Welcome Judging Tips Welcome to the National Christian Forensics & Communications Association (NCFCA) Speech & Debate Tournament! Thank you for your important role in making this tournament possible. The giving of your time is an enduring investment in the lives of our students. The top students from this tournament will advance to the [TOURNAMENT NAME AND LOCATION HERE], this spring. Remember to attend the orientation for the event you are judging. Speech and debate have different orientations. NCFCA is the third largest high school speech & debate league in the nation, as well as the largest homeschool speech & debate league and includes homeschooled students, ages 12 to 18. NCFCA believes that formal speech and debate training can provide a means for students to learn and exercise analytical and oratorical skills, addressing life issues from a biblical worldview in a manner that glorifies God. We want to equip young Christians with the life skills necessary to effectively communicate with others. Please do not discuss the round or the performance of a speaker with anyone, including the competitor. Do write all relevant comments on your ballot. As a Community Judge, your role is vital to our goals in training these young people. No previous experience is necessary. We give you an orientation before each round, and provide you with tools to evaluate the competitors. We are thankful for the time you have taken from your busy schedule to help us in our efforts to train godly communicators! Please turn off your cell phone during the round. Ask a tournament official for help if you are unable to start for any reason. NCFCA Speech & Debate Tournament 2014 Community Judge Information Please direct questions about your round(s) only to a tournament official (not to students or parents). Immediately following the round, please take your ballots to the designated judge area for completion. Submit your completed ballots to the Ballot Return staff as soon as possible. Please stop by the Ballot Distribution Table to check in before judging your next round. “ … addressing life issues from a biblical worldview in a manner that glorifies God.” Help yourself to the food in the Judge Hospitality area. It was prepared with you in mind! National Christian Forensics & Communications Association www.NCFCA.org To learn more about NCFCA, please visit our website at www.NCFCA.org. Thank you for judging! Platform Speech Events After Dinner Speaking is an original humorous platform speech that informs or attempts to persuade the audience on a noteworthy topic. Illustrated Oratory is an original platform speech that informs or explains a particular topic with the use of visual aids. Informative Speaking is an original platform speech on any topic the speaker chooses. The primary goals of the speech are to inform, instruct, and/or inspire. Persuasive is an original speech intended to attempt to persuade the audience to adopt a particular point of view or course of action. Limited Preparation Speech Events Apologetics is a limited preparation event in which the speaker is given four minutes to prepare a sixminute speech on a topic related to defending his or her faith. Extemporaneous Speaking is a limited preparation event where the speaker is given thirty minutes to prepare a seven-minute speech on a current event topic. Impromptu Speaking is a limited preparation speech in which the speaker is given two minutes to prepare a five-minute speech on a randomly drawn topic. Interpretive Speech Events Duo Interpretation speeches creatively explore and develop the intellectual, emotional, and artistic embodiment of a single piece of literature for dual performance. Debate Events NCFCA has established a program of formal debate with the ultimate goal of training young people to be able to think critically and communicate effectively about all issues in a manner that pleases God. Two styles of debate are offered in NCFCA: Team Policy (TP) Debate and Lincoln Douglas (LD) Value Debate. TP Debate advocates a change in policy, while LD Value Debate centers on a proposition of values. There are unique elements to each, such as the fact that Team Policy debate teams are made up of two students and LD debates are one-on-one, but both offer similar benefits with regard to skill-building. All NCFCA debaters learn research skills, respectful argumentation, refutation, organization and, most importantly, good communication and speaking skills. In a debate tournament, each team will take turns advocating and opposing the resolution in a series of different rounds so that competitors thoroughly learn all the issues involved in the debate topic, as well as the skills to both advocate for and oppose a proposition without compromising their own beliefs. NCFCA debate encourages a conversational style of debate and utilizes judges from the community as well as debate coaches and teachers to ensure that competitors learn how to communicate to a general audience. 2013-2014 Debate Topics Humorous Interpretation speeches creatively explore and develop the intellectual, emotional, and artistic embodiment of a single piece of humorous literature for performance. Team Policy Debate Resolved: That federal election law should be significantly reformed in the United States. Open Interpretation speeches creatively explore and develop the intellectual, emotional, and artistic embodiment of a single piece of literature for performance. Lincoln Douglas Value Debate Resolved: National security ought to be valued above freedom of the press. Thematic Interpretation speeches creatively explore and develop the intellectual, emotional, and artistic embodiment of three or more selections of literature linked by a common theme through personal narrative analysis. Schedule of Regional Tournaments We would love to have you join us at our next tournament! If you do not live locally, please consider inviting friends, family, or colleagues in the area to register to judge. [TOURNAMENT NAME] [(CITY, STATE)] [TOURNAMENT DATES] [TOURNAMENT NAME] [(CITY, STATE)] [TOURNAMENT DATES] [TOURNAMENT NAME] [(CITY, STATE)] [TOURNAMENT DATES] [TOURNAMENT NAME] [(CITY, STATE)] [TOURNAMENT DATES] [TOURNAMENT NAME] [(CITY, STATE)] [TOURNAMENT DATES] [TOURNAMENT NAME] [(CITY, STATE)] [TOURNAMENT DATES] Please tell the Judge Greeter, whom you met when you arrived, that you would be interested in judging another tournament, and we will help you register! You may also register at www.NCFCA.org, by clicking on “Judges” at the top of the page, and following the instructions. If you have any questions or comments, please email [RC NCFCA.ORG EMAIL ADDRESS HERE].