Just a quick paradigm that will develop more over the next few weeks.

I am the Debate & Speech coach at Phillip's Exeter Academy and have judged off and on over the last 6 years.

Focus your last few speeches on impact weighing.

You don't go for everything in the round, but tell my why your best arguments outweigh your opponent’s.

Good arguments are well-developed

Clarity and quality vs ambiguity and quantity

Speed is okay once in  a while - I am not a fan of spreading at all - I may ask you to slow down, especially as I am taking active notes during the debate. Don't use speed as a tool for exclusion - in doing so, you may wind up hurting yourself, especially if I can't understand any of your points being made as you speed.

Hi, I am 4th year PF debater at Lexington, and you can treat me like a tech judge.

- short version: weigh comparatively and extend your case in the last two speeches, signpost, frontline, and don't have anything new in your final focus that was not in summary.

- weigh weigh weigh, including comparative weighing. If one team runs probability and the other magnitude, I have no idea which to choose.

- signpost. If I don't know where you are, I won't be able to write your responses where you'd want me to and your arguments aren't going to come across cleanly.

- tech>truth. that being said, if you say anything racist/sexist/homophobic/ableist/etc. I will drop you.

- I will vote off the flow, so don't drop things and make sure to extend your argument completely (don't only extend the impact without the link chain or vice versa). Make sure you're frontlining and extending defense throughout. Collapsing in first summary or earlier will help you in this way.

- I am fine with speed if you do all of the following: prioritize clarity, enunciate, make sure your opponents are okay too, and signpost clearly.

- summary and final focus should be mirrored. I will not consider anything new in final that was not in summary and for an effective backhalf strategy, you and your partner should be on the same page.

- cross shouldn't be three minutes of extra debating or responding. Please ask and answer questions in a CIVIL manner. However, I will not flow cross so if there's anything you want me to vote off of that happens in cross, bring it up in your next speech.

- timing speeches/prep time is your responsibility. I will also be timing , but I expect you to be keeping track of how much time you have and how much prep you have - after you take prep, just let me know how much you took. I understand that sometimes you don't finish perfectly on time, so if you're in the middle of a sentence and the timer goes off, you can finish your sentence given that it is less than ten seconds over. Please do not abuse this grace period, I will cut you off.

- feel free to ask me questions about my decision if you're confused. I will not dock speaks and I feel like it helps you learn how you can improve in the future. i'm happy to give specific feedback after round as well.

- you got this, have fun!! If any of the more advanced things on my paradigm don't make sense to you, please ask me any questions. Debate is a game: this means that you should not be exclusionary. Follow the rules or warrant why you shouldn't, and let me know if there is anything I can personally do to make the debate more accessible to you.

email for evidence chain: atreyib18@gmail.com

Hey, my name is Mikaila (she/her), I'm a senior at the Waring School, and I've been debating for 3 years in PF.

I will come into the round with the expectation that you will abide by and follow NSDA code of honor -humility, equity, integrity, respect, leadership, and service- and if you don't, your speaker points will probably be effected, and I may consider this in my RFD.

This means: don't be disrespectful to your opponents during prep, or their speeches, don't laugh at something you hear your opponent say, and definitely don't mansplain.

Other things to be aware of:

Weighing is a big part of how I vote, you should do this for me, tell me why you win, but don't say stuff like "Judge you NEED to vote pro for x reason", saying I "should" vote for you is fine, but "need to" is annoying.I also vote based on responsiveness to the opponents' argument and the ability to support claims through strong evidence or reasoning. Please remember to carry through your reasoning as well as your impacts to the later speeches in the round. I will not consider new evidence that is brought up in grand cross or final focus.

Don't spread, I can try to understand you, but it won't be pretty, and I won't catch everything, if you want a win speak clearly.

Don't run K's or Theory, this isn't policy, PF should be substance based, and not corrupted by these strategies.

I believe that a good debate has both tech and truth. Debate is about a balance of the two. A strong debater can effectively use rhetoric, evidence, and strategy in a round.

Off time roadmaps are appreciated, and if you're not going to give one, please signpost before saying something so I know what you're responding to.

Try to make eye contact with me while speaking in order to be compelling, if you can don't just read straight off your computer.

I don't need to be added to evidence exchanges, unless it comes down to a point of contention (pun intended) in a round. That being said, my email is mikailab@waringschool.org.

When you call a card, any time you spend looking at it comes out of your own prep, your opponent has one minute to come up with the card, or I will consider that they do not have evidence to support.

Remember that debate is about having fun, and learning, and that everyone there is literally just a bunch teenagers dressed up in suits on a Saturday, and that in the grand scheme of things, your High School debate record doesn't matter that much, so don't stress :)

Hi debaters! First of all, I wish you all the best of luck in your rounds.

For a little background, I'm a junior at Manchester Essex and I have been debating PF for three years and also dabbled in Lincoln-Douglas. I do not care for framework in PF and if you use it I will not factor it into my decision. Above all, I value clear, concise arguments and impacts. It's important that you tell me WHY you deserve to win and why your arguments have more weight over your opponents. Furthermore, I like to see some spirited cross-fires. Try not to be too condescending though. Although I don't flow crosses, I do pay attention and make note of points you bring up. If you follow up on these points during your following speeches it will certainly help your case and your speaker points.

Also, I appreciate unique cases. You can argue viewpoints and ideas that wouldn't otherwise be seen as conventional as long as you do it well. However, if you have an argument that's really out there like "the lack of horses in the Arctic will lead to a world war and kill all the frogs in america and the bringing of horses can only be accomplished by militarizing" I will probably not buy that.

I would like to make it clear that I will not tolerate any types of racism, sexism, homophobia, or xenophobia. In round if I see you behaving/speaking in such a manner, you will lose and I will ruin your speaker points.

Also, if you make things up in-round, I WILL notice. As a debater, it is my biggest pet-peeve when opponents claim they said/refuted things when they really didn't. I have a fairly decent memory and chances are, I will notice if you are utilizing lies and that will certainly not help your case when it comes to deciding the round. If you have any concerns that an opponent is doing this, you can rest assured that although I may not say anything, I probably have noticed.

To be honest debate however you like, while I understand most debate jargon, I don’t care whether or not you use it as everyone hasn’t been taught the technical aspects. As long as your argument is persuasive! Also if you have sketchy evidence and the other team calls you out on it then I will check it out myself and if I find it to be true I will complete drop your point or mark it as clean conceded. If you try to defend by just restating factually incorrect evidence then you’re just wasting your time and helping the other team out.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to tell me. Also, if you have watched Eurovision (with Will Ferrell) and explain to me who the hero of the movie is, I will give you an extra point for speaker points. I love a little bit of humor in round or a quip in speeches as long as it isn't too mean. Have fun guys.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I'm Bella, a public forum debater at Newton South.

Some general things to know before round.

*Please be respectful.

*Comparative weighing and analysis is really important for voting.

*I can do speed, but I prefer a general pace.

*Make it clear where I should be voting in the round and when something is conceded.

*I'm not gonna vote off what you say in cross, so if its important please bring it up in speech.

*I do not like Theory.

If you have any questions, just ask me.

Though I am currently a debate coach, prior to this year have had little debate experience. I judge based off of what I see on the flow. I will (try) not to make any assumptions on what you are saying, nor will I include anything that I may know into my judging.

I will be looking for clear communication of arguments, evidence, and impacts. I want to see how your side of the ballot is going to best solve for the problems proposed, and have the strongest real world implications. I want to see effective and explicit weighing of impacts.

I can take notes at a pace slightly faster than conversational. If you spread I will lose track of my notes and your argument. To repeat, I value clarity over volume of words; speaking quickly may cost you the debate.

I'm a Varsity PF debater, so feel free to spread, use debate lingo, etc etc (no pressure to use debate terms though if you wouldn't naturally)

I value the content of your speeches as well as the technical aspect, so please make sure that your arguments make sense together --- don't contradict yourself!

I do flow, so make sure to extend all your arguments and frontline.

Be your opponent's keeper when it comes to time, I'm way too lazy to time your speeches and prep

(I will add 0.5 speaker points if you can genuinely make me laugh.)

please treat me like ive never done debate before

• slow, explain your arguments, give me a clear reason to vote for you

My name is Eliza Loring (she/her), and I am a senior at the Waring School in Beverly. I am in Varsity PF. So I come into the round with a guarantee I've done research on the topic and an understanding of the in and outs of Public Forum Debate.

> If you are offensive in any way, even if it's a "joke." I will report you to tabroom and you will lose the round.

> Respect Public Forum in it's essence. What I mean by this is that PF is supposed to be accessible and should be understood by any person from off the street. Therefore if you spread (talking so fast that your words blend together), I will try my best to evaluate your arguments but just know you've lost some of my respect (and speaker points). Additionally, don't overuse debate jargon, because you are actively making debate less accessible.

> Please signpost, I'm begging you. What I mean is that tell me what you are saying. If you are responding to a contention please tell me that so I can flow it.

> In terms of tech over truth. I've begun to evaluate tech more. However I think debate should be a balance of both evidence and rhetoric not one or the other.

> Refrain from running Theory of Kritiks. I will listen to them but just know I very much dislike them. I think they are a cop-out for actually debating the resolved and I will think less of you. If you love Theory or K you should join Policy or Big Questions, because that's not what PF is about (PF actually emerged as a response to this!).

> Evidence ethics are important. Don't make up information, you should always have evidence.

>Don't mansplain and let your opponent answer in cross please. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. When someone asks a question in cross and then proceeds to answer it themselves rather than letting the opponent actually answer. Just be respectful and kind, it's not too much to ask.

If you have any questions about my paradigm or about the results of the round please ask me.

Add me to evidence exchanges: elizal@waringschool.org

Have fun!

Hi, my name is Kevin and I do policy debate at Lexington High School in Massachusetts

Email Chain: kevinma13425@gmail.com

TLDR: Tech >> Truth. Please spend time on and weigh every argument and tell me why you should win on that. Signpost and organize your arguments to make it easier for me to flow. Don't be a bad person by being racist, homophobic, transphobic, etc. I'm okay with open cross as well.

POLICY:

Case:PLEASE EXTEND CASE where there is an overview or anything else. I want to see case extended thoroughly in all speeches or else I will just vote neg on presumption.

Theory and T: Please have standards and why the other team should lose, or else I will probably not vote on it. If you want to go for either of these, make it most of the 2NR, or else it is probably not substantial enough.

DA: Explain why your impacts outweigh.

CP: Make the net benefit clear and explain to me why the risk of the DA outweighs and the solvency of the CP.

Ks: Please know what you are reading before you run one of these. If you don't know anything about it, then it is hard to debate it and I will likely not vote on it. I am more experienced with more policy-oriented Ks like cap so if you debate high theory Ks, you have to explain to me why that is significant. You need to explain what the alt does and how the K outweighs the case. Also, you should be winning framework as well and aff needs to answer this well.

K affs: Don't read this as a novice, you probably don't know what you are saying and I will deduct speaks.

General:

1. Don't be a bad person
2. Have good impact calc
3. Don't run like 10 off, I will deduct speaks for this
4. Be clear on analytics, if you are spreading too fast, I will probably not be able to flow it
5. Flow
6. Don't steal prep
7. Organize your arguments by signposting, etc
8. Don't read new arguments if it is not in the 1NC/1AC or if it is dropped (like reading a new DA in the 2NC)
9. Tell me why your arguments matter
10. Don't drop case

PF and LD:

I don't really have experience in this. Please fully articulate and explain your arguments to me so that I know what is going on. Weigh your arguments and organize them. Explain why your arguments should matter to me. Also for PF, I really don't prefer when evidence is paraphrased.

Hi! My name is Evan Moffitt, and I am currently a Concord-Carlisle PF debater. I'm a flow/tech judge, and a couple of things about in round:

Bold = IMPORTANT

Tech > Truth (But Keep Reading)

Use an email chain for evidence - my email: emoffitt26@concordcarlisle.org

For any other references, I agree with Anthony Babu's paradigm

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IMPORTANT FOR ALL PF:

For any other references not here, I agree with Anthony Babu's paradigm

(Note: I won't intervene in round moral/ethic conflicts unless it is racist, sexist, or discriminatory. If you are doing any of these things, you will be dropped and given the lowest speaks possible :) )

• If you need to give me a speech doc your speaking too quick; I'm not gonna pause the round after you finish speech to finish flowing off your doc
• If both teams want me to disclose I will
• +1 speaks to call for an evidence challenge over reading paraphrasing theory

Overall, I expect you all to have great rounds. Speak clearly and concisely during round and have fun! Please let me know if you have any other preferences to ensure a good round!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For (All) Novice:

If you're a novice, try your best, and you will succeed!

Debate is:

• Relaxed
• A place to try your best
• About asking your opponent before reading cases quickly/spreading
• Fun (Hopefully)
• All about practice!

Debate is not:

• A place to run progressive arguments on teams who don't understand what a rebuttal is
• A place to insult others (Flaming your opponent's case is totally fine, don't go after them as an individual)
• Relying on your partner for everything; You're a team

Keys To Winning A Debate:

• Confidence
• Weighing whose arguments are more important in the lense of the round
• Being a team and extending your partner's thoughts throughout the round
• Try your best
• Having a concise case - no 8 contention cases

In General:

• I give Novice speaks at 1 point higher than var/jv
• Giving an off-time roadmap is not an excuse to not signpost

How to Get My Ballot:

• The most important thing is to extend your case. I mean, EXTEND!!
• Make sure your responses are more than just Cross-Applications of your case
• I cannot vote for you if you don't extend your case - this includes all your warranting and impacts

Be warned; I don't like Friv Theory

-----------Good Luck!---------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For JV/VAR PF(READ ALL):

In general:

• AN OFF-TIME ROAD MAP IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO NOT SIGNPOST
• Running theory, Ks, and counter-interps are fine but have to be done well
• DON'T run progressive arguments on a novice team that doesn't understand how long a rebuttal is (mostly for open tournaments) - it shows poor sportsmanship and I will give you low speaks :)
• Proper case writing structure is your friend

Keep Going -> ->

• Same thing for shells; please don't run Dasani Water bottle theory on your opponent!
• Say author names when extending cards in summary
• Don't paraphrase case/shells/K's
• If you beat a shell/theory, you generally win the round, so yeah, I consider RVI's
• If your case is more utilitarianism or deontological, defend that in round
• I generally consider disclosure theory more heavily if it's based on; no disclosure 30 minutes or more before the round

In round:

1. Treat your opponents with respect - any disrespect will result in low speaks and/or possibly being dropped (no funny faces at opponents during speeches)
2. If you spread your case, speak clearly and check with opponents before round
3. Cross isn't flowed but make sure to ask concise questions and not waste time
4. Extend during summary and FF
5. WEIGH - Tell me why your world is better than theirs
6. Weigh in/after 2nd rebuttal
7. META WEIGH - An easy way to win rounds by comparing your mechanisms to theirs
8. I assume you'll time yourself during round, but ask me if you'd like me to as well
9. I'd prefer you stand during speeches, but ask me if you prefer otherwise
10. If you have any evidence that's disputed pretty evenly through the round, you can submit/show it to me after the round if you wish
11. Don't steal prep time, such as when calling a card - this can result in lower speaks/being dropped
12. Having an email chain is a great way to ensure efficiency in card-sharing
13. Don't over-exaggerate cross or act super offended when your opponents flame your case
14. Confidence > skill - if you're confident in what you say you'll do great!

------------------------------------------Some Theory's cool!------------------------------

Theory/Prog General:

1st - evidence challenge >>>>> paraphrasing theory

2nd - flex prep is cool, but keep it under 15 seconds

3rd - if you think your theory/K/Interp is frivolous, it probably is

4th - TW > Disclosure > Paraphrasing - Which Theory I Like Most

5th - I generally vote off RVI's if well warranted, so make sure your shell is up to par

6th - I'm more likely to vote off an RVI if you're reading K/theory + Full Case

7th - I think that spreading a K/theory + Full Case is kinda lame; cut a contention and keep the word <900

8th - (K = Theory ) > Interp

---------------------------------------I don't like Friv theory!-------------------------------

I, even more, dislike people saying that how I vote on a K ruins their personal life; keep it general

---------------------------------------Don't waste my time!--------------------------------

Speaks:

• The team who wins doesn't always have the higher speaks (unless tournament regulation requires)
• I generally see speaks as a way to reflect on performance in round and not something to compete for
• I generally give higher speaks - average speaks 28-28.5
• Speaks are based on confidence, politeness, and overall effort during round
• full on yelling = lower speaks, but being loud is fine
• Keep to the agreed grace period; 15 seconds over the agreed grace period = -1 speaks
• Don't belittle your opponent in cross; let the 1st speaking team have the 1st question

-----------Good Luck!---------

(PS: Reading ev from Robert Day is an auto drop + lowest speaks if ykyk)

Parent Judge

Hello :)

My name is Dimitry and I am a senior at Newton South High School; this is my 3rd year of debate.

I am a flow judge but:

1. Pretty please do not run a k or theory, unless it's funny.

2. Don't talk so fast that you sound like a Looney Tunes character.

Remember that weighing is very important because it lets me know why I should vote for your side, and it's just a way to make all the points you made come together. Moreover, although I said I am a flow I do value truth a lot too, so if someone runs some bogus argument it's important for you to tell me why it's improbable or whatnot.

I do not flow cross so make sure to bring it up in other speeches if your opponent concedes something important.

Lastly, it's oK to loosen up and try to have as much fun as you can.

Hey, I'm Addy. (She/Her)

I'm a Varsity debater who judges on the side.

I consider myself a flay judge, I mostly care about tech but I have a limit to how ridiculous your arguments can be. I will value common logic over quotes from articles and encourage you to try logic-based rebuttals rather than quoting a blockfile.

IMPORTANT:

1. Don't spread (speaking too fast) I can only flow so quickly and if you are talking too fast I will miss the point you are trying to make. I would rather you focus on and flesh out one argument than quickly mention four.
2. Be polite to each other, if you are angry, insulting, yelling, talking over each other, or hogging all the time during the crossfires I will dock points. (If your opponent has taken over a minute to answer a single question then you can politely interrupt them to get back on track.)
3. Use emotion in your voice, if you are weighing on deaths or poverty then slow down and emphasize that, I should hear how important your argument is.

Good luck and have fun.

=D

I'm a senior at Lexington High School, qualified to TOC twice, NDCA thrice, NSDA Nats twice

-send me your case docs and +Evidence (For a speaker point boost): ambilusiva@gmail.com

• if you show me that you use cut cards not paraphrased that is very good

General (Everything you need to know)

• Debate is a game so tech>truth (I'll buy any argument (that's not exclusionary)

• Speed: go as fast as you want, but I'm not going to ask you if I miss something (ie be clear), would prefer you to debate on the slower side

• You should respond to the opponent's responses immediately in the speech after; thismeans 1st summary needs to frontline second rebuttal

• I don't care if you sit or stand/wear formal clothes etc, all that doesn’t matter to me

• If I look confused, I probably am

• give trigger warnings for certain arguments- if another team does not feel comfortable with an argument, change it. you can argue whether trigger warnings are good/bad for debate/society, but don't proactively cause harm on someone else.

____________________________________________________________________________

Detailed Stuff:

Case

• Have fun. Do whatever you want to do (However I prefer that you debate the topic provided)

Rebuttal

• I think you need to frontline (respond to their responses) in the second rebuttal but do whatever you want to do, however,

• Anything not responded to in the second rebuttal is regarded as conceded

• Turns that are conceded will have a 100% probability

Summary

• do- “Extend our jones evidence which says that extensions like these are good because they're easier to follow"

• Don't do "extend our link"

• for an argument to be voteable I want uniqueness/ link/ impact to be extended

• please extend warrants(reasoning), I don't want to have a flood of blippy and unwarranted claims on my flow at the end of your summary

• this also goes for arguments that are conceded

• First summary

• Should address your case, front lining, weighing and if possible, their case

• The second summary should do the same as the first summary but doesn't have to frontline unless there are no responses left over

• This is your side’s last chance to weigh, so if the weighing is not here then I will not evaluate any more weighing from your side

Final focus

• Just mirror summary, extend uniqueness, link, and impact.

• Don't change what a response means or read a new response

Cross

• Cross is binding, just bring it up in a speech if something important is conceded

• I'm most likely not going to be paying attention during cross, so don't mind any nodding/movements from me

If you say anything homophobic/sexist/etc, I will stop the round, drop you, and give the lowest speaks possible. Just don't please, make sure to treat everyone with respect

Feel free to ask me anything before and after round.

Good luck and have fun!

Hello debaters,

My name is Winnie, and I am a parent judge. While I have judged rounds before, I am a lay judge, so please be clear and speak slowly so that I can understand you. Do not spread; I will not follow or consider the arguments you make. No Prog, no Ks, and no Theory.

I will be voting both based on logic and also your delivery of your arguments. Be assertive but don't be rude. Inappropriate behavior and comments will not be tolerated. I understand simple terms like case, contention, cards, and blocks. Please explain if you are going to use more debate jargon.

Please do the following:

Signpost so I can follow your speech.

Weigh and extend your case, especially in Summary and Final Focus. My ballot will be determined by the weighing of impacts.

Speak at a conversational pace and enunciate.

Lastly, I wish you all the best! Good luck!

Hi debaters,

I am a junior and one of the debate co-captains at Manchester Essex Regional High School. This is my third year doing public forum debate.

I will flow the round and generally vote off flow.

I value clear and concise arguments, so if you have a really wacky argument, make sure you're actually doing a good job linking it to your impacts.

I'm actively debating so you don't have to worry about speaking too fast, but I do find spreading really annoying, so please don't do it.

It doesn't bother me if crossfire gets a little lively, but if it crosses the line and you're just being disrespectful then I'll take speaker points off for it. Also, I won't flow cross.

Make sure to carefully weigh throughout the round and collapse during summary.

Also, don't run theory.

Have fun!!

Be respectful, debate honestly, and most importantly, make me laugh.

he/him -- south '24

add me to the chain: marcus.ye@bc.edu

TLDR: just weigh and warrant well.

FOR NOVICES: treat me like a parent judge and don't worry about anything else below. Debate can be scary sometimes and if you need anything in the round to make it less so, lmk.

Everyone else:

If you do anything mean or that makes the debate space less inclusive I will drop your speaks and, depending on the severity, drop you

I’m hearing impaired so please speak loudly, it helps you.

Debate is a game — tech > truth — but im old and lazy so don't run anything too crazy.

If you wanna go fast send a doc or else you're coinflipping the round. If I don't understand what you are saying, thats on you

You can go over time alittle i don't mind.

I don't care about CX, but still be nice. I’ll dock speaks if you are shouting over or cutting your opps off short. If anything important comes up in cross, mention in your speeches.

Warrants need to be extended through every speech for case or defense. no offensive overviews in 2nd rebuttal. Blippy one liners are not enough to grant defense if its not warranted.

If you don't weigh I’ll be very unhappy. Link weighing > Impact weighing and I presume first if no offense is weighed. ALL TURNS MUST BE WEIGHED OR ELSE ITS NOT OFFENSE.

I have a major distain for any type of prog but I do understand why its needed in the debate space. You can still run it and I'll still vote on it, you just need to explain it like you would a toddler to me. However, I'll auto drop any team that runs prog in any division below varsity no questions asked.

If I am on a panel and ALL the other judges are on the other end of the judge spectrum (lay-flay), I'll proceed to adapt to them unless both teams ask me not to. This will be done without me telling you in the round, we're not trying to demean judges.

Post round all you want. I think asking questions after round is a good norm and I'll try my best to provide advice, etc.

I hate bad evidence. If evidence becomes a big part of the ballot, I'll call for it after the round. I will drop teams based off bad evidence.

Auto default to 28s for speaks and goes up and down from there. Make the round funny and enjoyable for everyone and speaker points tend to be pretty high.

You can always find me on facebook or email me if you want more comments/flow etc or just search me up on instagram

Good Luck and Have Fun!