hi. i’m a public forum debater, orator, and extemper. I’m a pretty extroverted person so if you say something off track, you definitely will see my reaction and know that. At the end of each round, i will give some feedback and critiques on the round, if, of course, you want me to.

Some rules i have:

1. Let’s have fun. that’s all i want. this is a learning experience for us all so just enjoy it

2. I want everyone to have confidence in themselves, and to know that the only way to get better, is to try your hardest no matter the circumstance. never give up, because a round can be won at many different times.

3. DO NOT say anything homophobic, transphobic, sexist, racist, xenophobic, or any other such things. I will not tolerate it all and will lose you the round

PUBLIC FORUM:

Actual debate-y stuff I like for PF:

1. i want clear and loud case reading. i don’t care how fast, just please be legible otherwise you are going to lose
2. tell me where you are at on the flow. otherwise imma be lost and i won’t even know what you are arguing anymore. clearly tell me in this format (onto their contention 1 sub point A where they argue _____ )
3. rebuttal: if you are the first speaking team, please only attack your opponents case. if you are the second speaker team, please use about 3 ish minutes on your opponents side first, and then use the rest to respond to a few arguments the opponents made against your case.
4. summary: literally the most important speech. this makes or breaks your round if i’m being honest. clear and concise. boil it down to the main points, what is dropped and what isn’t, and use voters (main things that are the reason why you win. can really be anything)
5. final focus: really just explain to me why you won. rounds are usually won at summary, but if you tell me something really good in final focus, you might win. don’t repeat the voters back to me. i already heard them. no new evidence though
6. cross fire: this is my pet peeve. ask relevant questions please. and don’t keep pushing something that they already answered. DO NOT BE RUDE. OMG IF YOU ARE IT MAKES ME MAD PLEASE PLEASE DONT.
7. use off the clock road maps for all speeches except the constructive

LINCOLN DOUGLAS

Im not the most familiar with this. I do know structure and stuff kinda of it. You will have to help me with timings and what speech is what. Things I look for in this are similar to PF, so just read above whatever you need.

Niche things:

1. CBA is the worst framework in history
2. ontology makes me wanna die
3. jakob hofer loves K's, run one on him
4. if you run a joke case, i genuinely will listen
5. if you see patrick pope, tell him to run his damn miles

I hope you guys get in the habit of reading paradigm. if you do read this, mention SpongeBob squarepants to me before or after the round and i will give .5 speaker points. whoever does it first gets the extra points

If you are a novice and somehow run a K, you instantly will be given the W

My achievements include eating an entire tub of Ben and Jerry’s in one sitting and being able to quote every episode of Criminal Minds

Slay the day, be gay :)

HISTORY:

4-year Public Forum Debater and 2-time National Qualifier. 4-year Original Orator and 3-time National Qualifier.

PF:

Flow judge who will be very sad if you don’t signpost :,(

I take prep for cards. I have final say for time!

If you tell me to look at a card, I will look at the card.

I value kindness and respect in every debate round. Zero tolerance for racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. of any kind.

Have fun! Debate should be a friendly competition. I encourage making appropriate jokes and pop culture references that will make me laugh.

Run a K and get an automatic win, if you have to settle for theory that will doc you speaker points.

couple of quick notes

• I have already decided the round before you walk in
• I weigh only on cross fire
• having less than 3 contention is really weak in my mind, so please read 4+

Background:

I debated in public forum for four years in the SD circuit. I qualified for nationals three times (twice in public forum and once in IX). I now am a first year studying international politics at Georgetown University.

PF:

I am a flow judge, please sign-post! If neither team has a framework I default to a CBA. I appreciate clash throughout a debate round. I consider myself a tabula rasa judge.

I won't take prep for looking at cards, but please try to be fast and efficient when sharing evidence.

I am a pretty laid-back judge, but I do not tolerate any kind of discrimination in a debate round. I do not have a problem dropping people for excessive rudeness.

When it comes to debate I am a flow heavy judge, I look to see the arguments that are left at the end of a round to see who won, it’s pretty simple.

I prefer tech>truth HOWEVER I am a traditional judge. So, unless you are able to convince me won’t by an outlandish argument.

Signpost! I can’t stress this enough ESPECIALLY in the rebuttals speech.

Throughout the round PLEASE PLEASE flow your impacts through and tell me what your opponents DROPPED.

Be respectful, kind and have fun :) Good Luck

[Personal Info]

I did Lincoln Douglas debate my senior year, did public forum for 3 years, I’ve done congress, and then big question (very very poorly) for a hot second, so you don’t have to dumb down jargon.

I don’t disclose rounds, so don’t ask me to or try to persuade me into disclosing, you're just wasting time.

I know what it’s like to have to carry teammates in a debate, and just how excruciating the whole thing is so I have zero tolerance for it if I see it in round.

Also I make faces when I think about things which makes me look very angry and like I’m scowling, ignore that I just have a RBF it doesn’t relate to how you’re doing a majority of the time.

[General]

/Evidence/

PF:

If you want me to take the evidence you have into consideration in voting you have to carry it throughout all your speeches; you can’t give evidence in Rebuttal, drop it in summary, and then try and bring it up in Final Focus, I won’t flow it. If someone asks for a card, give it to them.

LD:

it’s the same as stated before just change the speech names.

/Speed and Performance/

I don’t like spreading, don’t do it (I have audio processing problems). My preferred speed is a moderate pace, aka a 6-7/10. Just make sure you speak clearly as far as performance is concerned.

/Time/

TIME YOURSELF. You need to use up your speech time, I hate it when there’s a minute or more left on the clock so try your best to get as close to the set time as possible. If you can’t think of anything else to say about your opponent's case, go over your own case and explain why it stands or your framework, something to fill your time if you have no more evidence to read. I will time your speeches, I will also time your prep but I tend to get distracted during prep so don’t tell me a set amount of time. If you want a set amount of prep then you can time yourself and then just tell me when you're done using prep and I’ll stop my timer.

/Speaks/

High: you did your best and you tried and gave good speeches, I will only give you a 30 if you are absolutely perfect on everything you do and have a good amount of debate etiquette but you are also assertive and don't let your opponents walk all over you.

Low: You went silent for a majority of the speech, you had an abusive argument, you showed disrespect/lack of care. If you are abusive to your opponents you will get as close to 0 speaks from me as possible without getting a full 0, and if you make your partner carry you the entire round and do nothing you will instantly get the lowest possible speaks from me.

/Framework/

PF:

If you're going to use a framework and want me to vote under it then you need to bring it up in all your speeches so you don’t drop it. If your framework outweighs your opponents explain to me why, same goes with why it completely goes against your opponent's case and why you win under it. Although I don’t like it if you only drop your framework in rebuttal but carry it through your summary and final focus I’ll vote under it, but only if you use all your time up in rebuttal.

LD:

I AM BIG ON FRAMEWORKS!!! PLEASE tie this into what you’re saying in round and have it actually make sense, this is the thing that really differentiates ld from pf. If you’re running a framework it should never be both deontological and consequential, that’s not how frameworks work. Just carry frameworks through the round as its a main thing that I use to vote in the round.

/Case/

With cases just make sure it’s understandable and set up in an organized manner. When I say this I mean state your contentions and subpoints so it’s easier to flow and judge the round. I prefer off-the-clock roadmaps so I know which case you're going down and so it’s easier to flow and judge on what you’re saying. If you’re using an off-the-clock roadmap then actually follow it.

/Variation/

For novices, I completely understand that you are new to debate so I’m more lenient on things that I wouldn’t allow, from Judging a practice round for Varsity for example. I tried to make my paradigm all-level friendly so it doesn’t matter what level you are.

I am a three year Public Forum debater at Jefferson High School. So I am very familiar with PF debate. As a debater, in order to win me over please do the work for me. Weigh the impacts said in the round and make it clear through the flow why as a judge I should vote for you. Please keep the round respectful and be kind to your opponents.

My internal speaks scale:

• Below 25 - something offensive or very very bad happened (please do not make me do this!)
• 25-27.5 - didn’t use all time strategically (varsity only), distracted from important parts of the debate, didn’t add anything new or relevant
• 27.5-29 - v good, some strategic comments, very few presentational issues, decent structuring
• 29-30 - wouldn’t be shocked to see you in outrounds, very few strategic notes, amazing structure, gives me distinct weighing and routes to the ballot.

Hey! I’m Michelle. I’m currently a freshman in college and I am also a former Washington PF debater and Extemp speaker.

Public Forum: I am good with any speaking speed since I have experience with flowing.

Don’t be rude to your opponent. There’s a difference between being assertive and just being rude.

I am a lay judge with no debate experience except with my own children. I judge by common sense, comprehension, organization, pace, volume, and sometimes gut reactions. I do not like to be consistently told "Judge you should find that....." or "put this down on one side". I will pay attention if the debaters are looking at me or their opponents when they are speaking.

First off, I have done VPF, INF, SC, and VFX. With all of that in mind, take a grain of salt with anything I say if I am judging you in any other field of speech and debate.

GENERAL INFO

PF: I am a stickler for signposting and trying to carry as many arguments (with clashes) as possible. Don't make the round a series of "our claims are better than your claims". Clashing arguments mean their claims directly oppose one another. E.g. "The sky is grey" vs. "the sky is blue". Flowing is the most important skill, use it and you are sure to please me. Also, I view prep time strictly. If you have shown competence I will be strict, if it's your first time debating I'll be more lenient. CX should NEVER be an argument session. CX is only for answering and asking questions, nothing else. I have seen it in rounds and experienced it as a debater. It gets nobody or the debate anywhere and cuts down on useful time that could be better spent answering questions. Arguing and debating should never mix. Keep your cool and simply answer and ask questions. Being professional in the future will also help you win over a judge if you run into a team that isn't polite in CX. And for newer debaters, NEVER ASK HOW OR WHY QUESTIONS IN CX. This allows your opponents to rabble on and on about their cases and cards. Rephrase any question you have into a straight yes or no. How and Why Questions will be docking any person who uses them. Marginally of course but you will still be docked.

INF: Dropping boards when setting up is not a big deal to me. However, when you are giving your speech you should have everything in order. Even new speakers to the scene have to have their visuals in order otherwise it takes away from the speech. Now if you do make a mistake, it's not like I judge you unfairly, you'll probably get docked 1-2 points for major slip-ups. However, I judge on a scale. If I know you're an experienced speaker, I will judge you harsher than a newcomer. In order to improve when you are already a great speaker, you need even the smallest mistakes fixed. (Sidenote: I'm not going to be really harsh with the speaker's points if you are experienced, but I will notice smaller mistakes and point them out.)

FX/DX: (Even though I did FX and not DX, Extemp and its format are the same anyway.) Try to maximize the amount of time you are speaking. But do not spend unusual amounts of time on a single argument, I will catch it and dock you. Maximize time by either bringing in another back argument you have or making previous arguments longer as a failsafe. A proper extemp speech should be 7:30 on the dot with 3-4 main arguments that support a thesis. Also, have a decent hook/opener. Intros shouldn't be any longer than 1:30.

NEW DEBATERS

Look towards me, not your opponent (If you're not in an IE), I don't mind it too much but in future rounds, if you decide to stick with debate, lay judges (without knowing it) will care very much. Making eye contact is a major help in ensuring the judge feels engaged in the debate. Don't be afraid to say your speech and if you have a speech impediment I won't hold it against you. Your arguments are what I will focus on. Consistency within your arguments or statement lets a judge give you higher speaker points as well as make your claims feel stronger to the judge. NOT EVERY JUDGE IS THE SAME. But a majority of us will give debaters the benefit of the doubt if they an obvious mistake. But again not all of us are the same. I know a number of judges who judge very harshly because of outside factors a debater can't control. Try your best with all judges and you should be good.

More importantly, have fun!

I participated in Public Forum debate from 2014-2018.

• Flow: I try to maintain a solid flow and jot down points, subpoints, impacts (numbers/why the point matters). I am listening for solid arguments with evidence, links, and warrants. Avoid speed reading.

• Framework: If presented and uncontested, I will use it to weigh the round.

• Rebuttal: Provide a line by line response. You can group points/subpoints if responding the same to both arguments.

• Summary: Address both sides of the flow, whether line by line or focusing on voting issues. Be organized and clear in your debating.

• Final Focus: Condense the debate into 2-3 major voting issues backed by evidence. Respond directly to opponents' arguments. I expect to hear lots of weighing in this speech.

• Weighing: Compare the Pro/con world and explain why you win. Make sure to weigh in Summary and Final Focus, I also like to hear weighing in rebuttal if you have time.