When the Judge Doesn't Hear

I offer this week's tip on what to do when the Judge doesn't hear.

I've heard concerns that some of you are saying things the judge fails to hear and it costs the round! What should you do?

Remember, new judges in particular don't digest and take notes as quickly as I, for instance, do. You may need to repeat points- or even encourage the judge to circle or underline. I knew a very successful debater in college, a good friend of mine, who found that judges frequently missed what he deemed to be the victory point. So, he started saying, "Madam Speaker the point I'm about to share is the KEY point in the round. This will detmerine the victory, so please underline or circle it in your notes so you don't miss it later. The winning point is this: blah blah blah." By doing this he a) guaranteed that the judge heard it, by personally catching their attention and watching them take notes, and b) he "controlled" the judge's focus in the round by specifically asking them to focus on the point he wanted them to notice. This is an interesting strategy, and one that I personally duplicated and found to be useful. I only used it for certain judges in really tough rounds, but it did come in handy from time to time. As long as you do it graciously, everyone will benefit from this technique as it clears up the round for all concerned.

Also, EXPLAIN, EXPLAIN, EXPLAIN. Sometimes you said it, they heard it, but you failed to analyze WHY what you said is true. Statements cannot stand alone, they should be supported with explanation and example. Saying it doesn't make it so. Every statement in a debate requires support to prove it true and convince the judge.

Over all, I was REALLY impressed with EVERYONE Saturday! The results were amazing. Apparently each division was REALLY tough. Only three Senior teams won the majority of their rounds! The Junior division was also tough. This shows that every team is excellent and hard to beat! Our new students all demonstrated wonderful promise and potential. You really shined this weekend!

Good job all!
-Kristina