covering every aspect of how to both judge World Schools and provide strong feedback.
“While serving as a judge for the Springboard Series, I was energized and inspired as I helped students develop confidence and inspire their writing.”
Rebecca Crepeau
Volunteer Judge – Springboard Series
Public Forum Debate
Public Forum is a two-on-two format where teams argue both sides of a monthly resolution on current event topics, with rounds judged by both experts and lay judges to encourage accessible argumentation. Each debate includes constructive speeches, rebuttals, a summary, and a final focus, with three crossfire periods allowing direct questioning between opponents. PF emphasizes both evidence and logic.
Video Guide
Rice University PF Judging Guide
Brief summary of how to judge PF and what your ballot should look like as the round progresses.
PDF Guide
NSF PF Judging Guide
Overview of the PF format, crossfire periods, and how to evaluate arguments effectively.
Lincoln Douglas Debate
Lincoln-Douglas is a one-on-one format centered on philosophical and ethical questions, where debaters defend moral frameworks through value and criterion structures. It includes constructive speeches, rebuttals, and questioning periods that allow for philosophical clash, emphasizing ethical reasoning and morality for evaluating which side better upholds principles such as justice or morality.
Video Guide
Toby Park LD Judging Guide
Detailed guide to judging LD, specifically how to view the clash points.
PDF Guide
NSF LD Judging Guide
A brief overview of LD – it describes how to judge efficiently, as well as how to weigh arguments.
Parliamentary Debate
Parliamentary debate, or parli, is a two-on-two format centered on impromptu analysis, where teams receive a topic only 15-20 minutes before the round and must construct cases without prepared evidence. The format includes constructive speeches, rebuttals, and points of information that opponents may offer during speeches, emphasizing on-the-spot argumentation skills over pre-researched evidence.
Video Guide
The Practice Space Parli Judging Guide
Brief summary of how to judge Parli, as well as the structure of a round.
PDF Guide
NSF Parliamentary Judging Guide
A detailed overview of how to judge parli, providing insight into the key aspects.
“[Speech and debate] was an experience that I can say without hesitation was the one activity that best prepared me for future success in law and in life.”
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
(Source: New York Times)
Spontaneous Events
Extemporaneous
Extemporaneous speaking is a competitive speech event that tests a student’s ability to analyze current events by using thirty minutes to prepare a seven-minute speech on a specific domestic or international prompt. Using limited resources and previously collected research, speakers must craft a logical, persuasive argument that includes an introduction, three main points, and a conclusion. The format rewards vocal delivery as well as organizational clarity to provide a strong, defined speech.
Video Guide
Mark Ingerson: Extemporaneous Speaking Overview
Detailed overview, covers the essentials and more.
PDF Guide
NCS Extemp. Speaking Judging Manual
Comprehensive PDF covering every aspect of Extemporaneous – Required to read before the round.
SPAR
SPAR, or Spontaneous Argumentation, is a fast-paced debate format designed to sharpen quick thinking and public speaking through brief, high-energy rounds focused on lighthearted or accessible topics. Participants receive a resolution and have only a few minutes to prepare their stance before engaging in a series of short constructive speeches, a cross-examination period, and a final rebuttal. The event prioritizes wit, adaptability, and fundamental persuasion over deep research, making it an ideal exercise for building confidence, practicing refutation, and learning to structure arguments on the fly without the pressure of complex evidence.
Video Guide
NSDA Professional SPAR Debate Overview
Detailed overview of SPAR debate, covering how to judge and base your opinion, and the speaking times, all easily available.
PDF Guide
NSDA SPAR Debate Judging Manual
A Comprehensive PDF covering argumentation, refutation, delivery, and how to keep the round moving.
Impromptu
Impromptu speaking is a versatile speech event that challenges a participant’s ability to think on their feet by providing only seven total minutes to both prepare and deliver an original speech. Drawing from a prompt, often a famous quote, a single word, or a visual object, speakers must quickly develop a cohesive thesis and supporting examples from history, literature, or personal experience. The format emphasizes structural agility, creative storytelling, and polished delivery, requiring the speaker to maintain a professional demeanor while organizing their thoughts into a compelling narrative that connects a seemingly random topic to a broader, universal theme.
Video Guide
Mark Ingerson: Impromptu Speaking Overview
Detailed introduction of Impromptu, covers both the essentials and the finer details – recommended to watch.
PDF Guide
NCFCA Impromptu Speaking Judging Manual
Comprehensive PDF covering how to grade each competitor in an impromptu round.
“I think debating in high school and college is the most valuable training whether for politics, the law, business or for service on community committees, such as the PTA . . . I wish we had a good deal more debating in our educational institutions than we do now.”
Former US President John F. Kennedy
(Source: NFHS)
Speech
Original Oratory
Original Oratory is a prepared speech event where students research, write, and deliver a ten-minute persuasive address on a significant social, cultural, or personal issue of their choosing. This format allows speakers to spend months refining a scripted performance that identifies a specific problem, analyzes its causes, and proposes a viable solution or call to action. The event emphasizes eloquent writing, emotional resonance, and a polished, memorized delivery, challenging the orator to blend academic evidence with personal anecdotes to create a compelling, unique message that inspires an audience to think or act differently about the world around them.
Video Guide
Mark Ingerson: Original Oratory Speaking Overview
Detailed overview of Original Oratory – covers both the essentials as well as some of the finer details.
PDF Guide
NSDA Original Oratory Speaking Judging Manual
Comprehensive PDF covering every aspect of Original Oratory – Required to read before the round.
Dramatic Interp
Dramatic Interpretation, or DI, is a solo acting event where a student performs a ten-minute selection from a published play, screenplay, or literary work to evoke a deep emotional response from the audience. Unlike speech-heavy events, DI focuses on the performer’s ability to portray one or more characters through physical movement, vocal variation, and facial expressions without the use of props, costumes, or sets. The format requires a careful cutting of a script to create a cohesive narrative arc, emphasizing character development, thematic depth, and a compelling performance that captures the intensity of a dramatic storyline while remaining confined to a small, imaginary performance space.
Video Guide
Mark Ingerson: Dramatic Interpretation Overview
Detailed overview of DI, or Dramatic Interpretation, including the speech times and how to base your opinion.
PDF Guide
MSHSAA Informative Judging Manual
A Comprehensive PDF covering speaking times, proper etiquette, and how to provide strong feedback.
Humorous Interp
Humorous Interpretation, or HI, is a high-energy solo performance where a student selects a ten-minute cutting from a comedic play, short story, or movie script to entertain and engage an audience. The event showcases the performer’s versatility through popping, a rapid transition between multiple distinct characters, utilizing exaggerated physicality, unique vocal characterizations, and precise comedic timing. Success in this format relies on a student’s ability to maintain a frantic yet controlled pace, delivering a cohesive story that balances slapstick humor with narrative structure, all without props and without the ability to move outside their set, limited area.
Video Guide
Mark Ingerson: HI Speaking Overview
Detailed introduction of HI, covers both the essentials and the finer details – recommended to watch.
PDF Guide
LS Impromptu Speaking Judging Manual
Comprehensive PDF mainly covering how to keep the round moving and competitors from cheating.
Informative
Informative Speaking is a ten-minute prepared event where a student researches, writes, and delivers an original speech designed to educate the audience on a specific topic, process, or concept. Unlike persuasive events, the primary goal is to provide a deep dive into a unique subject, ranging from scientific breakthroughs to historical curiosities, using clear, engaging language and creative explanations. A hallmark of this format is the use of three-dimensional, student-created visual aids, which must be seamlessly integrated into the performance to enhance clarity and retention. The event rewards meticulous research and professional delivery.
Video Guide
NSDA Informative Speaking Overview
A short, brief guide to what Informative is, as well as how to judge it in a video made as simple as possible.
PDF Guide
NSDA Informative Speaking Judging Manual
Detailed PDF covering the details of Informative – Required to read before the round.
Duo Interp
Duo Interpretation, or Duo, is a two-person acting event where a pair of students performs a ten-minute cutting from a published play, book, or screenplay. Performers are strictly prohibited from making physical contact or maintaining direct eye contact with one another, requiring them to use “off-stage focus” to interact. Through synchronized movement, precise choreography, and complementary vocal characterizations, the partners must create a believable world and dynamic relationship. The event emphasizes chemistry, timing, and creative staging, as the duo must work together to establish a believable reality.
Video Guide
3P Speech: Duo Overview
Note from the editor – If you are judging Duo. Watch this. It’s the best video out there. Your competitors will thank you.
PDF Critique Sheet
PHSSL Duo Interp Judging Manual
Basic PDF to help you grade your competitors and then further rank them based on your opinion.
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’”
Eleanor Roosevelt