RVOY Adjudication Guidelines

Rostrum’s Student Development Program for Secondary School Students

Adjudicators will assess each speech as a whole paying particular attention to relevance to the topic, the quality of the content and the effectiveness of the delivery.

Content

(50% of total marks)

This rates the ability of the speaker to achieve a clear purpose using relevant material presented in a logical order.

Material – scope, accuracy, clarity, relevance, logic, adequacy
Arrangement – introduction, body, conclusion, general construction
Progression – cohesion, timing, logic, development, evidence of research and preparation
Language – words, sentences, phrases, grammar, word pictures, figures of speech
Interest – imagination, originality, wit, illustrations, highlights

Delivery

(50% of the total marks)

This rates the ability of the speaker to present material so as to affect or influence the audience.

Visual Impact – appearance, stance, gesture, notes, use of eyes, aids
Vocal Impact – quality, clarity, variety, volume, pitch, use of pause, pace, pronunciation
Empathy – contact, understanding, acceptance, audience involvement
Mood – feeling, emphasis, enthusiasm, sincerity, speaker’s involvement
Appeal – credible, entertaining, memorable, motivating, convincing

Rostrum Voice Of Youth Adjudication Sheet: Standard adjudication sheet used by the Rostrum Voice of Youth adjudicators.

Roles and Responsibilities of Adjudicators: The adjudicator’s primary task is to make judgments about individual speeches and a comparative judgment about all speeches in the competition. This document details the roles and responsibilities of adjudicators