American Forensic Association
National Individual Events Tournament

GUIDELINES FOR ALL JUDGES OF THE NIET

General Instructions

Your ballot for each competitor will include a place to rank the contestant compared to the others in that round. Ranking should be from 1 to 5, giving two speakers 5^th place if there are six in your round. In outrounds speakers will be ranked 1 to 6. Each speaker should also be given a rating between 1 and 25 points that corresponds to their rank (in other words, you may not give a second place speaker more rating points than a first place speaker.)

Your ballot also includes a space for you to write a) general comments about the student’s performance, and b) comments that justify your ranking of the student in your section (labeled “Reason for Decision”). General comments should be educational in nature. Please avoid personal remarks and non-constructive criticism. Your comments should pivot around the skill areas that you feel the student should further develop, or the questions you feel that the performance did not address. Reason for decision comments should focus on the performance in comparison with others in the round, explaining why you preferred one speaker over another.

Your ballot is strictly confidential. At no time should you disclose your decision to competitors, coaches or fellow judges until the completion of the NIET.

Ranking and Rating Issues

1. The AFA-NIET expects that, as a judge, you have familiarized yourself with the event descriptions of all AFA-NIET events prior to the national tournament, or have blocked yourself from judging those events that are unfamiliar to you.

2. Please remember that physically challenged competitors may not be able to adhere to performance conventions and may require practical adjustments of time requirements or other event requirements in order to compete. In such cases, we ask that you not a) critique or rank a student based upon their disability, b) object to the notification of a physical limitation by the competitor or their coach, or c) refuse to make adaptations in order to accommodate the student’s limitations.

3. The AFA-NIET is a celebration of divergent performance styles and talent. While each judge has a developed pedagogical perspective on each event, please be open-minded to all different types of performances. Ranking decisions should not be solely based on the use or non-use of performance conventions, but rather the student’s presentation in comparison to his/her peers. Please be sure that a comment made about a performance aspect is truly warranted based upon the AFA-NIET event descriptions.

4. When providing constructive comments you may wish to consider some of (but not limited to) the following elements:

Oral Interpretation: Characterization, Literature, Coherence (of program/cutting), Time Constraints, etc.

Prepared Speeches: Organization, Support, Reasoning, Topic, Style, Delivery, Time Constraints, etc.

Limited Prep: Organization, Time Use, Support, Reasoning, Delivery, Style, etc.

5. The AFA-NIET expects that, as a judge, you are committed to remaining impartial and that you employ the highest ethical standards when evaluating students. If you do not feel that you can adjudicate an assigned round in an un-biased fashion, please contact the Tournament Director.

All judges from a school may sign this form or copies may be made for each judge.

As a judge at the AFA-NIET, I have read through and fully comprehend the Judge’s Guidelines. I acknowledge that I will adhere to these guidelines throughout my adjudication of the AFA-NIET.

Signed ___________________________ Rcd: ___________