Frequently Asked Questions
What happens at competition?
During a tournament, each competitor will compete in 3 preliminary “rounds” during which competitors will perform their event and be judged (single judge) against around 6 other competitors in each round. Judges rank competitors in each round 1-6 with a rank of 1 representing the best performance in the round. After the preliminary rounds are finished, the judges scores are added, and the top 6 competitors in each event advance to a final round where they are judged by a panel of 3 judges. After the final rounds have been tabulated, an awards ceremony is held where competitors receive trophies for their placement.
How many people will be in the audience watching my performance?
During preliminary rounds of competition, you may may perform in front of as few as 1 individual or as many as 40 people. At larger national competitions, you may perform in front of 100 or more people.
When are competitions?
Competitions occur on Saturdays starting in September. Some involve traveling out of town so will require overnight commitments.
If this is forensics, where are the dead bodies?
Most people have only heard the word "forensics" associated with coroners or with scientists who work in police labs. The word "forensics" comes from ancient Greece where the term was applied to speeches made to convince a group of people who would make a judgment based on the arguments and evidence presented in the speech. The definition "speaking for judgment" still applies to the word today. Hence coroners or police specialists do tests or postmortems, reporting results to a judge in a court of law--and our forensic team members speak before judges at tournaments. All are engaged in the activity of "speaking for judgment" but in very different contexts.
So what's in it for me?
Forensics participation is a great opportunity to expand your public speaking skills and to develop new ones. Many employers state that "soft skills" such as public speaking, critical thinking, and teamwork are very important to them when looking at potential employees.
Forensics provides you with a chance to become more skilled as a communicator and also to develop your self-confidence. This self confidence is a benefit in interviewing and in presenting yourself and your ideas to others in many other situations.
During a tournament, each competitor will compete in 3 preliminary “rounds” during which competitors will perform their event and be judged (single judge) against around 6 other competitors in each round. Judges rank competitors in each round 1-6 with a rank of 1 representing the best performance in the round. After the preliminary rounds are finished, the judges scores are added, and the top 6 competitors in each event advance to a final round where they are judged by a panel of 3 judges. After the final rounds have been tabulated, an awards ceremony is held where competitors receive trophies for their placement.
How many people will be in the audience watching my performance?
During preliminary rounds of competition, you may may perform in front of as few as 1 individual or as many as 40 people. At larger national competitions, you may perform in front of 100 or more people.
When are competitions?
Competitions occur on Saturdays starting in September. Some involve traveling out of town so will require overnight commitments.
If this is forensics, where are the dead bodies?
Most people have only heard the word "forensics" associated with coroners or with scientists who work in police labs. The word "forensics" comes from ancient Greece where the term was applied to speeches made to convince a group of people who would make a judgment based on the arguments and evidence presented in the speech. The definition "speaking for judgment" still applies to the word today. Hence coroners or police specialists do tests or postmortems, reporting results to a judge in a court of law--and our forensic team members speak before judges at tournaments. All are engaged in the activity of "speaking for judgment" but in very different contexts.
So what's in it for me?
Forensics participation is a great opportunity to expand your public speaking skills and to develop new ones. Many employers state that "soft skills" such as public speaking, critical thinking, and teamwork are very important to them when looking at potential employees.
Forensics provides you with a chance to become more skilled as a communicator and also to develop your self-confidence. This self confidence is a benefit in interviewing and in presenting yourself and your ideas to others in many other situations.
