Hi - I've judged several tournaments over the last year and I love hearing different points of view.

First -- make sure I can understand you. If you go fast and mumble, I won't hear your points and will have a hard time following your arguments. Ideally, enumerate your points so I can follow them and keep track of them throughout the argument. If you go fast, make sure I can get your points! Otherwise, focus on what's most important and share that with me.

Second -- use your time! If you have 4 minutes, make the most of it.

Third -- Cite your sources. It is important that you do this so I can compare evidence. Then tell me why those points are important.

Fourth -- (but probably most important) Be respectful. Good sportsmanship and being kind is important to me. If you insult or talk down to the other team, I will not be impressed.

Lastly, listen to the other team.

Good luck!

Hi! My name is Ryan and I use he/him pronouns. I debated for Mark Twain I.S.239 for 2 years, and am now a high school junior at BTHS.

I don't have many preferences, but these are a few that I have, ranked from most important to least important:
1) Be respectful, I will allow cursing if you feel the need to, but any speech directed to others that can be offensive will not be tolerated. Slurs will also be completely intolerable. (This reflects mostly on speaker points)

2) Do not speed debate. It does not matter how much you can say if I cannot comprehend the speed at which you are speaking.

3) Please speak if you want to speak. Do not cut someone off or outside of your speech, but if you are in cross for example, and want to speak, SPEAK. If you do not feel that you are allowed to, ask to speak!

I will not flow crossfire, but I do pay attention and it will be counted to speaker points. My timer will be visible to you guys. I will start timing as soon as I hear you begin, just start with a countdown.

If a card is called, and you cannot provide it, it will be ignored!

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at ryanfung.ny@gmail.com

Hi, my name is Ava Ilardi, and I am a freshman at Susan E. Wagner highschool in staten island. I’ve been debating for a year, and so far it has been a very beneficial tool in my academic life.

Some tips:

• I strongly encourage you to stand while you’re giving your speech, as I find it boosts your confidence and makes your delivery very clear
• Make sure you enunciate and speak evenly and clearly

• I will be voting based on which point weighs more based on the mechanisms of scope, magnitude, timeframe, and reversibility, probability, and priority
• I also encourage you to ask your opponents for evidence during the crossfire! Do not assume your opponents evidence is rock solid. Ask for clarification.
• Provide evidence to support your claim. If you do not provide evidence, I will consider that point invalid.

Hello, I'm Sophia (any pronouns) - I'm a former middle school/high school Public Forum debater with some Parli experience.

A few things to keep in mind during the round:

1. If you say something in crossfire that you would like me to weigh, make sure to bring it up in speeches.

2. In that vein, please try to extend your arguments through summary and FF.

3. Please signpost and give a roadmap of your speech.

4. Please be respectful of each other and the opposing team.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me before the round. If you have questions about my feedback, feel free to email me atsophia.a.freitas@gmail.com.

:)

To the speakers reading my paradigm,

Hello there! My name is Damian Lai and I am a current Freshman (Class of '27) at Susan E. Wagner High School (Staten Island)!

Background: I started debating in Public Forums and have judged once for Championships. I joined my school's Debate Team to collaborate with others and develop a common objective while evolving my public speaking skills. So far, I have participated as Speaker 2 for four tournaments and judged one time for the Middle School Championships. Although, I aim to become Speaker 1 in future tournaments (not to discourage existing Speaker 2's, just not my cup of tea :D).

During Rounds: I take notes using Google Docs and will account for sentences that have been expressed clearly. I do share all of my notes in the comments with all of the speakers of the debate because I feel that my notes may be beneficial to some for improvements that can be made or to provide glow comments. As a debater myself, it was important to me to know how I could improve, and I wish the same for the debaters participating. After the conclusion of the debate, I will share what I have written for tips verbally and will try to answer any questions that one may have.

Preferences:
For constructive speeches, a format of labeling first and second (and more) contentions is important to me. This may help your speech develop consistency and a sense of direction of where your speech is headed. In constructive speeches, transparent evidence should be provided with the source it came from if asked.

For rebuttal speeches, it may be difficult to think on the spot at times but aim for directly refuting the opponent's contentions and prove why it can be inaccurate with evidence. A debater may present a hypothetical argument that the opponent may create, and write down the refutation before the speech starts. Warrants will be useful, but may not be particularly provided due to varying arguments.

All speeches: The phrasing of the prominent part of the speech (the main idea) should be what the Judges have while hearing your speech. It may be hard to piece together different sections within the speech without having the main understanding of the point that is trying to be met.

I do keep track of the time of each section within the Public Forum debates and I do encourage speakers to also keep track of their time to avoid any miscommunication. Within this preference, I will specifically name the section of the debate and whose turn it will be to speak (for example, Speaker 1 Pro Constructive).

Use and space out the four minutes of Prep time throughout your speech! If you have the time, use it to the best advantage, but don't save it all for one transition. Even if you feel like you may not need the Prep time, it may be relevant to reread parts of your speech and emphasize the part that needs to be heard.

General Points:
I do not like when people are cut off from their sentences since it does allow for a sense of respect. Instead, one should let the other finish their sentence or comment and say "Excuse me" (or something similar). If you want to speak, ask everyone if you can add on or make a comment!

Make a connection with the other speakers if you think you want to be friends with them! (You might see them again, and you can say, "Hey, I remember you from the other debate!"

Contact:
If you have any questions or parts where I can clarify my notes or comments, please feel free to email me at damianclai5@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading, and good luck with your future debates!

Hello Debaters!

I'm Hailey, and I'm thrilled to be judging your round today. Although I do not have much experience in judging I hope I can learn more from this experience from our current debates today. Here are some tips and tricks to win my ballot and improve in the long run:

The Basis of How I Judge:

• Weighing Arguments: Keep your strongest points at the forefront throughout the round. I also enjoy it when you use specific powerful arguments that leave your opponents stumped, where they do not have a rebuttal for it.
• Clarity and Signposting: I prefer if you get straight to the point, not immediately, but building up to get there. Instead of just adding on unnecessary points that drag on your speech and making it repetitive.
• Cohesive Speeches: Treat your speeches like a collaborative essay. Ensure that your arguments and your partner's work together to build a compelling case that win over your judge, and it's best if you understand the topic clearly to the point where you're able to write about it on your own.

Miscellaneous Tips:

• Speaking Speed: I'm fine with any speed, but ensure your articulation is clear. Emphasize important phrases to make your arguments stand out and not speaking too fast where I can't word out what you're saying, confidently speak up while also fitting within the timeframe.
• Citing Evidence: I don't necessarily flow your evidence or citations I just briefly copy it down if I'm able to understand what it means, but it's essential to cite your sources so I can distinguish between claims and evidence.
• Truth vs. Tech:I don't have any specific preferences on your utilization of truth & tech but I do like to see both being used throughout your debate and speeches. Truth is when your prioritize arguments that are backed up with evidence and factual while tech is prioritizing your argument structure or strategics used in debate.
• Flowing in Crossfire/Final Focus: While I may not always flow content during crossfire or final focus, ensure your key arguments are clear and impactful.

Suggestions:

• Use Prep Time Wisely: Making the most of your prep time is the most effective way in ensuring the debate is successful for you and your partner even if you don't win, make sure to converse with your partner and try to understand what they're saying and predict what the opposing team may say or rebut.
• Confidence and Respect: Don't apologize for brief pauses; instead, move forward confidently. Maintaining a respectful attitude towards your opponent for a positive debate environment, eye contact and projecting are also important.
• Building Connections with other debaters.

Good Luck! I'm eager to hear your arguments and provide feedback. Best of luck, and let's have a great round!

I debated PF in High School, coached in College and now work and run tournaments for the NYCUDL. I judge on the flow most heavily on the last four speeches. Please weigh and give analysis beyond dropping weighing mechanism terms. The more effective your analysis and explanation of the round the more likely I will vote for you. I won't drop your arguments if you don't bring them up in every speech, but I will weigh and value them less because that indicates to me that it is not an essential argument to your case. Be kind to your opponents I will dock your speaks for being rude to anyone in the round.

Hey!

I'm a high school Parli debater with some PF experience who has been debating for a little over five years.

Keep debates in good faith, signpost (please), and speak at an understandable pace.

I'm willing to hear any argument (Buddhism, anyone?) as long as it's argued clearly.

I'm excited to hear it!

For Parli: I don't like roadmaps, and don't be rude about POIs - keep it to 3 max a speech.

For PF: Don't cherrypick evidence, and debate beyond the evidence - I want to hear logic.

HI! I am a former public forum debater, so I flow my rounds. Make sure to be polite and respectful to your opponents during the round. I will be able to understand you as long as you speak at a tolerable pace and articulate your speeches. If I can't hear an argument properly I don’t include it in my flow, and it won't be counted towards my vote. I also don’t flow cross, so make sure that you bring up any of those points later in the round. Lastly, I award speaker points based on debaters who articulate their points clearly.

hi.

im prisha and i've been doing PF for about 4 years now

you can speak fast if you'd like but please keep it in moderation. its not that cool to speak fast anyway

FOR PF:

add me to the email chain for cards: prishavora@gmail.com

please please please weigh and extend your arguments or else I cannot vote for them

things that will get you 30 speaks (your speeches also have to good)

• make a reference to formula 1 in any speech
• flow with a sharpie

things I don't tolerate: just like all other judges, under any circumstances do not be racist, sexist, etc.

please DONT

• dont do offtime roadmaps
• dont spend a crazy amount of time sending cards

just a heads up I do not flow cross but I do listen and will note if anything very major happens like if someone contradicts their own argument. also I do like heated crossfire but please be respectful. push yourself to ask questions that point out flaws in your opponents case. don't ask questions that don't help the debate or move it forward.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me why you win the debate and why your opponents don't or else you give me more of a decision to make which might not favor you at the end of the day.

if you have any question about my reason for decision or if you want any personal feedback please ask during round, but in any case if anything comes up after the rounds you can email me @: prishavora@gmail.com

I was a public school teacher for 10 years, and I am currently the senior programming manager at the New York City Urban Debate League. I've judged and coached in public forum, parliamentary, and world schools formats. Please address your opponents arguments clearly and impact. Be respectful and avoid personal attacks.