How do I judge a debate?
One of the many quirks of BP debating is that all those who speak are also expected to be able to judge. This might initially seem odd, but speaking and judging are two separate but interrelated skillsets that complement each other extremely well. By judging, not only do you get the opportunity to watch a debate from a detached perspective and often learn new things, but you also gain a number of vital skills in being able to understand how arguments weigh up against each other, how to put your views across in a succinct manner, and how to avoid the common mistakes that debaters make when giving their speeches and constructing cases.
The skill of judging is in being able to accurately weigh what was actually said by one team in a round against what was actually said by another team. Inexperienced judges will often read their own biases and preconceptions into what teams said, reading into the meanings of their words and filling in analysis for them when it’s not there. Similarly, they’re likely to fill in rebuttal, saying that they “just don’t really buy it” when they don’t like an argument, even if it’s not knocked down within the context of the debate.
Judging, like speaking, needs to be done comparatively. This means that when you are judging a debate, you are always trying to consider not just the arguments that a team made, but how they stack up against the arguments made by other teams. This involves keeping track of what different teams have said so that you can have an accurate and informed discussion after the debate. It also involves trying to weigh up who is winning against whom as the debate is going on and keeping track of this in your mind.
One way of keeping track of this is to keep a couple of pages of notes.
