TECHNICAL

BRIEFING

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SHANGHAI NOVICE DEBATE OPEN 2025

Tournament Platforms

Zoom Meeting: All announcements, roll-calls, debates and preparation for debate rounds

Zoom A is for Main Hall and debate rooms (A1-A20)

Zoom B is for debate rooms (B1-B15)

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Discord/Wechat: Announcements from OrgCom/ CAP/ Tab/ Equity for each round/ day

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How to get to platforms?

LINKTREE: https://linktree.cx/public/sndo25

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Please bookmark this link to go anywhere in the tournament.

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Rename

DEBATERS:

Team name - Name in tab

JUDGES:

J - Name in Tab

OBSERVERS/ COACHES: O/C - Team name - Name

ON ZOOM

ON DISCORD

ON WECHAT

Channels on Discord

#ask-cap is for any enquiries directed towards the CA team, except questions about motions.

#ask-orgcom is for any enquiries relating to organization and schedule.

#ask-tab is for any enquiries concerning tab, and other technical issues.

#ask-equity is for any concerns regarding any equity conversations.

#someone-is-missing is for situations when speakers or judges are not present in rooms.

#motion-clarification is for any questions regarding motions or info-slides.

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Private URLs

The URLs are sent to all debaters & judges before the tournament, please check your email. Each team just need 1 URL, you can share with your teammate, but NOT OTHER PEOPLE.

All draws for the ongoing round will be displayed on the tab. This is also where you can check:

• your team name, name and speaker status;
• motions for the ongoing round;
• results of each round (except closed rounds);
• after the tournament ends: results to closed rounds, out rounds, team, speaker and motions tab..

Prepare Zoom

Please Update your Zoom account to avoid problems during the Tournament.

Please go to https://zoom.us/download to download the latest version of Zoom

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Prepare two devices with ALL APPS INSTALLED AND UPDATED with 100% battery.

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BEFORE

THE ROUNDS

Check-in

• Check-in can be done via Private URLs.
• We will redo the check-in for each round. For instance, check-ins for round 2 will be open when we receive the first ballot from round 1, and this process will be implemented for the rest of the rounds.
• If any team fails to check-in on time, they will be dropped until Tabteam is informed of their presence.

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Draw

Match-ups will be screen-shared on Zoom.

It will also be viewed from private URLs for Judges for Debaters

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After the release of draw

After you have seen the match-ups, teams debating in Zoom A will remain in the Main Hall.

Teams debating in Zoom B should leave the meeting and join Zoom B.

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All Debaters and judges should rename themselves in this format:

Room Number – Team name – Your name

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Example: A01 – VADP A – Darwin

or B15 – WSDC VN – All

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Motion Announcement

After the motion is announced, Debaters should click on the “Breakout Rooms” Button on the Bottom Right of their computer screen on Zoom to enter their respective rooms.

Teams will prepare on a SEPARATE PLATFORMS as speakers should prepare their means of communication. NO PREPROOM FOR ANY TEAM.

YOU MUST HAVE THE LATEST VERSION OF ZOOM TO USE THIS OPTION!

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Debaters should only communicate with their teammates. Helps from coaches, teachers, friends,.. are strictly prohibited.

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DURING

THE ROUNDS

General tech issues

TECHNICAL HELP:

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If you have any problems, PLEASE STAY IN YOUR DEBATE ROOM and send a message on #someone-is-missing: ROOM NUMBER + PROBLEM

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• Do not text “My room” as it is hard to know where you are texting from.

If you are disconnected, RECONNECT TO YOUR ZOOM AND RENAME

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• The Digital Director will come to your help or you can join your Breakout Room on your own

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General tech issues

When the Chair-Judge drops out of Zoom:

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• If a chair-judge is disconnected from Zoom during the debate round, the debaters or judges in the debate room should immediately text the Digital Director on the Discord or on WeChat.

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• The chair-judge should also try to reconnect to Zoom ASAP.

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• If a chair-judge is unable to reconnect to Zoom, text us ASAP and the CAP will resolve the issue.

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General tech issues

When a Panel-Judge drops out of Zoom:

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• If a panel-judge is disconnected from Zoom before or during the debate round, please wait for 5 minutes to see if the panel-judge reconnects.

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• If the panel-judge is unable to reconnect, the chair-judge will continue without the panel

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General tech issues

What to do when a debater has sound/video disruptions:

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• If speakers in the room have sound/video problems, the chair-judges may allow them to switch off their cameras to reduce the disruptions.

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• Please also check your audio input/output, change devices, or switch to use headphones/speakers.

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• Otherwise, all cameras must be kept on for all debaters.

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General tech issues

Substitution Speaker (Iron-Personning Rule)

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• If a speaker drops off a call and is unable to rejoin, prior to beginning their speech:

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• Allow a reasonable period of time to rejoin (maximum 5 minutes)

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• The other speaker from that team may deliver a speech in substitution.

(max 1 round of ironperson to break).

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Disconnection Policy

AFTER

THE ROUNDS

Post-debate

Debaters should leave Breakout Rooms for judges to deliberate.

After deliberation, Judges will call you back for OAs

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Ballots must be submitted BEFORE OA DELIVERY

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FOR JUDGES: Only Chair will submit the consensus ballot.

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OA and Personal Feedback should be done in the Debate Breakout Rooms

TIME

All Debate Breakout Rooms will be closed at the end of each debate round and re-opened for the next rounds. We will notify everyone on Zoom and on Wechat/Discord before we close all the Debate Breakout Rooms.

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Deliberations should be about 10-15 minutes, OA should be around 10 minutes (not more!)

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All Participants will move back to the Zoom A - Auditorium to prepare for the next round after all OAs and feedbacks have concluded.

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Submit Feedbacks

• Submitting Feedbacks can be done via Private URLs.
• Teams should submit for oralists only
• Please give reasonable feedbacks and score (1-10)

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TECHNICAL

BRIEFING

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SHANGHAI NOVICE DEBATE OPEN 2025