Judge resources

At a WASDL speech tournament, it’s important that you not judge the same student(s) twice, so tournament managers will likely schedule you for four different events. You don't need to memorize the rules for each event. On tournament day, when you receive each round assignment from Tabroom.com, you’ll know which event you are judging. Then, visit the Competition Events page on the WASDL website and familiarize yourself with the event guidelines before entering the competition room. That information, along with the judge guidelines linked to the left, will answer most of your questions.

For each round, you will rank students from 1 (best) to 6 (worst.) It’s considered “best practice” to rank students as the round progresses. Meaning, after the first two students, you rank them (privately) as 1 and 2. After the third student speaks, you decide whether to place them first, last or between the two other competitors. As each successive student speaks, you decide where they fit between the previous competitors. This way, when the round is done, your rankings are complete.

At preliminary tournaments (held October through February) you will be the only judge in the room. At MetroFinals, there will be two judges in each round.

At each WASDL debate tournament, you will only judge one event. We do not shift you between debate styles. Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas tournaments are “double-flighted.” This means each of the four rounds consists of two debates, a “flight 1” and a “flight 2.” Judges remain in the same classroom for both flights and the students will change. At preliminary tournaments (held October through February) you will be the only judge in the room. At MetroFinals, there will be two judges in each round.

Judging at your first debate tournament can feel challenging. Don’t be overwhelmed! There is a wealth of judging information on this page. Your team coach can provide additional details. On tournament day, experienced judges and league officials will be available to answer your questions. There is no such thing as a “perfect” judge. Experienced judges often reach different conclusions on which student(s) won the debate. Listen closely, take notes, and use your best judgment. At each tournament, you will improve!

For details on judging each event, use the appropriate link below.

Regardless of the event, each preliminary WASDL tournament follows the same schedule. Tournaments are on Saturdays and a generous member school hosts us for the day. Students, judges, and coaches should arrive between 8:00 – 8:15 am. When you arrive, check in with your team's coach so they know you are there. You should plan to stay until 6 pm, but if we can accelerate the tournament schedule, we will do so. The host school will have food for sale during the tournament. Lunch is provided to judges at no cost by WASDL and the host school. Participants are also welcome to bring their own food. With the exception of Student Congress, each student will participate in four "rounds" of competition.

For full details on the daily tournament schedule, use the link below.

Speech judging is simpler than it looks: you’ll hear up to six students, rank them, and write each one a few helpful sentences. These habits, drawn from WASDL’s Speech Judge Instructions, will make your first round go smoothly.

Before the round

• When Tabroom gives you your assignment, read that event’s description and judging criteria on the Competition Events page.
• As students arrive, confirm each name and school. A + next to a name in Tabroom means the student is double-entered; if they arrive first, let them speak first so they can get to their other event.
• Have everyone silence their phones, press Start Round in Tabroom to open your ballot, and don’t hold the round for a missing student.
• Ask each speaker for the title of their piece, and agree on time signals before anyone begins.

Keeping time

• Most events allow 10 minutes; Extemp and Impromptu allow 7. Every event has a 30-second grace period.
• Show the minutes remaining with your fingers, a cupped “C” at 30 seconds, and a closed fist when time is up. A student who goes past the grace period can’t be ranked first.

Ranking and speaker points

• Rank as you go: after each speaker, decide where they fit among those you’ve already heard. When the last student finishes, your ranks are done. There are no ties.
• Speaker points run from 70 to 100, and most students earn 80–99. Each student must get more points than anyone ranked below them, in whole numbers.
• Points in the 70s are for something seriously wrong, such as reading from a script in a memorized event or being unable to finish.
• Submit ranks and points within 5–10 minutes of the round ending. You can keep adding comments until the awards ceremony.

Writing comments

• Don’t give verbal feedback or hint at rankings in the room. A simple thank-you is perfect.
• Keep the comment that goes to the whole room (the RFD) short and positive. Put your real feedback in each student’s individual comments.
• Be specific: say what worked and one or two things to improve. If you ranked a student low, kindly tell them why.
• A blank ballot is the most frustrating thing a student can receive. If you’re new, pick three or four of the event’s judging criteria and comment on each.

Experienced judges and coaches are around all day, so don’t hesitate to ask questions. The Speech Judge Instructions also include sample ballot comments for several events.

Even though Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas and Policy Debate have different topics and formats, the process for judging is the same: determine winners, provide constructive feedback, and ensure the debate is fair. But for each of these areas, there are best practices on how to perform these tasks.

The document linked below summarizes what first time volunteers need to know about judging these events. You should also read the event specific judge instructions, linked earlier on this page. Also, be sure to attend the pre-tournament judge briefing held at 8:30 am on each tournament Saturday. WASDL officers will be available there to answer your questions.

The National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) has created a series of excellent training videos for both Speech and Debate events. Each video is short and is organized by event and experience. The Level 1 videos are for new judges. There is one video each for Student Congress, Speech and Debate. The Level 2 videos go into greater depth and are event specific.

These are optional - WASDL does not require judges to complete these prior to judging at a tournament. But if you choose to view these and correctly answer questions at the end, you will earn an NSDA Judge Accreditation which will display on your Tabroom.com account.

You can access the videos using the link below.

WASDL encourages judges to write and post a paradigm. A judge paradigm is a statement that describes your experience, beliefs and expectations for a round. Paradigms help both judges and students. Competitors can adapt their strategies to the judge's preferences. With a paradigm, judges are more likely to hear a pace and style that corresponds to their experience level. WASDL does not require judges to write a paradigm. It is optional.

Paradigms are posted in Tabroom.com and available to students, coaches and other judges. Judge paradigms are public information, so consider what you write. To post a paradigm, log into your Tabroom.com account and look along the right side of the home page, under the heading Judging. You will see a button labeled Paradigm. Click on that and you will be able to post your paradigm. You can also read other judge paradigms by clicking on the tab labeled Paradigms at the top of the home page.

The link below takes you to a short overview of how to write a judge paradigm.