Instruction for Judges
2005
(Please note that the New York State Right to Life
Committee Oratorical Contest abides by the rules listed below from the The Jane
B. Thompson Oratory Contest sponsored by National Right to Life.)
Thank you for agreeing to
judge the contest. The contest would
not be possible without adults willing to help.
Three judges will judge each
round, a round generally consists of 5-7 speakers but there could be as many as
10. Each judge will be provided with
the contestant speaking order and a set of ballots, the name of the contestant
will be marked on the ballot.
Traditionally, the first
judge to enter the room is considered the judges’ spokesperson. But any of the three judges may act as the
spokesperson. In many cases the
timekeeper will act as the spokesperson, signaling when the judges are ready
for the next speaker, etc. The
spokesperson makes sure all of the judges are in the room and ready to begin
the round, and when the next speaker should be called.
As each contestant is
speaking, the judge may with to write comments on the ballot, or choose to
write the comments after the speech is complete. Each judge has one ballot for each contestant. The purpose of the ballot is to maximize the
educational experience for the contestant.
Take a minute to familiarize
yourself with the ballot and the rules before the contest.
A. There are four areas of judging criteria; Introduction,
Content, Presentation, and Conclusion.
1. Introduction: Does the
introduction make you want to hear more?
Does it have a clear thesis? How
well is the beginning laid out?
2. Content: Is each point relevant to the
topic and substantiated with current documentation? Are the facts and figures used current? Good word usage? Does it
have a logical, clear organization?
Does it send a pro-life message?
3. Presentation: Appropriate
eye contact, audibility, rate of delivery, voice inflection, fluency, tone,
gestures, pronunciation, general sense of confidence, etc.
4. Conclusion: Does conclusion sum up main points of the speech? Did the speech make a convincing pro-life argument supporting the belief that all human life must be respected and valued from conception until natural death?
*These
are the areas of criteria, but you are not limited to commenting on only these
areas. The questions above are designed
to help you, feel free to expand them.
B. Each has a 1-10 score, 10 being the best, with a perfect score of 40. A total score of 40-35 is considered a very good speech, 35-30 a good speech, 30-25 an average speech and a total score of under 25 is considered a poor speech. (Don’t worry about re-checking your addition, that will be done during the tallying.)
C. Sign the bottom of the ballot.
D. Write pertinent comments on the ballot. Comments should be largely encouraging and positive, but not overly so, a student who receives a middle to low score has the right to know why. It is okay to be honest, you can help the contestant to become a better speaker. The students will be given the ballots after the contest. Comments can relate to the areas of scoring or the right to life issue. Judges’ comments need not be detailed or lengthy. (Judging Hint: One experienced judge takes a few minutes before the contest to write down a list of words that may be used for comments on the ballot. It lessens the time between speeches and helps prevent the “block” you might have during the contest.)
At the end of each speech the timekeeper will provide you with the time of the speech. The students are given a 5-7 minute limit, although they are not disqualified unless the speech is under 4 minutes or over 8 minutes. If the speech is within 4-8 minutes, it is at your discretion to use the time issue in your score. You may ask yourself; was the extra time a critical part of the speech, or could the contestant cut something? How much over time was the speech, one minute or ten seconds? (It is not your responsibility to disqualify students that are under or over time. If that does happen, complete your ballot and continue with the contest. The timekeeper or spokesperson should inform the contest director after the round is complete. The director will handle any issues regarding disqualification.)
The spokesperson or timer should check to see if all of the judges are finished scoring and then call the next contestant.
When the contest is done and the ballots are completed, give them to the spokesperson or timer. They will give them to the individuals who will tally the results.
If you have any questions before or during the contest, the director is available.
Click here for Oratory Contest Ballot