Welcome to the Massachusetts
Speech & Debate League! 

The MSDL serves high school students (grades 9-12) in Massachusetts. 
You can find out more about our league by exploring information in the menu bar, above.

If you are looking for information about Middle School speech (grades 6-8), please visit their website: mmssl.weebly.com
2023-2024 Participation Agreement and Invoice
Dues must be paid before a team may participate in any MSDL tournaments.
Download the invoice here (or find it under the "Joining" Tab).
Meeting minutes from the September 18, 2023 Board meeting can be found here.
You can find these minutes as well as minutes from previous meetings in the "About Us" Tab, above.
Community Standards
Inclusivity and Equity
We, the MSDL community, welcome people associating with any intersection(s) of identity and uphold that all members of our community deserve respect. We are made stronger by embracing the differences of our members.

Dignity and Safety
We believe that the welfare and dignity of our community members must be protected and preserved. In practice, this means that all community members (coaches, students, judges, and observers) will be mindful of the impact and consequences of their words and actions. We share responsibility to act with the intention to protect the well-being of others, even when engaging with conflicting ideas and opinions.

Integrity and Honesty
All members of our MSDL community must conduct themselves honorably, and must scrupulously compete within the rules of our events while promoting our community standards.

Collegiality and Fun
We aim to support each other and create camaraderie even while being serious about competition.
Judge Training videos - Speech. 
Notes from Speech Judge Training on 10-22-22
Missed the  judge training? Watch our videos!
How to use Tabroom.com and electronic Balloting: Watch this video
Judging a Speech Tournament: The basics Watch this video
Note: You may need to download the videos in order to watch them.

Debate judge instructional videos: See our debate judge resource page: here. 
AN IMPORTANT NOTE TO ALL COMPETITORS AND JUDGES

One of the most common complaints we hear from competitors is that  either a judge or another student is using their phone during a round, often while performances are in progress.  Some report that students are whispering or gesturing to one another while a student is performing in the room.

It is important that all MSDL STUDENTS AND JUDGES wait until a round is over before texting! This certainly should never happen while a student is performing!  Students should also be sure not to engage in any behavior that a speaker would find distracting, including gesturing, whispering or texting. 

Thank you for your help in making sure all of our students feel their presentations are valued by all members of their audiences.