Diplomacy & Politics Glossary

Specific points or criteria that judges use to decide which team wins a debate round.

The process by which a judge decides the winner of a debate round and records their decision on a ballot sheet.

A specific reason given to the judge for deciding in favor of one side on the ballot based on arguments presented.

A voting style where judges award wins based on the strength of a single block of arguments rather than weighing all arguments individually.

When a team makes arguments that are unlikely to convince judges, effectively wasting their voting power.

A voting issue that determines which framework or standard the judge should apply when deciding the round's winner.

The set of criteria or framework a judge uses to evaluate and decide the winner in a debate round.

The framework or perspective a judge uses to evaluate arguments and determine the winner of a debate round.

A judge without formal debate training or experience, often relying on common sense and general argument clarity.

A judging philosophy that emphasizes clarity, real-world applicability, and persuasion over technical debate jargon or theory.

A judge’s decision to reject an objection, allowing the questioned evidence or testimony to stand.

Objection sustained is a judge's ruling that agrees with a party's objection, disallowing the questioned evidence or testimony.

A cognitive bias where judges give more weight to arguments presented later in the debate round.

Speaker points are scores awarded by judges evaluating a debater's speaking ability and effectiveness.

A criterion that judges use to measure which argument better fulfills the value premise in Lincoln-Douglas debates.

An argument or reason given to the judge for why they should vote in favor of one team over the other.

An argument that a judge should use to decide the winner of the debate round based on its importance and relevance.