Hello,
I am a first year parent judge.
I am looking for clarity and eye contact.
Speech/case organization is important, and should be relatively easy to follow.
I write my feedback simultaneously as I listen to the speech. Avoid spreading so I can follow the argumentation.
Be respectful and cordial to your opponent.
Good luck!

I was once a policy debater so there is a reasonable chance that I will keep up on my flow. If I don't, that means there is a good chance you are talking like a policy debater yourself (or like an auctioneer, and I won't feel so bad if I miss something).

I will go where you take me. I will rely on your arguments rather than my own domain knowledge.

I do appreciate when debaters spell it out for me, not just why you should win the argument but how that argument should contribute to the decision. I look for clear links and impacts for the pivotal arguments. I understand that jargon is useful shorthand, but I will understand you better if the jargon does not become excessive.

I will tolerate kritiks but set a high bar for arguments that do not attempt to relate to the resolution, or that could be used regardless of the topic at hand (i.e. meta-arguments like that debate is pointless because we live in a flawed society). I appreciate clash delivered with a level of sportsmanship and manners.

I am a parent judge and have been judging since September 2019. I have primarily judged LD but in the last 2 years I have judged PF, Parli Policy and Congress too. I do flow and take copious notes. I am not comfortable with spreading, so please speak at moderate speed so that I can understand your arguments. Please make sure you are polite to your opponent. Please provide sufficient evidence to substantiate your contentions and be able to provide evidence when asked by your opponent. Do not introduce new evidence in your final speeches or lie that arguments were dropped when they weren't. It will definitely count against you as I do flow. Overall enjoy the debate and have fun!

I am a parent judge (lay judge). I started judging in 2021. I like clear explanation with well-organized flow. My opinion on the topic will not affect how I judge.

This will be my fourth year judging.

When listening to proposals, arguments, rebuttals, etc., I look for the speaker to be confident, not condescending, when delivering their statements. Be respectful of one another.

I look for the most talented team in terms of their arguments and rebuttals. All teams need to be respectful and please.. talk slowly.

Hello! I am a parent judge with a few years of experience judging debate. I appreciate good logic chains and respectful manners in round, and English is my second language so please speak clearly and at a conversational speed, I may have trouble keeping up with fast or technical rounds. Most importantly, have fun!

Hi debaters!

This is my first year judging, and I'm excited to see your skills! Being a parent of a high schooler myself, I know how much work goes into debate. Just remember to be respectful to everyone involved, that's most important.

When it comes to judging, I care most about the logic behind your arguments, not how many fancy words you use. Strong evidence and clear facts matter more than just throwing out references. Of course, speak clearly so I can follow your points easily, but I won't be counting how fast you talk or how dramatic your hand gestures are.

Lastly, have fun and enjoy the event.

• I am a parent judge. I only judge slow debates and I do flow. I judge using a holistic approach. Please be clear and concise. Also, be respectful and civil toward your opponents.

I am a parent judge.

I will drop you if you spread or run theory. I cannot evaluate circuit LD.

Signpost so I know where you are on the flow. Make sure to impact your arguments well.

Be respectful and courteous to your opponent.

I am a parent judge. I started judging in 2021.

Do not spread or run theory. I prefer speakers go not too fast and carefully establish their logical framework, rather than glossing over a list of items. If I cannot understand, the contents do not matter. Once I understand, I vote for both arguments and speaking.

Be respectful and courteous to your opponent.

I prefer to give a written comment instead verbal comment at the end of the debate.

Welcome to the competition! Debates and speeches are exceptional events and a fun way for students to engage discussing social, economic, and a wide range of topics.

I have been judging both speech and debate in the current stint for 3 years with 4 years of prior judging experience. I am a parent judge. I am a former competitor as well.

Please follow your methodology relevant to your event and respect your fellow competitors. All the best!

I am a parent judge with experience judging PF for the past two years. I have very basic knowledge on this topic. Please be respectful.

I am a lay parent judge with a little bit of judging experience in policy.

Please no circuit arguments or spreading, and make sure to explain all of your arguments.

Remember to be kind to your opponents and have a fair round!

I am a parent judge. I prefer to give a written comment instead verbal comment at the end of the debate.

I am a parent judge. This is my second year judging.

Roadmaps and signposting are very helpful so I can have an understanding of where you are going with the speech.

Speak at a moderate pace. Define important terms when it comes to the debate resolution; don't assume I will understand what something is. Clearly state your case and provide sufficient evidence and logic.

Be nice to each other during the debate; do not be rude. Do not interrupt when the opposing team is speaking unless it is for a valid reason.

I am a parent judge who has been judging for a couple of years but have a long history of participating and winning speech and debate tournaments.

I value calm cogent coherent arguments over bombastic and aggressive harangue.

Be kind - to yourself and to your opponents.

Be yourself. 

Be the best person you can be.

Be respectful.

Ad hominem arguments are an immediate fail in my book.

I take a dim view of spreading; if I can't understand you, evidently you can't convince me of the soundness of your arguments.

If you are not clear or understandable, I'll call out "Clear!" Please heed it.  I will not be repeating the call more than twice. 

Time: I expect the candidates to time themselves and honor it. But I do keep watch.

If you are using frameworks, define them clearly at the outset.

I appreciate good rebuttals and cross examinations.

Good luck, and most importantly, have fun.

I’m a new parent judge, first year, please be on normal conversational pace.

I will vote on clarity, logical arguments and understandable explaining.

Help my decision by emphasizing your key arguments and applying comparative weighting in your summary.

Enjoy debating!

Hi Debaters,

Here are a few helpful tips to help you understand my preferences as a judge. I’m relatively new to judging, however, I do have a Law Degree and have plenty of debating experience.

1) SLOW DOWN..BE ORGANIZED. I'm very sensitive to "Spreading". If you throw a lot at me, it'll just get lost in the noise. I won't digest your points, and you'll hurt your credibility with me. Do your best to offer your arguments in structured and logical formats. If your argument will contain more than one element, try to preface your comments by indicating there are multiple items you want to speak to, then follow up with a structured approach to addressing them in order. (For example, "I believe there are 3 main arguments in favor of this approach. First,..., Second,..., Third...)

2) Speak clearly and confidently. Try to avoid "Um" and "Ah" as fillers between pauses. If you need time to think, let yourself take a small moment/pause in between statements to gather your words. This will add gravitas to your presence.

3) The most effective debate performances are the ones who don't shy away from the opposing arguments. If the opposition has raised points, be sure you capture them and address them when it's your turn to speak. The more comprehensively you counter all claims, the stronger your debate will be perceived.

4) Remember to always remain professional and courteous. At times arguments can get passionate, but always avoid personal attacks, or making statements that demean anyone's character, intelligence, or motives.

The following is written by my son but he just rephrased my opinions in a more understandable way

This is my 3rd year judging debate so not a lot of experience

State your sources, evidence, impacts, harms, etc in a clear and understandable way

Pretend I do not know anything about any topic, so explain everything!

Go slow and focus on getting your message out in a clear way

No K's or Theory, I do not understand them (sorry)

Be nice and polite, you are here to debate an educational round, not to dog fight with each other

Don't interrupt unless it is a clarification/POI

Overall have fun and enjoy the round!

Hello, I'm Christina Zhang. I don't have much prior debate experience, so I would count as a Lay Judge. Knowing that please arrange your prep accordingly.

General:

Just call me Judge. Please do not call me by my name.

Please signpost. If you do no signposting it will be exceedingly confusing. If the I don't know what you're saying then I can't weigh your arguments.

Arguments:

1. Tech & Truth: A standard Advantage/Disadvantage round is probably the simplest, and while I do acknowledge tech over truth, I still do tend to occasionally favor truth over tech, so even if one side drops an argument, that doesn't mean I will automatically weigh it against them if the assertion is not properly explained enough.

Ie. You bring up nuclear war, but never properly explain it well enough and don't address simple things like Mutually Assured Destruction, even if the opponent completely drops, I might not weigh in your favor and just strike it from the round.

Basically if it doesn't make enough logical sense, then I won't consider it.

1. Impacts. If I don't hear a properly quantified impact it might not have nearly as much weighing power.

Just saying: "Grows the economy", "Increases QoL" or "Saves lives" are not proper impacts. "Grows the economy by 153 billion USD over the next 2 years", or "Decreases cardiac deaths by 10%", or "Increases GDP per capita by 5%", or "Prevents 4000 deaths" are properly quantified impacts, so will be weighed to their fullest extent.

Theory:

I don't know any theory, so please don't run any theory. I'm not very experienced, so keep everything simple. Just because you win on theory on the flow doesn't mean that I'll take theory into heavy consideration or even at all

Kritiques:

Just don't run them. If you run a K, there's a good chance I might not understand it so even if you crush the opponent on the flow, you'll still probably lose. Debate is about accessibility and understanding, so if the layperson can't understand what's happening, you'll likely not get you point across.