Tournament Manners & Etiquette

These guidelines are for competitors and observers.

Before the round:

J     Make sure that you are VERY QUIET in the hallways. There will be rounds going on in all of the rooms and there MUST BE QUIET!

J     Go to the restroom, get a drink or eat a snack in the cafeteria.

J Make sure that you arrive on time and promptly to each of your rounds. If for any reason you are late to a round, DO NOT ENTER THE ROOM while someone else is speaking. Wait quietly until you hear applause in the room and then enter between speakers.

J Be kind and polite to all competitors and judges. Keep a smile on at all times.

During the round:

J     You are to remain in the room for the entire round. You are not to get up and leave until you are dismissed by the judge unless you are competing in EXTEMP or Creative Storytelling in the next round.  If you are competing in one of these events, tell the judge you are doing so and that you will have to leave right after your performance.  Leave quietly without drawing any attention to yourself.

J     Turn off all cell phones and pagers.

J Absolutely NO TALKING while someone else is speaking. You may take notes while someone speaks...but the notes should be speech related. No writing notes or passing notes to friends or observers.

J NO GUM CHEWING in the round.

J Give each speaker your undivided attention. Do not put your head down or do anything distracting.

J Applaud each speaker as he/she concludes.

J Do not ask the judge what he/she thought of your performance.

J If you have a water bottle, you may sip between speakers...not during a speech.

J     Do not tell a judge the name of your school. If a judge asks you, say “My coach does not want us to reveal the name of our school.”

J     Do not wear shirts or jackets that identify your school while you are competing.

After the round:

J Move quietly in the hallway.

J Report directly to the team table in the cafeteria. (Use restroom if you need to use it or get a drink).