The use of non-debate judges is one very visible means by which the National Educational Debate Association demonstrates its dedication to audience-centered debate. By using non-debate judges, the Association encourages, and even demands, that the participants develop logic, reasoning, and communication skills that will benefit them in the world beyond the debate round.

The Central question in any policy debate is: Do the benefits of adopting the proposition outweigh the risks / disadvantages of its adoption? If the answer is yes, the affirmative prevails, if the answer is no, the negative prevails.

By Heather Norton and Jeff Gregory

In the spirit of the David Letterman top ten list, the Top Ten Ways to Lose a NEDA ballot are as follows.

The Association appreciates your willingness to serve as a guest judge. Our organization believes that the world of competitive tournament debating had reached a point where specialized jargon, aggressive demeanor, rapid inelegant delivery, and strategic manipulation of issues was too frequently rewarded. In short, tournaments provided an occasion to practice argument behaviors that would be considered liabilities in the real world.