Inexperienced judge developing a familiarity with formal Speech and Debate format rules. Expect me to have heard of but be unfamiliar with, and thus slow to identify warrant, linkage, impact statements, etc. Clear signposting would be to your benefit! I am unfamiliar with formal speech and debate format, but I do listen to a lot of Oxford Style debate, in which the overall goal is to clarify, persuade, and educate. I will expect to be able to link your thesis to evidence and rationale.

I will follow a philosophy of tabula rasa to (attempt to) refrain from preferring my predispositions. Generally, I lean left politically but I dislike populism on both sides. I do not accept "common sense" arguments as being a given unless you can construct a sound framework justifying your position. What I value most about debate is the development of the cognitive ability to deconstruct an issue and address it from not only your predisposed conception, but from the opposing perspective(s). Respond to your opponent's argument! Do not expect to restate your own convictions and convince an audience by sheer volume or rhetorical performance.

Given this summary of judge types I consulted to write this paradigm, you can expect me to be inclined as a Hypothesis tester who may fall back on Appearance to adjudicate final determination of judgements if I was unable to discern the breaking points from a Stock Issues approach. In other words, I will do my best to determine arguments from formal speech and debate format philosophy, but will devolve to my personal philosophical inclinations when necessary.

I am here to learn as well and beg your patience with my performance as a judge. I will do my best to provide you with clear feedback about what I found convincing or lacking in your argumentation and refutation.

• update as of Sept 2023
• 3rd year coaching. Still feel slightly inexperienced as my primary job is a High School Science and Engineering Instructor. However, I am much more experienced than when I originally wrote this paradigm.
• All stated above is still accurate although I am more fluent in identifying formal speech and debate structure.

I am a coach of all forms of speech and debate events. I competed at the high school and collegiate level in interp, speech and debate.

Debate:

I would consider myself tab with a default to policymaker. I would prefer debaters establish what I should vote on and how to weigh the round. I believe it is important for the debaters to tell me why arguments are important and why they are winning it. I will vote on anything and I will not vote on anything all at the same time. It's important for you to tell me where to vote. I do not like hearing arguments that are completely squirrel of the topic at hand (ie: scream K). Feel me to ask questions if you have concerns or questions. I would prefer speakers be slow down and be very clear on the tag lines, dates and theory arguments. Speed is fine and I can flow it. I will yell "clear" if you are not.

Speech:

Organization & Clarity with supporting documentation is key. When I am judging these events, I am looking for clear justification for the topic you chose. I am looking for you to be clear in your overall organization, but the internal thesis of your ideas need to be developed and organized also. I believe ethos, logos and pathos need to be developed and deployed each and every time you speak.

Interp:

I am looking for originality. I am looking at individuals to create clear and distinct characters. I need to see you develop strong, believable characters. Tell your story.

Clarity:

If you have questions, please feel free to ask.

I am a new parent judge.

Hello!

First and foremost I want to wish all competitors good luck and just know that it is an accomplishment to be competing no matter the outcome.

I am a Tab judge in all things. I judge based on the merits of your argument in the round so any team or person can win my ballot at a given time.

Congress:

I look for good argumentation within your speeches that includes facts and evidence that are pertinent to the content on the floor. Eye contact and professionalism are a must. I look for passion when you deliver your speech as you are working to convince your fellow delegates that your argument is correct. Better speeches are those that can interpret and use information from fellow members of the room to either turn in their favor or refute arguments. Make sure any claims you make in your speech are backed up by evidence and sound reason.

Extemp:

I look for you to use your time effectively and for you to have a structure to your speech. I want to see the evidence that you have for your topic applied to the points you are making. It is all about the application of your reasoning for me. Stylistically it's important to make eye contact and be engaging when you are speaking.

CX:

I am a tab judge who values direct clash in a round. I do not like spreading and if you are too speedy I will stop flowing your arguments thus even if it is a beautifully well-written and well-reasoned argument I won't count it for you. Clarity of spoken word is more important than massive amounts of information when you cannot actually apply it because you are speaking too fast by just reading a card. I do not like topicality attacks for the sake of a topicality argument. Let's assume we are all topical unless it is so egregious that it really is untopical. Impacts are important in CX as well as the application of your information.

LD:

Is a beautiful debate! I love a good philosophical/ethical argument that you support with sound reasoning. I am old school in the fact that I prefer less reading of evidence cards and more application of the information you present. Evidence is necessary for a good argument, but just spouting it without linking it to your value and criterion is useless to me in LD. Direct clash and attack of the AFF is necessary for the NEG! I want to see exactly why I should prefer one side over the other.

Interp:

For me, the key to a wonderful performance is a fully immersive experience. I want to see the emotions and character you are portraying not just in your words, tone, and inflection but in your body language. Make the selection come alive for the audience. If a selection changes characters or personas, I want to see distinct ways that you are bringing each one to life. Gestures and eye contact are important as well. I value a well-paced selection. Pacing can add intensity or emotion and it can often be a nuance that can cause someone to rank better than others.

Do NOT spread. If you choose to read quickly, you MUST be clear. Debate is about public speaking and developing skills that go beyond the debate round. Please do not yell, be mindful of the space in the room, you need to find the balance between being heard and yelling.

General: Signpost and Voters. I will diligently flow the round but, you must tell me where to put it. I debated in high school and college. Now I have been coaching and judging for over ten years.

CX: I am a policymaker who loves a good Topicality. You must demonstrate clear and concise links to accessing your impacts and provide an analysis of magnitude, timeline, and probability. I will flow, you just need to tell me where you want me to flow the arguments, so make sure you sign post. I will avoid judge intervention at all costs, so if you drop down to a single argument, that is what I am weighing regardless of my flow.

Don't run a K or theory argument unless you are out of other options. I will not buy any sort of disclosure theory.

LD: Value and Criteria. I am an old-school LD judge, I prefer to hear a traditional debate, not one person policy.

Congress: Speak often and early. I will score a P.O. well if they run an efficient round. I would rather hear multiple bills and good debate. If you are giving the 11th Aff on a bill, you probably won't score as well unless you can actually advance the debate.

In debate, I value true debating. I look for clash and actual consideration of competitor's arguments, not just person after person reading their pre-written, un-customized cards or speeches. I also value communication. If you talk too speedily and I cannot hear distinct words, those arguments will not be accounted for in my judging. This is not to be mean, but if I can't understand you, I can't really judge you. Finally, you will be polite and respectful. Yes, I want clash, but nothing personal. Debate your opponent's points, not their personality or appearance or whatever else. Honestly, that would just make me more sympathetic to them, so don't do it. And PLEASE, no lingo. Say real people words. I do not care enough to learn every swanky fancy term for something you could just call by name, so if you use debater's slang around me, I just plain won't know what you mean, and that's not good communication.

IEs are a little different. Of course you will not be clashing, so those parts don't apply. Still, I expect you to speak clearly, and I expect to not. be. yelled. at. I don't mean I don't want to be lectured, because extemp speeches and oratories are literally lectures, but do not raise your voice at me. Get passionate, vary your tone, all that good stuff, but don't literally yell. It's kind of the same principle, if I can't hear you well and you're just being mean, I'm gonna have a harder time giving you first place.

And for POs in Congress, please, be chill. I'm not saying be lax on the rules, but in my opinion, an amicable (but not lazy!) chamber is the best kind. I don't like being yelled at. As long as everyone gets to speak and you run the room fairly, you'll be good in my book, and you'll be satisfied with your rank on my ballot.

I just want y'all to be nice to each other. You're all overachievers who choose to put on a suit and debate politics on the weekends for fun, there's no need to get nasty or cutthroat or anything l like that. You're a lot more similar than you are different, which is a good thing! Just be cool, and I'll be cool too.

Good luck, all!

I am a pretty basic judge. I like good arguments and good speaking. I prefer stock issues, but I know that I'm old fashioned and most students don't really do that anymore. Don't talk too fast, to the point where I can't understand you or am concerned about your health and safety. If you do so, I will put my pen down, and anything I don't write down didn't happen. Seriously, don't spread. As far as arguments go, I'm pretty good with anything. Don't just read a bunch of numbers or words and expect me to make the connections to your case or your opponent's. Explain why your statistics matter and why your arguments outweigh your opponent's. I also like the structure. Tell me you're on advantage 1, or you're covering inherency, etc. It really helps. Otherwise, I'm just here to listen to what you have to tell me.

Hi, all!

I am in my third decade of this activity and love the outcomes it affords graduates. I do fear that some of the modern trophy-hunting tricks undercut the educational value / critical thinking / topic discovery aspects of debate. I admire speakers, debaters, and programs who explore a topic's possibilities, implications, unintended consequences, and force a consideration of new issues.

Debate Events

I am energized by creative interpretations of the topic, exploration of hidden causes / unforeseen (but provably viable) outcomes, and the realpolitik / pragmatic examination of the issues presented by the topics. I do not believe that anything other than CX requires a plan in order to be evaluated.

LD is asking the question "why" an action should / n't be done. Debaters are free to offer plans, but should be willing to engage in "why" debate on a philosophical / moral justification level. I prefer a problem-solving approach to rope-a-dope debate. I believe judges should have the right (perhaps obligation) to apply some semblance of critical thinking to the cases presented when considering how to evaluate them. There is a prima facie aspect to debate which requires arguments to be upheld as reasonable in order for the case to stand on "first face." Everyone's definition of "speed" is different, so I will simply say that I appreciate being given the opportunity to consider your argument. I should not have to rely on the e-mail chain to tell me what you said or interpret what you meant. The e-mail chain should probably be for reviewing cards at the end of the round as needed. In short, e-mail chains do not replace the communicative aspect of the event and relying on them to do such can limit the general outcomes of all participants in the round.

I do not resonate with pre-emptive theory ("they didn't put it on the wiki") arguments in lieu of substantive debate. You are free to run them in conjunction, but you need to do a lot of work to convince me the harm that's being done because what you say is "the way things are" is not being done. I'm all for challenging prevailing assumption, but just because you said it's so does not make it such.

WSD teams should ensure some semblance of balance and equity amongst team members. Having a first speaker essentially read case and then get out of the way so second speaker can do the heavy lifting for the next hour doesn't really reflect well on the team. In a points race, it is imperative that all parties on the team are pulling their share of the weight. I love teams who have multiple levels of conceptualizing the same point. Exploring the pragmatic level and/or the moral level and/of the economic level and/or... allows the judge to have multiple "outs" to agree with you and demonstrates a depth of topic mastery that compares favorably to teams who rely on one level throughout. WSD is a wonderful combination of presentation and argumentation / content and I follow the proportional consideration of each provided on the ballot.

I am primarily a policy coach/judge, but do have experience with LD and PF. I have been judging for more than 15 years and have judged on the UIL, TFA, and NSDA circuits.

In CX, I consider myself to be a policymaker judge, but what it comes down to is that the debater that convinces me is the debater that is going to get my vote. This means that I am looking for strong evidence as well as good analysis. I am looking for arguments that make sense. I am looking for cases that not only prove their own points but counter the opponent's points, as well. I strive to start the round with no preconceived notions. I want to see strong framework and strong impact calcs.

Do not make the mistake of presenting your case without arguing your opponent's. Yes, I am repeating that statement. It bears repeating.

Speed is ok, but at the end of the day, I still like to hear good speaking. If I cannot understand what you are saying, then your speaking habits are not showcasing what you should be doing. I would rather hear fewer quality arguments than to have so much crammed into your time that I am unable to see clearly how it all works together.

While I do not judge as much LD as I do CX, my paradigm remains much the same. I like very structured speeches with clear signposting, clear organization, and delineation between arguments. I want to see evidence early in the round but more analysis as the round progresses. Make sure that your Value and Criterion are strong and show me why I should vote on those - and back that up with what you are presenting with your evidence and analysis.

In Congress, it is important that you are active in the session. I know it becomes a game to see who can get the most speeches in, but unless they are quality speeches, it's going to backfire. Speeches should be quality speeches. And on that note, while I know it is super easy to read straight from notes while competing virtually, I don't like it and will not score a speech high if you are reading straight from your paper. Evidence is important and I want to hear sources. You should have at least one, and preferably two, sources per point. Once the initial speeches are made, it is vital that new arguments to keep things fresh and to promote clash are essential. The PO should have control of the chamber and be confident in his or her style and movements. A good PO will keep things flowing without stifling competitors and will manage to get an optimal number of speakers in. '

In IEs, I look for poise and confidence, good speaking style, strong movements and posture. In INF and OO, as well as extemp, quality evidence is essential but should flow seamlessly with the information. In all events, including interp, I would like to see you far enough away from the camera that movement is natural and not distracting. In OO and INF, as well as in interp, I would like to see a connection to society and/or to your own experiences. For me, the best pieces do both.

In interp, intros should be casual and conversational. Tell me why your topic is important, even in HI. What is the connection to society? To yourself? Blocking, movement, and bookwork (POI) should be natural and not distracting. Characters should be distinct and recognizable, vocally and physically. I don't mind the use of curse words, but do want to see pieces that are true to the author's intent.

Hi, I'm Greg Zarbo,  This is my first time to have the honor to be a judge for a speech and debate tournament.  I've have vast experience presenting speeches public speeches.  I have been a member of Toastmasters and was an MC at conferences and presented at lunch and learns and corporate dinners,