It's easy. Understandably, parents are afraid of 'messing something up' for the kids, but no need to worry. Public Forum debate is the easiest debate to judge. Just follow these steps:
1. The kids will have ballots and time themselves. At the local level, you just sit there and listen.
2. Pay attention to the kids. Stay off your phones please.
3. Besides a greeting and a goodbye, you aren't supposed to say anything during a debate. You will provide written critiques along with your determination of who won and speaker points.
4. In PF (public forum), the students are supposed to be persuasive to the average person. You just listen to their arguments and decide which team is most persuasive.
5. Don't debate the kids in your head. You may have a strong opinion, but leave it at the door. The kids have to debate BOTH sides of each issue so maintain an open mind.