Chief Adjudicator Word ’19
Laura Krawczyk
I’m Laura and I’m very pleased to invite you to join us this year! As a Chief Adjudicator, I am tasked with steering the direction of the Tournament. I’ll be working closely with the Tabulation Master and the Organisers to provide a smooth experience. As a Chief Adjudicator, I have two aims for this year’s Tournament to make it stand out:
Firstly, I want to make this Tournament a learning opportunity for debaters and Adjudicators alike by providing more in-depth trainings. Our team who will be delivering the trainings, has an extensive theoretical knowledge of debating, as well as many years of adjudicating experience at various circuits, to cater to the needs of the participants. In practical terms, it will look like this:
A. We will be having an extensive adjudicating workshop which will be interactive, visually entertaining, and ending with a Q&A. This should be a breeze for our alumni Adjudicators who are already familiar with the Tournament’s format. However, for Adjudicators who are here for the first time, it will present an adaptation challenge where we will go over Tournament-specific rules. For individuals new to adjudicating, we will go extensively through adjudicating 101. After the new Adjudicators’ initiation, all the other Adjudicators will join us for our usual training.
B. We will be conducting a two part debating training: the first part will be for individuals new to debating, whilst the latter will focus on honing the skills already gained by advanced and intermediate debaters. The second part will focus on the Tournament’s format, give insight into what we expect from our debaters, explain the scoring system, as well as conduct a Q&A. This will be preceded by WS debating 101 workshop where we will start at the very beginning and give you a combination of theory and practice to feel confident in your first debates.
This year for the first time, we’ll be launching a Chief Adjudicators’ Panel call. This aims to provide an opportunity for Adjudicators known to a lesser degree who have what it takes to be in the Chief Adjudicators’ Panel but have not been asked behind closed doors. This Tournament aims to facilitate all levels of experience, that’s why we will be having a Chief Adjudicators’ Panel training before the Tournament. Whilst during the Tournament, the adjudicators new to the Chief Adjudicators’ Panel will be provided with guidance by the more experienced members of the team with plenty of feedbacking.
The two goals I’ve set out for myself for the 2019 edition are very close to me. I was raised in an environment where the motto was to give back, that’s why I want to focus on training the next generation of debaters, Adjudicators, and Chief Adjudicators’ Panelists. We all start at the beginning, I’m a good example of that seeing as in 6 years I went from debating to having the honour to be the Chief Adjudicator at the Tournament that saw me grow up. I look forward to seeing you grow up, mature, and succeed at Heart of Europe this year!
Kind regards,
Laura Krawczyk