Background:

My background is in public forum. I competed all throughout high school on the national circuit and local circuit in Georgia. Currently, I am the President of the New Haven Urban Debate League and coach parliamentary debate at Yale.

PF Paradigm:

WEIGHING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU WILL EVER DO IN DEBATE! IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN KNOWING YOUR OWN NAME!! PLS WEIGH.

If you don’t weigh, I’ll have to resort to my own weighing mechanism, which may be different every round depending on my mood. You don’t want that, so pls for the love of god, make my life and yours easier by weighing. It’s the easiest way to my ballot.

Other stuff:

-I can handle 250 words/minute. Go over, well...your arguments might not make it on my flow.

-I don't expect the first speaking team to extend defense in summary. However, you need to respond to turns. Second speaking teams need to extend defense and respond to turns.

-Second speaking team should TRY to respond to turns in rebuttal.

-Voters in final focus should be mentioned in summary.

-If your links don’t logically make sense, I’m probably not going to buy it, so warrant everything.

-I don't weigh anything in cross in terms of the ballot, so bring it up in speeches if there's something important.

Parli Paradigm:

I'm familiar with East Coast parli. I don't do well with theory, so I might not understand it. You can try it, but you still must interact with your opponents' arguments. The way to my ballot is by weighing. You don't need to go for everything at the end of the debate, but you should still respond to opponents' arguments and not extend through ink! Break the last speech into voters and weigh!

Other points (very similar to my paradigm for PF, so take that for what you will):

-Because you're not using evidence, please maintain a 200 word/minute maximum.

-Rebuttals should not be in the final speech. I believe that your rebuttals, at the very minimum, should begin in the member speeches. This allows for final interactions in the final speech between the two sides, and this avoids the idea of "no new arguments in the last speech."

-No tag teaming.

-If your links don’t logically make sense, I’m probably not going to buy it, so warrant everything. If I don't buy it, I will most likely not vote for it...

-Do not extend through ink! Conceded arguments are arguments that were poorly responded to or not at all; to which, you can extend, but if your opponents provide multiple warrants/responses to the argument, you must also respond to the rebuttals.

If you have any questions, please ask in rounds or after by emailing me at mary.chen@yale.edu

Hi! My name is Wren Markman and I debated for three years in the UDL, so I have some experience in Public Forum debate. I typically flow (take notes on) rounds, but I'm not infallible so I still might miss something.

The most important aspects that I look for when judging are: clarity over speed, clear emphasis stated for the contentions, enunciation of words for clarity, and clearly stating why the side has won (Scope, Magnitude, Reversibility, Prerequisite, Time Frame, Probability, or a Priori).

Hi! I'm a freshman at Hunter College and I debated in high school for two years!

Reminders:

• I encourage you to stand while reading your speeches! (not mandatory if online)
• I will vote on whose impact weighs the most; scope, magnitude, reversibility, prerequisite, time frame, probability
• Ask for evidence! If you are unable to provide evidence for your argument, I will consider it invalid.
• I will judge you based on your speech and delivery, NOT crossfire, but remember to poke holes!!
• USE UP ALL YOUR SPEECH TIME! i will have to deduct speaker points if you have more or less a min remaining (reemphasise your points, read evidence, etc)
• I have no preference regarding speed or volume, as long as you enunciate your words!!

cashapp me $20 to get 30 speaker points ???? (this is a joke)

I'm Ella-Devi Weerackody (she/they pronouns acceptable) and I am a debater with The High School of Math, Science, And Engineering at the City College of New York.

My view on public forum debate is simple: your arguments should be accessible to everyone. Do not speak extremely quickly ("spreading") or run a "theory" contention if your opponents are unaware of what that is.

I strive for an equitable debate. Be courteous. Racism, homophobia, misogyny, ableism, purposeful misgendering, or any other type of bigotry will not be tolerated.

I use a two-prong judging method. I will vote for those who can prove their impacts prevail as more powerful as well as whoever can defend their case while dismantling their opponent's case.

Crossfire is like Vegas. Whatever happens in the crossfire stays in the crossfire. If you want something from the crossfire to affect my judging of the round, you must incorporate it into one of your speeches.

Good luck.

First of all, thank you for being a vital part of our debate tournament. Please be aware of pacing and clarity. Speak with emphasis, do not rush, and remember to breathe! Please clearly tie your evidence to your argument. Do not forget to have fun. Good luck!!!

Hey everyone,

My name is Joanne, and I used to debate HS Public Forum Novice, JV, and Varsity for three years in both speaker roles (first & second) on the Midwood Debate Team. I have a history of judging and training individuals on my school's team (our new debaters) and middle school, so I'm excited to see what you have for me. Here are some tips and tricks to win my ballot and to improve on the long run!

The Basis of How I Judge
Weigh!!! (try out the acronym STAMP or STOMP to help). Maintain your arguments!! You want to convince me, so make sure that none of your strong arguments leave my head as you progress through your round! Also, I cannot compare the arguments made within the round for you because new information is constantly being told.

Get straight to the point and signpost. Fluff does not always help your argument and I won't be able to see the flow of your arguments. Also, you might lose me!!

Overall, make your speeches cohesive. As I like to tell my novice players, pretend you and your partner are working on one essay together. Whatever you both do can impact the rest of your essay (or round in this case)!

Miscellaneous
- In terms of speaking speed: I am OK with anything, but if it's to the point where I cannot make out a word you're saying, then I cannot pick up on your speech. I prefer that you articulate more than try to get every word in your prewritten speech!
- Emphasize specific phrases you want me to take note of because the power of your voices really impact the way your arguments are shown! That's the public speaking aspect of debate!
- If you're carding or quoting warrants, I'm not flowing your citations but do cite so I can differentiate between your claim, etc.
- I have no preference when it comes to truth or tech
- I don't ALWAYS flow the content in crossfire or final focus

My Suggestions Based On My Experiences (for New Debaters)
Use prep time wisely, I will also be timing you. Never apologize for pausing briefly in your speech, it happens and the best we can do is move on. If you have a strong argument/contention, stick with it and build from it like the claim of your essay. Make sure not to act out against your opponent because they're nervous, just like you, and it's not good for your speaker points. I promise debate truly brings you new friends and connections, even the most unexpected ones :)

Good luck, and I am very eager to be your judge! If you have any questions or want to know more about my experience debating/advice, I'm happy to talk.