{"id":758,"date":"2013-08-06T05:22:08","date_gmt":"2013-08-06T05:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/?p=758"},"modified":"2017-02-06T16:11:07","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T16:11:07","slug":"l3-qualities-investigations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/articles\/2013\/08\/06\/l3-qualities-investigations\/","title":{"rendered":"L3 Qualities \u2013 Investigations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Written<\/a>

Written by Ryan Stapleton<\/p><\/div><\/em><\/p>\n

What is an investigation?<\/h1>\n

An investigation is any closer look into a situation to determine what is happening.\u00a0 A situation can be a bunch of players making noise that has gotten your attention, or it can be a ruling where something possibly does not seem quite right.\u00a0 Both situations may need to be looked into to see if some intervention needs to happen.<\/p>\n

An investigation may lead to an action like saying \u201cWow, nice play, very cool\u201d.\u00a0 It could be \u201cGuys, we really need you to not to do that again\u201d.\u00a0 It could also be a situation that leads to someone being removed from your event.<\/p>\n

Why it is important for Regional Judges to be able to do an investigation?<\/h1>\n

Regional Judges are expected to be able to quickly and accurately investigate a situation and come to a resolution.\u00a0 Quickly is important, as all eyes will be on the responding judge.\u00a0 Accurately is what all involved will expect.\u00a0 These skills come from experience and a Regional Judge\u2019s knowledge of policy.\u00a0 A lot of calls will require one to understand<\/i> the policy, as it won\u2019t always be something that is written in the Magic Infraction Procedure Guide.<\/p>\n

Regional Judges help set the standard for the judge community.\u00a0 Other judges look towards their Regional Judge\u2019s leadership, skills and actions and will return to their home areas with those experiences.<\/p>\n

What to watch out for<\/h2>\n

Here are a few lessons; things to be aware of to help you not fall into a trap.<\/p>\n

<\/p>When answering a call, do you answer the player\u2019s exact question and move on, or do you ask additional questions to dig a little deeper?\u00a0 The extra question might reveal some information that is not obvious, and the answer could be an indicator that there might be more here than meets the eye.\u00a0 Do the players\u2019 stories add up or does your Spidey Sense go off?<\/p>\n

The clock can be your enemy.\u00a0 You first need to know how much time was used by the responding judge before you became involved.\u00a0 How much time are you using while at the investigation?\u00a0 If you have asked what you want to ask and don\u2019t have a feeling either way, then maybe it\u2019s time to move on and get the players back to their game.\u00a0 This may be hard to do, but be sure to balance the time spent versus the event as a whole.<\/p>\n

Time management is important, and needs to be in your mind while conducting your investigation.\u00a0 Be sure you are moving forward to gather new information and not just asking the same questions and expecting something new.\u00a0 You must strike a balance between doing an investigation thoroughly and keeping the event moving forward.\u00a0 From a customer service perspective, a large delay can be almost as bad as allowing someone who is borderline to continue playing in your event.<\/p>\n

Investigations are something to reflect on after the fact, as well.\u00a0 Look at what actions you took and replay them to see if they were the best course of action. Would you have done something differently?\u00a0 Be sure not to beat yourself up over those actions, but use them as learning experiences.\u00a0 Talk to your fellow judges and learn from each other.<\/p>\n

Other tips<\/h2>\n

Practice, practice and practice some more.\u00a0 Here are some possible techniques to try when you feel they may be appropriate:<\/p>\n

When making a ruling, do a mini-investigation. \u00a0Be sure not to spend more than a minute or two doing this, though.\u00a0 This gives you some practice interacting with players on more than a \u201cbasic ruling\u201d level.\u00a0 You will see normal behavior between yourself and your interviewee.\u00a0 This practice will make you more comfortable with the mechanics of an impromptu interview, making it easier when a full-blown investigation happens.<\/p>\n

<\/p>Body language can give you some very important clues.\u00a0 When interviewing, try to find the baseline of an interviewee\u2019s body language.\u00a0 This can be done by asking how their day went, what deck are they playing, or what types of decks they\u2019ve played against so far.\u00a0 While they are explaining their day, evaluate their body language for observables.\u00a0 Once you have your baseline, ask the questions for your investigation.\u00a0 Does their observable behavior change at all?<\/p>\n

Two very powerful questions in your toolbox are \u201cwhat\u201d and \u201cwhy\u201d.<\/p>\n