Judge Orientation

Ziggy Online Debate^™

Revised September 2024

Part 1 of 4: Welcome!

Introduction

• Welcome to Ziggy Online Debate™!
• We are truly grateful that you are willing to devote some of your time to judge debates over the next few months.
• Based on data from the past several years, if each judge judges 4 debate rounds in total, ALL debate rounds would have a judge.
• Your feedback helps students develop the communication and critical thinking skills that are essential for life.
• This guide will help give you some tips as to how to judge debate rounds, and specifically Ziggy Online Debate.

Role of the Judge

• The purpose of debate is to communicate complex ideas in an understandable and respectful way.
• It’s the debater’s job to ensure that you understand, not your job to decipher what they mean.
• It is not your job—or your role—to argue with the debaters.�You must never bring your own biases (religious, political, personal, or otherwise) into the round. If you feel you cannot judge without bias, please do not judge.
• You are a communicator, and your role as the judge is to give debaters advice on how to communicate better.
• This presentation will explain how to be the best kind of judge.

What to Expect

• You’ll get an automated email from Ziggy telling you that a debater has requested you judge their round at a certain time. If you can’t judge, just ignore the email. If you can judge, click the “View Debate” button in the email—it’ll take you to the Ziggy website, and then click the “I can judge” button.
• The round will display the scheduled time and date and you’ll get an automatic reminder email 1 hour before the round starts. You’ll click the “Start Ballot” button on the pairing page and will fill out your ballot on the website.
• Most debates will take place over Skype, Zoom, or Google Chat/Meet.
• Your ballot will be saved by clicking the “Save Draft” button, so you can start drafting it and come back to it later. Be sure to click this button often so your ballot doesn’t get lost, especially if you know you are going to be coming and going from your computer.
• Plan to be ready at your computer a few minutes before the scheduled time. You’ll want to make sure everyone can hear each other clearly.
• Be sure to take detailed notes!
• Debaters will time themselves.
• Please judge a minimum of 4 rounds to ensure no round is without a judge.

What the Online App & Ballot Look Like

A short video explaining the app

Click this link to see a 1 minute video explaining how to use the app (the video does not have sound):

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https://youtu.be/419S1KQtcBo

Part 2 of 4: Debate Basics

You only need to view the slides for the type(s) of debate that you will be judging.

Ethics

• Online communication (such as chat) has a different jargon than verbal communication, and informal shorthand is often the norm.
• Still, debaters must be respectful and courteous in their words and conduct at all times.
• Judges have the final say on any ethical conduct questions not covered in the official Ziggy Rules.
• This does not mean “I disagree with the moral arguments a debater is making.” It means they are acting in a grossly disrespectful way toward others.
• Contact Ziggy Staff with questions.

5 Types of Debate

• Team Policy (TP): 2 teams of 2 debating about changing some kind of government or international policy. About 1 hr 30 min, and debaters rely largely on evidence.
• Lincoln Douglas (LD): 1 on 1 debate about values and ethics. About 45 minutes, and relies largely on logic and philosophy.
• Team Parli Debate (PD): 2 teams of 2 debating a current events topic. About 45 minutes, and relies on a mix of logic, evidence, philosophy, and examples.
• Individual Parli Debate (IPD): 1 on 1 debate about current events. About 30 minutes and relies primarily on logic, examples, and persuasion.
• Moot Court: 2 teams of 2 making constitutional arguments as if before the Supreme Court. About 45 minutes. Judges engage directly by questioning the debaters.

Overview of Debate

• The topic of debate is called the resolution.
• The Affirmative Team (in Parli, the “Government”) is for the resolution.
• The Negative Team (in Parli, the “Opposition”) is against the Affirmative case and/or the resolution.
• Each debater/team will alternate between arguing each side of the resolution throughout the competition.
• In TP, LD, and Individual Parli (IPD), each debater will participate in Cross Examination (“CX”) where they ask a member of the opposing team questions. Each debater will also have an opportunity to answer questions asked by their opponents.
• In Team Parli (PD), debaters may interrupt their opponents during the initial speeches to ask questions, which their opponents may choose to answer or ignore. In Moot Court, judges ask the debaters questions.

Lincoln-Douglas Overview

• LD is a debate over ideas, values, philosophy, and logic.
• About 45 minutes long
• One-on-one debate
• Emphasizes principles over examples.
• Examples can be used as illustrations, but debaters should not treat them as “proof.” They should clearly explain each example and give thought out reasoning to support any argument.
• LD does not require using evidence (like studies, expert opinions, etc.), although doing so is permitted (and many debaters do so).

LD Resolutions

• NCFCA: In combat, the use of automation should be valued above the use of military personnel.
• Stoa: Resolved: The acquisition of knowledge is an intrinsic good.
• See NCFCA’s website for more details: www.ncfca.org/debate
• See Stoa’s website for more details: https://stoausa.org/debate-events/

LD Resolutions

• ASDA: In the United States criminal justice system, jury nullification ought to be used in the face of perceived injustice.

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• See ASDA’s website for more details: https://www.americanspeech.org/resolutions/

Lincoln-Douglas Structure

• For NCFCA LD, each debater has 3 minutes of prep time total. For Stoa LD, each debater has 4 minutes of prep time total.
• The pattern of speeches is as follows:�Aff Constructive (AC): 6 minutes�Neg Constructive (NC): 7 minutes�1^st Aff Rebuttal (1AR): 4 minutes�Neg Rebuttal (NR): 6 minutes�2^nd Aff Rebuttal (2AR): 3 minutes
• The Constructives are for building the arguments; Rebuttals are for extending the analysis. Completely new arguments should not be brought up in the Rebuttals.
• Many debaters will have a value in their case, but they do not have to. Judge the round primarily on logic and argumentation, not on the style or structure of the case.
• Do not bring your own interpretations of the resolution into the round (i.e., if you think they should bring up X or Y argument, but they don’t, it should NOT be a factor in your decision unless it is a factor in the round)

Team Policy Overview

• TP is a debate over the implications of proposed policies of actual organizations (the US federal government, the 50 states, international agencies, etc.).
• About 1 hour 15 minutes long.
• Two teams of two
• Emphasizes proof of a policy’s effectiveness or ineffectiveness.
• Evidence is a core element of Team Policy, as are clear logical proofs and arguments.

TP Resolutions

• NCFCA: The United States Federal Government should significantly reform its foreign policy toward one or more of the following Central American countries: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
• Stoa: Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform its policy on healthcare.
• See NCFCA’s website for more details: www.ncfca.org/debate
• See Stoa’s website for more details: https://stoausa.org/debate-events/

Team Policy Structure

• Each team has 5 minutes of prep time total
• The pattern of speeches is as follows:�1^st Aff Constructive (1AC): 8 minutes�1^st Neg Constructive (1NC): 8 minutes�2^nd Aff Constructive (2AC): 8 minutes�2^nd Neg Constructive (2NC): 8 minutes�1^st Neg Rebuttal (1NR): 5 minutes�1^st Aff Rebuttal (1AR): 5 minutes�2^nd Neg Rebuttal (2NR): 5 minutes�2^nd Aff Rebuttal (2AR): 5 minutes
• The Constructives are for building the arguments; Rebuttals are for extending the analysis. Completely new arguments should not be brought up in the Rebuttals.

Parli Overview

• Both Team Parli and Individual Parli uses resolutions about current events. Debaters get a new resolution every round and have 20 minutes to prepare.
• Only judges have access to the topics, and the judge must send the debaters the resolution 20 minutes before their round. Parli judges will be sent special instructions on how to view the Parli resolutions (the resolutions must be kept secret from the debaters so no one has an unfair advantage).
• Team Parli is about 45 minutes; Individual Parli is about 30.
• Debaters do NOT have prep time between speeches
• Team Parli: Two teams of two: Government (supporting the resolution) and Opposition (against the resolution). Individual Parli is the same except it’s 1 v 1.
• Evidence may be used, but will not be as in-depth and debaters should focus more on strong reasoning, logic, and persuasion.
• Resolutions come in 4 types: fact (arguing about the truth of a statement), value (arguing about which value is more important), policy (arguing that a particular policy should or should not be taken), or scenario (arguing about what should be done given a hypothetical situation). Debaters may disagree in the round about the type of resolution they are debating.

Parli Overview (Part 2)

• In Team Parli, debaters use “points of information” to question the other team by interrupting during their constructive speeches. In Individual Parli, debaters have designated CX time.
• For points of information, debaters who wish to ask a question should unmute themselves and say “Question.”
• The speaker’s time does NOT stop when they are being asked a question.
• It is customary to accept 2 to 3 questions per constructive speech, but debaters do not have to answer questions. Judges are free to give more or less speaker points based on debaters’ choice to answer or not to answer questions.
• All debaters can say "Point of Order" if they believe the other team is bringing up a new argument in a rebuttal speech. Debaters must unmute, say "Point of Order,” wait for the speaker to pause their timer, and then the debater claiming a new argument may BRIEFLY explain why they think the argument is new.
• After explaining the new argument, the debater who is giving the speech may briefly explain why they think the argument is not new, or can admit that it is a new argument.
• The judge should simply say “I will take it into consideration” after both sides have spoken briefly. After the judge responds, the debater will unpause their timer and resume their speech.

Sample Parli Resolutions

• Fact: Legislative obstructionism is better at achieving the goals of democracy than legislative compromise
• Value: This House believes that isolation is better than involvement
• Policy: The United States Federal Government should implement universal healthcare
• Scenario: Superheroes like the Avengers exist. Resolved: The government should regulate superheroes.

Team Parli Structure

• There is NO PREP TIME during the round. They only have 20 minutes before the round when they are first given the resolution.
• Government and Opposition are abbreviated as “Gov” and “Opp”
• The pattern of speeches is as follows:�Prime Minister Constructive (PMC): 7 min�Leader of Opp. Constructive (LOC): 7 min�Member of Gov. Constructive (MGC): 7 min�Member of Opp. Constructive (MOC): 7 min�Leader of Opp. Rebuttal (LOR): 5 min �Prime Minister Rebuttal (PMR): 5 min
• The Constructives are for building the arguments; Rebuttals are for extending the analysis. Completely new arguments should not be brought up in the Rebuttals.
• Each parli round will be unique and different, so judge the round primarily on logic and argumentation, and less on the style or structure of the case.

Individual Parli Structure

• There is NO PREP TIME during the round. They only have 20 minutes before the round when they are first given the resolution.
• Government and Opposition are abbreviated as “Gov” and “Opp”
• The pattern of speeches is as follows:�Gov Constructive (GC): 5 min�Opp Constructive (OC): 6 min�Gov Rebuttal (GR): 3 min�Opp Rebuttal (OR): 5 min�Gov Summary (GS): 3 min
• The Constructives are for building the arguments; Rebuttals are for deepening the arguments. Completely new arguments should not be brought up in the Rebuttals.
• Each Parli round will be unique and different, so judge the round primarily on logic and argumentation, and less on the style or structure of the case.

Part 3 of 4: Judging Tips

How to Judge

• Listen carefully to what each debater says and take good notes to help you reflect back on the arguments
• If a debater makes an argument that you personally disagree with, do not decide the round based on your own beliefs or personal opinions – rather, weigh the argument based on how well it was argued and whether the other side responded well or at all.
• If a debater makes a claim that has a significant bearing on the round, and you have doubts about the claim, but that claim is unrefuted by their opponent, let the claim stand. It’s the debaters’ job to refute the arguments.
• The team who wins doesn’t necessarily have the highest speaker points (although they certainly can). The win and loss should be awarded based on the quality of substantive arguments and responses.
• Fill out your ballot within 2 days and submit it via the Ziggy Tournament Platform (tournament.ziggyonlinedebate.com).

Writing the Ballot

• Use the speaker boxes to make suggestions to debaters on things they did well and things they need to improve - listing several positive comments encourages them, and listing several things they could work on (i.e., eliminating fillers, slowing down, using more vocal variety) strengthens them as a speaker.
• In your Reason for Decision, consider which specific argument(s) persuaded you to vote the way you did, and list those for the debaters.
• If you have personal thoughts or suggestions about the arguments, feel free to include them on the ballot. However, make sure you decide the win based only on the issues argued by the debaters.

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Part 4 of 4: Final Tips

Evidence Requests

• If either team uses a specific piece of evidence that you have questions about or would like to see, they must either send you the piece of evidence in the chat with the other team, or they must email you the evidence and they must CC the other team.
• You may NOT ask to see the complete case of any team.
• You should NOT ask for evidence in Parli because of the limited prep time they have as they won’t have fully prepared briefs like in TP or LD.

Verbal Feedback

• Verbal feedback is allowed, and is recommended if you want to give feedback. However, do not feel obligated to give verbal feedback if you’d prefer to only write notes on the ballot.
• It helps to have records of feedback, so please write your most important comments on the ballot, even if you explain them in verbal feedback.
• Do not tell the debaters who won during verbal feedback. After verbal feedback is complete, please review your notes before deciding on a winner.

Thank You!

• We appreciate your willingness to help train students to communicate well and to compete with respect and honor.
• If you or your student have questions or want to view the official rules, please visit our Rules page (go to www.ziggyonlinedebate.com and click the Rules button at the top of the page).
• Your feedback and comments are welcome and appreciated. Please direct any inquiries to Ziggy Staff at questions@ziggyonlinedebate.com.