About me, in no particular order. Mom. Physician-scientist. Gardener. Singer. Midwesterner. Environmentalist.

Judging Experience: 2 years, both speech and debate

Judging Preferences: Speaker slowly and clearly. Multiple cards linking your argument just not one or two.

Hello all, I am a parent judge and I have been judging LD, PF, and other individual events for the last 3-4 years.

DECISION:My decision evaluates all scopes of the debate: framework, arguments, reasoning, evidence, links, etc. However, telling me why your IMPACTS are important and how you better achieve them than your opponent is key for you to win this debate. I do not care about what kind of impacts you give me, but it would be good if you start out with specifics and then at the end you summarize with broad ones so I know where you are deriving your impacts from.

FLOWING: I will flow a line-by-line analysis, however, I prefer OVERVIEWS (not only in your 2ars or 2nrs) because they clear things up for me and make the ballot easier too.

OTHER PREFERENCES: For speaking, please speak clearly and speak to the point. In terms of speed, please do NOT SPREAD . If you speak marginally fast or faster than conversational, it is okay as long as you slow down at the impactful parts, tags, numbers you want me to flow, etc. Do NOT RUN THEORY because I will probably not understand it or flow it. By chance if I do flow part of your theory argument , it will not be a major evaluation in the debate and I will probably just ignore it.

HAVE FUN DEBATING ;)

I am a parent judge who likes clear and concise arguments that help the flow of the round

Lay judge, no spreading. I have judged Congress to oi to policy. I will always write long form notes on in round speeches, but I may not set up my flow like conventional debaters.

sai.ankireddi@gmail.com

I am a lay judge, so whenever you talk about anything, please make sure that you explain it thoroughly. I know little to nothing about this topic so just keep that in mind.

How I will vote.

1. The first thing that I will take into consideration is whoever proves more convincing to me, whoever proves that the benefits outweigh the harms or that the harms outweigh the benefits. I would greatly appreciate if you could weigh with your impacts on the three scales, magnitude, probability, and timeframe.

2. Whoever debates better. I would also vote for a team that refutes all of their opponents points compared to a team that drops all of their opponents points. Whoever keeps their case alive at the end, and destroys their opponents or whoever convinces me to vote for them in this way will definitely earn my ballot.

Not as important but I may include some of this in my decision

1. PLEASE TIME YOURSELVES. For example: If you take like a minute of prep extra and YOUR OPPONENTS POINT THIS OUT TO ME, this will affect my decision. Please use your respective amount of time for speeches, there is a 10 second grace period after every speech, and 3 minutes for prep.

2. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL. Although this is competitive, it is still done for fun. There shall be no disrespect shown to anyone else, as this is a formal setting and must be looked upon as.

3. PLEASE NO SPREADING. IF you do so, I may not catch everything which will affect my decision.

I am a beginner judge of speech and debate tournaments.

For speech tournaments, the guiding principles that I use to judge participants include the following:

1. Was the speech compelling? Was it well delivered with maturity, poise, and a demonstrated understanding of the topic?
2. Was the logic in the speech sound?
3. How well did the speaker present? Did they use effective gestures and facial queues? Did they speak fluently? Were there nervous ticks or unnecessary adds such as the use of "like" or "just" repeatedly throughout the presentation?

For debate tournaments, I look for the following:

1. Is the logic used in the debate sound? Are there inconsistencies or logic leaps that make the argument difficult or impossible to follow?
2. Did the AF team effectively present a plan that I could understand?
3. Did the Neg team present an alternative or effectively refute the plan presented?
4. Was evidence used effectively?
5. Were ideas communicated in a way that was understandable?
6. Which team made the most compelling arguments/which team was able to respond most effectively to key points of the opponent to make or refute a case?

I do my best to remove any bias based on prior knowledge or a topic and/or presenter characteristics.

Hey guys this is Austin, Joel's son here to tell you a little bit about my dad. He is a LAY judge. NO SPREADING. you will lose if you do this. Don't run medium arguments and use jargon like internal link. It will not work well for you. My dad has been working in cyber for 20 years so he knows stuff about cyber but will listen to evidence.

I am a lay judge who has three years of experience in judging PF.

Please speak on the slow side; I will not vote for you if I cannot understand your arguments.

I vote off of clearly explained link chains and impacts. Make your case and narrative the easiest to understand, and you will get my ballot. Make my job easier and explain why I should vote for your team.

I will drop you for racist, sexist, or xenophobic comments/attitude.

Have fun!

I am a parent judge new to speech and debate, expecting students to speak slowly and clearly. Please just assume that I would sometimes know about the topic beforehand. In addition, I might need students to explain their voting issues clearly.

I am a parent judge.

If I don't understand the words, I will not be able to judge your claim.

Emphasize your important points. For example, before getting into a contention, say something like " My 2nd contention is....". Pausing at appropriate places to make sure I've absorbed the gist of what you're sharing would get you extra credit for effective communication.

Use your knowledge and reasoning skills.

I do NOT prefer spreading. Speak with clarity and at a normal cadence/speed.

I will listen with an open mind and I will not impose my personal beliefs, and/or knowledge about the debate topic.

Good luck

I am a parent judge. Please speak clearly and enunciate. Have fun

I'm a parent judge with minimal experience. Clarity in communciation/articulating the info will help me digest the info better.

TBD

I have done policy debate, LD and Congress, competing at State (CA) and Nationals when I was in high school.

I am truth over technical putting a premium on understanding your argument and on the logic both teams use to explain why the evidence and the expert is relevant to the argument. Bad evidence loses to good logic and common sense. Good evidence plus logic wins. Stated another way, in making your arguments around impacts, I listen carefully for logical fallacies -- while I won't vote against you if I hear a slippery slope, or a correlation/ causation fallacy, I will keenly listen to see how your opponent responds. I share this because as you develop your speaking skills for life (amazing by the way), your goal will be to persuade whether in business, law, medicine, science or politics -- few things undermine one's credibiilty more than arguments that tend to extremes based on unsubstantiated logical or reasoning errors, so it's good to start to learn and practive now how to build structurally and logical sound arguments, relying on evidence, early in your journey.

Debate is about testing logic and evidence to communicate a Point of View that can be understood and is compelling, so expect me to be a critical judge who will weight what each team tells me about the arguments presented; I vote for the argument I find most persuasive. I will look to frame my assessment against the main stock issues, unless you convince me another standard should be used. Also, if I can't understand the argument, I can't very well score it in your favor.

Beyond my debate experience, my perspective on policy is shaped by being involved in lobbying the Federal Government for Procter and Gamble and time at a leading think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). I worked as a management consult for Booz Allen & Hamilton, where I created business facts and strategies for the Mayo Clinic and NYH Cornell. I have an undergraduate degree in History and a MBA degree, so I feel very comfortable listening to arguments that weight and test the quality of the expert as well as the merits of the evidence; I will even accept your use of common sense or logic to call out logical fallacies, and to sanity test or refute a piece of evidence that just doesn’t make sense.

Finally, effective persuasion includes respectful disagreement, so I will notice rude, sarcastic or condesending behavior and that will detract heavily from the weight I attribute to your argument or position. Please enjoy a spirited discussion and I will do my best to flow and follow.

Public Forum

Emphasize logic and flow, facts & evidences; value respect and professionalism. Manner, behavior and sincerity matters.

Judged in SCU & North Bay.

New to judging. All argument is valid as long as the argument is justified. Show your evidence clearly.

Enjoy, it will show on your delivery!

I am a parent judge and this is my fourth year judging in policy, PF, and LD events. Please do not spread or speak super fast: If I cannot understand you and follow your flow, I will not be able to judge you.

I am a scientist by training so I am mostly looking for the logic connecting the evidence with the statement, and if the opposing side was able to identify the conflict of evidence either existing in assumption and study methodology. I do not judge the credibility of the evidence by its author or organization but more on what the opposing team picks up to clash and answers to.

I am a parent judge with two years of judging experience

General Preferences:

Don't speak too fast

Be concise

Time yourself

Emphasize important points with pauses!

PF:

I care about how you speak

Make your contention names clear when reading your case

Make your opponent's contention names clear when you are refuting them, and be specific as to what you are refuting.

Make sure all arguments are responded to

Hi, I am a parent judge, starting 2023-2024 year.
My decision will be primarily based on

• Clearly presented arguments
• Evidence supporting the arguments
• Clearly differentiating their position during clash
• Well addressed rebuttals
• Being courteous to others
• Keeping time

I’m a parent judge, and this is my second year judging debate. I have judged policy and parliamentary debate. I have extensive background in issues of national security and finance.

I ask that you please speak clearly and not too fast. Try to resist from filler words. Most of all, I ask that you are respectful of your opponents.

I appreciate logical and clear arguments backed up with evidence. Demonstrate that you understand the implications of your arguments on a micro and macro level.

I have been judging for last 3 years, primarily Public Forum. I have also judged speech, LD and Policy occasionally as needed .

Please speak clearly and at a moderate to fast, but not superfast pace.Doing so will ensure the best understanding of your arguments, ultimately providing you the best chance to secure the winning ballot.

Looking forward to an exciting debate.

Veritas et brevitas.

I am a parent judge and judging for past two and half year.

I prefer if both teams would reference their evidence and make their arguments concise and easy to understand.

I look for consistency in the arguments throughout the debate

Judgement is limited only to the arguments presented and contested in the debate

Parent judge in 5th year of judging. Has judged almost entirely LD, with a 1-2 PF and Policy rounds as well.

Argumentation:

Truth > tech. I prefer realistic, well-warranted impacts over blippy extinction link chains. If I don't buy it, I won't vote on it. Avoid Ks, T, and all other "circuit" debate argumentation, I will not know how to evaluate them.

Logical responses are also important to me - if something your opponent says is simply illogical or contradictory, call them out on this, even if their argument is warranted. It shows that you are able to think critically and not just regurgitate evidence.

Evidence quality is very important to me. Please provide full author citations. Smith 19 doesn't tell me anything - Smith could be your neighbour for all I know. I love to see comparison and indicting of evidence as it shows me that you are well prepared and know the topic literature.

Speaking/round etiquette:

Please do not speak too fast and sign post clearly. I am flowing and will evaluate on argumentation, but if I cannot understand what you are saying I cannot flow or vote on it.

Please be respectful in round. It makes for a good debate experience for both the debaters and the judge. Speaks WILL be docked for rudeness.

I am a new judge. Please speak at 1x. Time each other and call out if any rules are broken. My email address is sgarg.usa@gmail.com, if you guys want to share cases and evidence with me prior or during the round. Good luck and enjoy the tournament.

I have been judging speech and debate for couple of years. I love to hear good debates with good use of language and arguments related to the topic. I take copious notes. My expectations is that the debaters will have mutual respect for one another.
At the end of the debate we all should leave the debate learning and gaining something new from one another.

Please do not spread and speak clearly. During cross fire, please ensure you are sticking to the topic and/or the argument brought up. Provide evidence. Be respectful to your opponents

Hi, I am a parent judge and I can follow presentations better when ideas and words come at a reasonable pace and there is less debate jargon.

I am a first time judge, please speak slowly, don't be rude, I am confused on the rule. Good luck debators!

Hi I am a lay judge and English is my second language, so please speak a little bit slowly and please speak in plain English.

I am a parent judge and this is my 4th year judging debate and speech tournaments.

For debate-

My vote is based on the following three principles:

1. Clarity and evidence: Debaters should deliver their arguments clearly and concisely, with supporting evidence from credible sources. Take your time to explain your reasoning to the judges, and don't assume that they will understand your points without a thorough explanation.
2. Rebuttal: Debaters should challenge their opponents' arguments during cross-examination and rebuttal. This shows that you have listened carefully to your opponents and that you have thought critically about their arguments. Be sure to provide evidence to support your own arguments and to refute your opponents' claims.
3. Pace: Debaters should speak at a moderate pace. Speaking too quickly can make it difficult for the judges to follow your arguments, while speaking too slowly can be boring and ineffective.

In addition to these three principles, I also appreciate it when debaters are respectful of their opponents and the judges.

For speech-

I am looking for presentations, not just readings. I appreciate speakers who use nonverbal communication skills such as varying their volume and speed, using hand gestures and facial expressions, and moving around the stage to engage the audience and emphasize key messages.

PS. Please avoid mumbling your words even if that could be funny to get certain effect.

I wish all people good luck and can enjoy the game.

I am a lay judge but I have 8 years experience judging League debates.

General Stuff:

Just speak at conversational pace and tone and use all your time.

Only go for topicality if its a glaring violation

Try to avoid using terminology-heavy debates.

If aff, focus on defending your policies and answer all of the negs points effectively and clearly

If neg, focus on finding gaps in the policy proposal and carry only the most contested and strongest negative stock issues into the 2NR.

Cross ex is the most important focus area for me in the debate. This is the only part of debate where neg/aff actively clash with each other. I look for teams to use the that time effectively. Don't cut off responses, unless they are stretching the time limit.

Don't give up in round, I keep an open mind throughout the debate, even the last speech.

I'm a parent judge, and I have been judging PF, LD, and INTERP for more than 2 years.

I lived in United States since late 1990s, so you can consider me as a native English speaker.

I usually judge the debates based on 3 aspects, the content and logic, the presentation skill, and the techniques during the cross.

Please keep your delivery at normal speed, and be clear and loud. Clarity is more important than speed.

Please prioritize clarity in your constructive contentions. It's crucial for the judge to understand your main arguments.

Smooth and logical flow are important to me, as well as high-quality arguments and rebuttals.

If you use jargon, please explain what it means.

I will not evaluate any new arguments brought up in the Summary and Final Focus speeches. Provide reasons why your arguments outweigh your opponents'.

Good luck and have fun!

Debaters: Use conversational talking speed or I'll miss what you have to say. And try to avoid (or at least explain) debate jargon.

Just speak clearly, maintain good eye contact, and we will be good.

I am a parent judge and have judged LD for the 2 years and PF for 2 years. I have recently started to judge Speech events too.

Speech and decorum: Effectively communicate your position. Keep to the topic and please do not spread since the it’s hard to follow. The use of evidence and logic to support your contentions is important. Please track your time as my attention is on the content.

Argument preference: I prefer debaters present their arguments and explain how it is superior. An argument must have a claim and support data with the source and full citation available if requested. I considered both the probability and the magnitude of the arguments.

In the end the person that effectively supports their initial position and also offers competent clash with the opponents arguments will likely win.

Be kind to your fellow participants.

Be respectful of each other, let others finish their sentence, and keep your time.

Be clear and enunciate well to make sure you can showcase the effort that went into building the great content you have prepared.

Good luck to everyone!

• 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 lay parent judge who has judged PF, LD, and various speech events in the past two years. Please do not spread or speak at very fast speeds, speak clearly and slowly so I can catch everything. I can't evaluate any advanced argumentation/theory/Ks, so please avoid it.

Be respectful and have fun!

I have been judging public forum debates since 2021. Here are my expectations

1. Lay Judge Background: As a lay judge, I am not deeply familiar with the technicalities of competitive debate. Please keep your arguments simple and avoid complex debate jargon.

2. Clarity and Pace: Avoid spreading and maintain a clear, moderate, and comprehensible speaking pace. I may struggle to comprehend points delivered at a high speed.

3. Data-Driven Approach: With my background in engineering, I am inclined towards a data-driven or evidence-based approach. I encourage you to provide solid evidence to support your contentions and to critically challenge your opponent's evidence.

4. Preference for Quantifiable Impacts: I have a preference for arguments with quantifiable impacts. Make sure to clearly articulate how your evidence supports these impacts

I’ve judged a few tournaments in the last two years, and I would consider myself to be a lay judge. I’m open to listening to any arguments that you want to run as long as they are clear, well warranted, and delivered clearly. I do flow in the round and do my best to vote off of the arguments that remain at the end of the round. I typically give high speaker points as long as you are clear and explain yourself well.

At the end of the day, debate is supposed to be fun and a learning experience, so please try to have fun in the round and be respectful of your opponents in the round.

Parent Judge - please signpost and avoid spreading

Please don't read T/Theory/K; I'm not familiar with them and won't be able to correctly evaluate the round if you do so.

Thanks for checking my paradigm if you happened to check.

Firstly and importantly disclosed, I am an immigrant (moving to US only after 30) and English is not my first language. Please consider it and set your tactic right for ESL (English as a Second Language) as a judge, if you're a debater.

Please listen carefully what opponent says and please construct your turn more relevant to what other says, rather than only speaking what you 've prepared or repeating what you've already told.

Please refrain from just insisting or repeating lots of evidences as to support your claim, as they won't mostly buy me, cause I can't verify them whether they are true or not while I am listening to your debate. Right ?

I hope you will use more common sense than sci-fi articles, researches, newspapers, which requires lots of pre-knowledge. I won't even remember what you said after the debate. Right ?

To me, the debate is not whose claim is right or wrong, but whose appeal is more compelling to vote for.

You will earn my vote by the way you speak, listen, or gestures, and how you invalidate others claim or support your points well ...etc
(balance of all) and your consideration to ESL as a judge.

Mainly did interps (DI DUO OPP) and some debate (LD) in high school (Palo Alto, 2018). Qualified to a few things. APDA in college (Johns Hopkins, 2022) for a semester, left team due to time constraints. Now I coach interps for Paly. Add me to the email chain: stephaniekaelee@gmail.com. Pronouns: She/her/hers.

Debate:

General:

- Signpost please. If you don't I'll assume you're going off/on case and doing line by line.

- I flow on paper. If my pen is down/if I'm staring at you, I'm not writing anything down — whatever you say will not be evaluated.

- I'm pretty non-interventional. Walk me through your arguments, voters, and weigh (plz). I vote on voters and crystallization. However, I'm a sucker for warranting and clash and may vote on line by lines over voters if it's well done.

- Don't use your evidence as a crutch - tbh well-warranted & impacted args are king and I'll probably vote on that over evidence with okay warranting & impact.

- Speed is fine as long as it's not spreading. If you spread I will k word your speaks.

- Don't expect me to take existential impacts seriously, unless your links are very strong and it's topical.

LD-Specific:

- Treat me like a lay judge because I haven't done high school debate in over six years and APDA isn't super techy compared to circuit LD.

- Kind of goes without saying but I don't tolerate dumping/other abuse (especially 2A).

- I'm okay with CPs. Read them if you want — they won't affect speaks.

- Values debate is cool, but it's annoying when your values are justice/equality/morality/etc etc. If they're all pretty similar, save everyone some time and skip it. Unless it's a key voter and you and your opp have very different V/VC, I don't care.

Speech:

- Trigger warn the whole room - this is a good practice to do in general.

- Ask for signals if you need them.

- Don't stonewall, that's not fun and it's toxic. Audience reactions are independent of my rankings, but I will note if you are a bad audience member.

Finally, be respectful and decent. If you are sexist, homophobic, racist, xenophobic etc., I will not hesitate to destroy your speaks.

On another note, if you make a TikTok reference in one of your speeches I'd probably feel genuine happiness for the first time since March.

As a novice parent judge, I would appreciate the debate teams speak with clarity and don't go too fast. I will focus on how the team advance the argument, discredit the opposition and manage the clash with confidence.

My vote belongs to the speaker who builds a bridge of logic and reasoning, leading me across it to their point of view. Show me the data, paint a vivid picture, and leave me convinced that your vision is the one worth pursuing.

I am lay judge, my vote goes to the speaker who can melt my defenses like butter on a hot pan. But if you're spitting out words like popcorn kernels in a microwave, I'll be reaching for the extinguisher, not the ballot:)

Please add me in the email chain: R40135@Gmail.com

Parent judge. Speak slowly and explain arguments simply and clearly.

Hello, I am a parent judge that has judged in several tournaments in the past.

When speaking:

I look for the speaker to be confident, but not condescending in any way. Please do not spread, I will not accept jargon. If I can't understand what you are saying, I will not be able to take notes. Please be respectful to your opponents at all times.

Argumentation:

I will evaluate arguments based on how clear and effective they are. I will not be persuaded by arguments that are not clearly backed up. I will be voting for the team with stronger arguments and impacts.

Theory:

Please do not introduce theory!

Plans:

Don't introduce any if you are a Public Forum Debater

Best of luck to everyone!

lay

I am a parent judge but have judged for multiple years since 2016. I mostly judged PF but I also judged Congress and Parliamentary.

I am flay, meaning I take notes, but not in a flow style.

I like to focus on direct clashes and rebuttals of your opponent's arguments. Points need to be extended in every speech, and if one team brings up a point that is not extended, I will not consider it. It is also up to the opponent team to bring this to my attention.

I will always weigh impacts. I primarily weigh on the magnitude, but I will also consider timeframe and probability.

Do not spread. I want every speaker to give their speeches in a clear, systematic way and emphasize the main points they want to resonate with me.

My philosophy and decisions regarding Debate judging is based on the following...

1. Do the debaters have a good strong point of contention to the side they are speaking about.
2. Do they provide references to the information given or quoted.
3. Do they have statistical data that backs up their claim.
4. Does their cross examination challenge the point of contention.
5. Are the debaters speaking clearly, concisely and understandable.
6. Is there some eye to eye contact with the opponent and the judge.
7. Does their final speech capture all the points and rebuttals discussed.

I founded Able2Shine, a public speaking company. And I have only judged a few debates this year but love the activity. And I want a clear communication round with no speed.

I primarily judged speech events and coached limited prep speech for some students.

My judging criteria for extemp:

Content:
Analysis: Does the speech demonstrate a clear understanding of the issue and its complexities? Does it go beyond simply summarizing the news?
Argumentation: Does the speech present a well-defined central thesis? Are there strong supporting arguments with evidence?
Source Consideration: Does the speaker utilize a variety of credible sources to support their claims?
Transitions: Does the speaker give a transition between points?

Delivery:
Voice: Is the speaker's voice clear, audible, and varied in pitch and pace?
Articulation: Does the speaker enunciate words clearly and avoid filler words ("um," "like")?
Stage Presence: Does the speaker exhibit good posture, eye contact, and use of gestures to engage the audience?
Time Management: Does the speech stay within the allotted time limit?

This is my 2nd year judging. I am comfortable with both slow (lay) debate and medium fast debate. I understand different affirmative advantages as well as disadvantages, counter plans and topicality. I do not know how to judge theory or kritiks and I am unfamiliar with them in general. I like it when teams are clear and tell me for what to vote on.

If you would like to spread, please add me to the email chain at gayatri.naha@live.com . However, if you are going at lay speeds, it is up to you if you want to include me on the email chain. If you have included me, please let me know so I can check my inbox. However, spread at your own risk, as the faster you get, the harder it will be for me to understand your argument. I am a parent judge after all, and I tend to like slower rounds more. If you decide to speed up, be cautious at how fast you are reading your arguments.

Most importantly, remember to respect each other and have fun in debate.

This is my 2nd year judging. I am comfortable with both slow (lay) debate and medium fast debate. I understand different affirmative advantages as well as disadvantages, counter plans and topicality. I do not know how to judge theory or kritiks and I am unfamiliar with them in general. I like it when teams are clear and tell me for what to vote on.

If you would like to spread, please add me to the email chain at gayatri.naha@live.com . However, if you are going at lay speeds, it is up to you if you want to include me on the email chain. If you have included me, please let me know so I can check my inbox. However, spread at your own risk, as the faster you get, the harder it will be for me to understand your argument. I am a parent judge after all, and I tend to like slower rounds more. If you decide to speed up, be cautious at how fast you are reading your arguments.

Most importantly, remember to respect each other and have fun in debate.

I am a completely Lay judge with no circuit judging experience. If you want to debate circuit, please add me to the email chain so I can read your case and try to follow along (somnath.mani@gmail.com)

For both Lay and Circuit, please make your impacts clear and exactly why I should be voting for the affirmative /negation. I am not great with speed so I prefer if you talk slower.

General

- Speak as fast as you want, but try not to spread. The words should be clear

- Focus on understanding of the topic and the depth at which one understands a topic

- I can time the speeches but prefer you please time yourselves

- Add me to the email chain: vishwas.manral@gmail.com

- Be respectful - don't say anything racist, homophobic, sexist, ableist, etc.

• Flay/treat me more lay
• Send me your cases

Arguments/ Debate etc.

I don't like progressive debate at all (No Tshells, K's, CPs, tricks, etc.) I will probably end up dropping you if you run it. If you do end up going for it -- please explain to me clearly why it should be a voting issue at the end of the debate.

Squirrelly arguments are ok but you need to actually explain your link VERY clearly or you can't access your impact.

I love when people signpost; it helps me follow along with what you are saying in your speech.

Please make sure that you can your provide evidence to your opponents. If you fail to do so, the argument is dropped.

I prefer off-time roadmaps but keep them brief.

Dropped args should not be brought back into the flow, but point out when your opponents' arguments are dropped. You know the rest of the rules, so please follow them.

As far as framework goes, I am fine with anything as long as you are following your framework. Debating against framework- if the opposing team provides a better framework that works and proves why the other team's framework is irrelevant or etc. then I will consider that. If you run SV you need to tell me why I should prefer that over any default util FW.

You run the show, so show me why you should win this debate. Impact weighing is greatly valued.

I won't flow cross (unless they contradict themselves), but if something big happens, tell me in your speech.

I am fine with disclosing cases as long as both teams are ok with it. If not, then please do not be forceful. (No disclo/para theory)

Speaks usually from 28+

Good luck, be kind, happy debating!

Hello!

I have been a parent judge since 2020. I appreciate if the participants can pace themselves in a way that I can follow along, and be respectful of their opponents.

Good Luck!

Amit

I am a parent judge. So please keep technical aspects of the debate to a minimum. If you can avoid spreading it would be perfect. Try and avoid speed-talk. I appreciate addressing and making eye contact with the judge. Please explain some of the definitions and/or acronyms you may be using. I give credit to sticking to the full topic. For example in one session "Should liberal countries coerce non-liberal states to become liberal', it is not about liberalism vs autocratic govermnents - it should be about the entire topic. I don't mind if you remove your mask to talk during your turn. I typically take notes and keep time. Before every section try and provide a roadmap of what you are going to present and stick to it. I love a good debate or a speech! Good luck!

I am a parent judge who prefers debating by the five stock issues (but not a must).

This includes inherency, significance and harms, solvency, topicality and the disadvantage. (and counter-plan)

As long as you speak clearly, stay on topic, be more convincing than your opponents, handle yourself well during cross-X, I'll vote for you.

Cheers!!

I am a parent judge. This is my second year judging the debate.  Here are the items I try looking for

• Strength of arguments

• Claims, reasons, and supporting evidence

• Refutation of opponent’s arguments

• are they having fun and enjoying the competition? 

I am also learning from both teams debating  as a Judge 

I am a parent judge and I have been judging events for the last 2-3 years.

For congress debate tournaments:

I look for clarity, speaking to the point, using floor space, eye contact, respect to other members. If you spread, talk too fast, run through impact parts too fast, I won't be able to keep track and will ignore them.

I try to focus and listen the entire duration of your speech. I write my feedback simultaneously as I listen to the speech. I also listen carefully to cross examinations, and will take account of every time you make a good point or defend effectively. Use your cross examination time effectively, I won't reward when there is a stalemate.

My decision is based on: framework, arguments, reasoning, evidence... Focus on why your impacts are important why they are better than your opponent. It would be good if you start out with specifics and then at the end you summarize.

I am a lay, parent judge.

For Debate - Please speak with confidence, clarity, and do not spread your speeches. I love ballot directive language so make sure to use it whenever you can. Stay courteous and respectful to your opponents at all times during the round. I will not evaluate any new arguments brought up during summary or final focus speeches. I want to see how you and your partner develop your arguments with each other and work together as a team, a debate should not be carried by just 1 speaker. Please avoid using jargon in round, but if you do, explain it well.

For Speech - Speak clearly and engage the audience well. Control your pace and avoid monotony during your speech. Experiment with pitch and volume and control the room well.

Lastly, stay confident, respect everyone in the room, and make sure to have fun!

Hi,

I am a parent judge. I have some experience with judging LD

Please be respectful, stick to the facts, manage your time, and speak clearly.

Fewer well developed points is my preference

I am a parent judge and this is my second year judging. Please speak slowly and clearly and do not use debate jargon.

Please be respectful to your opponents during the round.

I will vote for the team that has the most convincing argument and evidence to back it up, so do not run any illogical arguments.

Debate:

I am a parent judge who doesn't have any experience in judging circuit/fast debate; please refrain from spreading or some of the jargon used in those faster styles.

For Policy Debate specifically, I evaluate the round based on evidence and stock issues; I will take your framing into account, but I will vote for a more credible, logical, and understandable case most of the times. If you bring up any other technical arguments outside the stock issues, please be clear and specific for me to follow.

No Kritik please!

For LD:Please state your value and criterion clearly and don't rush through them!

I'm a parent judge and I like to listen to clear and concise proposals and rebuttals. I may not be familiar all the details of the policy judging will be purely based on details presented in the plan and counterplans. I look forward to being educated in policy details.

Speech is always about clarity and messaging. The ability to captivate the audience and present the topic well is a plus.

Hi!

I am a lay parent judge. Please explain arguments thoroughly at a reasonable pace. My son has done PF for 2 years, so I am reasonably familiar with the round structure.

Hey everyone,

My name is Shiv Pandya and I’m a recent UC Davis graduate. I did public forum debate throughout High School so feel free to go at whatever pace is comfortable.

Good Luck!

I'm a new judge, please go slowly. My student is in PF so I might have some knowledge about that event, otherwise assume I know nothing.

Parent judge, please try to go slower and err on the side of overexplaining jargon on the topic. Warrant out and impact all of your arguments. Good reasoning and explaining of your side will win you the round.

I am a parent judge. Try not to run theory unless you truly believe that something is wrong in the round, such as a rule being broken. Always be courteous and respectful to your opponent. I evaluate tech over truth, and will evaluate the round on the framework that you as the competitors give me.

I am a parent judge. I look for the data and and evidence supported arguments during the debates. 

From San Jose CA. My son is active in debate and I've judged speech and debate competitions for ~6 years.

Speed- I prefer elucidation and clarity to speed.

I like fewer more well developed points versus lots of varied but weaker arguments.

I dislike rude behavior, verbal or through gestures.

I really enjoy the creativity that teams bring to their debate topics and the diligence they bring to the preparation.

Exposed to a lot of expository speaking in my professional career working with some remarkable speakers. I care about the overall presence of the contestant along with the overall structure of their piece and I appreciate speeches that are delivered with confidence and enthusiasm!

I like to take specific notes around the overall speech structure and delivery, and share feedback in the ballot.

I am a parent judge. Please speak clearly so I may best understand all your arguments. Place importance on rebuttals and empirical evidence in debate. Also place importance on logic.

I am a parent judge, do not spread. Present yourself confidently and be organized. Don't interrupt each other in cross-examination.

Speak at an understandable pace. Have fun!

Hello! Please speak loud and clearly. Make sure not to bring up new points in your second speech and focus on the impacts on your last speech. Make sure to have good evidence and warrants to back up your points. Finally, don’t be rude to your opponents or talk over them aggressively!

I am new to judging, but participated in competitive speaking as a high school student.

I expect competitors to:

Show good sportsmanship

Be respectful of each other and the organizing staff

Engage in behavior at the event that fosters an inclusive environment

I am a parent judge who has judged for about two years. I won't understand super fast talking of any kind, so I advise you to speak at a normal pace.

I will only vote based off what is said in the round, and will not make any assumptions myself. This means that you should assume that I know nothing about the topic, which is probably true. If you want me to consider an argument, I suggest you bring it up in the final speeches of the debate. This is mainly where I will make my decision, so I think clearly stating your reasons on why you won here is important.

Other than that, have fun.

I am very new to the world of debate. I would like to see clear argumentation with great delivery. Please don’t speak too fast while debating, as it becomes hard for us parent judges to understand. Extra points for strong rhetoric and good summaries of key arguments at the end. Be persuasive, but be respectful to your opponent. Please speak clearly. Best of luck to everyone!

I am very new to judging. English isn’t my first language so I prefer if you guys would talk at a slower pace and use less debate jargon for me to understand.
Doing so will ensure the best understanding of your arguments, ultimately providing you the best chance to secure the winning ballot.

Hi debaters,

I am new to being a judge in speech and debate events, but I will do my best to focus on your performances and be fair over my opinions.

Please keep your speech, questions, and answers reasonably slow and clear which will help me stay with your pace and grasp what you are addressing.

Please keep in mind of given time limits for your turns, and bring up clear questions for cross examinations against information relevant with what the other side's speech mentioned.

All the best and good luck!

I am a parent judge and do not have personal experience in speech or debate.

Debate:

I do not understand theory nor fast debate very well. Please have a lay-style debate.

I have some experience as a parent judge. Please speak at 1x. Time each other and call out if any rules are broken. My email address is pankaj.shrivastava@gmail.com, if you guys want to share cases and evidence with me prior or during the round. Good luck and enjoy the tournament.

I am a 2nd year parent judge. 

I look for facts and examples.

Please be respectful and don’t talk over one another.

Please speak clearly, instead of fast.

I do not have any experience participating in debate tournaments or coaching the students. I have been judging the tournaments for the past one year as a parent volunteer. I have a masters degree, work for a technology company and living in USA for past 20 years. I regularly track various topics such as politics, business, international relations etc., so I have high level idea about the vast majority of debate topics. I have gone through judge training videos, so I have decent understanding on the judging criteria. I try to keep track of the 'flow' of the debate to understand arguments in perspective. I also pay attention to the rules like not bringing in new arguments in the closing/final speeches. Clear, audible, well modulated arguments help me understand and judge better, than trying to pack too much information in the given time. I would encourage the debate arguments to be done in a respectful and polite manner. I pay attention to the level of preparation, depth of the arguments and methodical way presentation. I judge solely based on the material presented in the debate and do not bring in any bias from my personal side. I look at team contribution as a whole than individual performances.

What school(s) are you affiliated with? Oakwood School

Were you a competitor when in school? If so, what style of debate did you do, and for how many years?

Not in debate but I grew up in Illinois and competed in the IHSA division all four years in HI and HDA ( it's duo but only humorous pieces) for 4 years and placed 3rd at Regionals in HI and was a finalist in HDA my junior year and 4th at Regionals in HI and HDA my senior year and was a Sectional finalist in both events but missed going to state by one point in each event from a judge who told us "don't break the fourth wall" when giving our introductions so I promise to be an amazing judge for you (outta spite for what that parent judge did to us lol) if I am judging any interp or duo rounds.

As far as debate goes I got familiar with debate through my previous employment with Enreach Education in Shanghai, China, and have been coaching debate for the past year.

How often do you judge debate? Almost every tournament I have students entered in.

Speaking

How fast can students speak during speeches? Just a little faster than conversational

If a student is speaking too fast or unclear, will you give any cues to them? Yes, I will use a hand motion that is slow and smooth to signal to speak slower/clearer

Evaluating the Round

1. How do you evaluate framework in the round? I’m looking for if they directly addressed the topic, understood the basic issue, and clearly explained their position

2. Do you expect to see a value and a value criterion? Yes

3. What are your thoughts on reading plan texts, counterplans, or kritiks in LD? I think it’s okay.

4. What is most important to you when you decide who wins? What team was overall more prepared for this debate

Other Notes

In a few sentences, describe the type of debate you would like most to hear or any other things debaters/coaches should know about your judging style.

I’m there to see you do your best so put your best foot forward. This is your time to shine and show me that you have put in the work and know your facts/framework/contentions. I enjoy humorous but not snarky responses.

If I am judging Parli I am not the biggest fan of tag teaming. You should not have to rely on your partner feeding you what to say verbally when you are speaking. Be confident yourself! Passing notes to help a struggling partner is fine but when it comes to tag teaming you should be able to state your arguments and rebuttals in your own words so I am most likely going to choose whatever team has a more even balance of stronger speakers instead of a team with one strong person carrying the debate.

I don't pay attention during cross fire. Anything brought up in cross fire has to be brought up in the next speech for it to be weighed. All impacts need to be clearly stated.

Just speak clearly. Anything over 150 wpm will not be flowed.

Do your best!!!

Truth > Tech

First and foremost, I am a lay parent judge. Please be patient and explain arguments thoroughly at a reasonable pace. I will not be familiar with the topic you are debating, and make sure to extend the argument throughout the entire debate. Also, be sure to provide an off-time road map and I also want to hear top-level reasons why you win today's debate. Racism, homophobia, sexism, or any other -ism will not be tolerated. Thank you!

I am a parent judge.

Hi! I am a parent judge. I look for someone who presents the case well, and knows what they are talking about.

Be nice and have fun!

Everyone has to be clear. I do not take notes so I am a typical lay judge. be nice to eachother.

I have been a judging PF from 2018 onwards. I have judged varied tournaments from Novice to Varsity levels.

Present your story clearly.  My preference will be clarity over ambiguity.

I don't mind if you speak fast.

I also weigh based on maturity of the thought, clear communication and metrics relating to your argument

Debate:

I am a newer/less experienced Debate judge and would appreciate debaters use traditional speaking speed.

Speech:

I have been judging speech events since 2017 and have coached students who focus in Original Oratory, Informative, and Impromptu. Prior to my U.S. high school speech judging experiences, I was professionally trained in pubic speaking in my native language; my career involves a high amount of marketing content development, corporate/executive communications, and public relations.

In speech writing, I look for a clear roadmap, strong arguments backed by research (I don't need to agree with your statistical findings or your conclusion, but your findings should fully support your viewpoints), and pragmatic solutions for issues you identified.

For interpretation events, especially those that compose of multiple literature works, I hope to not feel that the selections are pieced together. In other words, the structure should be logical, cohesive, and seamless.

For speech delivery, I look for genuine emotions that help me relate to the urgency of your topic: why is it important now and why your viewpoints, research, and life experiences are the right ones to help your audience understand it holistically. I also appreciate speakers who are able to present with their unique styles, even if there are parts where further polishing is needed.

Over the years I've heard a good number of strong speakers who sound just like Haris Hosseini or JJ Kapur in one of their NSDA speeches. While I admire these students' technical excellence, I also feel that their speeches inevitably become less personal and less distinctive in my ears. It's a fine balancing act between finding inspiration from great speakers/speeches and developing your unique voice.

I’m a parent judge, I’ve judged a couple tournaments. Please speak at measured speed. I have a wide array of topic knowledge.

Zita Wang

I am a parent judge. I judged speech and debate in different tournments in the past three years.

Take your pace, provide framework, and love to hear your summary about why you should win.

Be confident, run your flow, respect your competitors, and have fun!

I am a parent judge with some experience in judging but not with fast debate. Please avoid using terms that novice parents do not understand.

For Policy Debate specifically, I evaluate the round based on the clarity of your point, evidence, and ability to handle cross-examination of issues. I will consider your framing but will vote for a more credible, logical, and understandable case most of the time. I also prefer summarizing your argument and points at the end of the debate.

~~~~General~~~~

I am a first time parent judge--please speak slowly.

Remember to have fun!

~~~~Speech~~~~

I will not give you time signals (although I can if you ask)

I have judged a couple of tournaments and have no debate experience myself. When judging, I look for powerful delivery, insightful analysis and ease of handling questions.

Always be respectful to your opponent.
Keep a clear, structured and consistent narrative throughout the entire round.

TLDR: Warrant out your arguments, weigh, tell my why I should vote for you, be nice, and have fun :)

Background: I'm currently a junior at Stanford University and I've coached PF at Redwood MS and am currently the Speech coach for Palo Alto HS. I've competed in PF debate, Original Oratory, Extemp (primarily international extemp), and have done POI and poetry during my 4 years in high school.

Email: yuyu.yuan927@gmail.com (feel free to contact me about my comments on your ballots or if you have any questions :)

PF Paradigm: I prefer tech over truth so I'll buy any argument you present as long as it's well-warranted and not unethical (i.e. racist, sexist, etc...). I want to see clash and weighing because I think that makes for more interesting debates. That being said you should tell me how I should vote in the round. I won't intervene in the debate. However, if you don't tell me how to vote I will definitely evaluate the link debate first and probably vote off of whoever has the biggest impact second. I will consider dropped arguments as conceded unless you can give me a reason why I should consider the new answer. I don't really want to hear any new arguments in summary though. If it's something that can be cross-applied to an argument that you have already made, most likely I'll buy it as long as the argument still stands. If there was only defense read on your contention but it's something you're not going to go for I'll let you kick it if you don't bring it up again in summary or final focus. If there is offense on the contention and you don't want to go for it you have to kick it yourself, I will not kick it for you.

Policy Paradigm: I'm good with you reading any type of argument. Speed-wise, I'm fine with it as long as you're clear and you send me the doc. I'm a big fan of critical literature and definitely think it belongs in the debate space, but would only appreciate it if it's actual discourse and not just because it's a meme. I think you can read your k aff if you justify it but I want you to actually make sense. I'm good with framework and topicality but any other type of theory arguments I'm not as familiar with. For example, I'm not the most experienced with condo debates. I personally don't think unlimited condo is fair but as long as you tell me why condo is good and your opponents don't adequately address your response, I won't vote you down for it.

LD Paradigm: I don't have much experience in LD but I have judged a bunch of LD rounds. I am open to K's being read in LD because I love the literature, but treat it like you would any other argument (i.e. tell me how I should evaluate it, why I should evaluate it that way, why the links are there, and why your opponents should lose the round). I will not automatically vote for you if you prove that your value and value criterion matters more than your opponent's value and value criterion. I often find that some LDers think that if they prove their value and value criterion matters more then they should win the round and end up forgetting about the rest of their case, but just because you define the utility function doesn't mean you maximize it (i.e. just because you prove your value to be more important, your case or how the arguments are interacting in the round may not necessarily prove it). Otherwise, the rest of my paradigm applies :)

It should be assumed that you shouldn't be mean in rounds so I expect good debate etiquette. If you are rude during the round, at the very least I will give you low speaks. Debate is supposed to be a fun and open environment and we should keep it that way. Overall, just have fun!

Speech: I judge based on content, delivery, and creativity. I appreciate a speech that has solid content where the arguments are well structured and supported. For platform events, I find that many points are surface level so speeches that go in depth on your points will get extra brownie points. I love for analysis to connect and piece together everything for me so that it's obvious the message that you're getting at. Ambiguity in speeches does not equate to nuance and I would make sure that you know why you're leaving things ambiguous so that it is more purposeful in your speech.

For interp events, I focus specifically on blocking and the clarity of the storyline. I like pieces that have a lot of meaning but a clear exposition, climax, and "resolution" (doesn't have to be an exact solution to the problem you present and are showing us, but should be a good ending to showcase your message).

I am a parent judge with some speech and debate judging experience. Please talk slowly and make your logic and argument clear.

I’m a volunteer lay LD judge so please be careful in your rounds. I don’t know too much about this topic so please make sure that you are concise and coherent. Speak clearly and make sure I can understand. I appreciate clear analysis of why you should win in the final rebuttals. Please do not spread or run theory in your rounds. I am not a progressive judge. I will not accept any cases sent to me.

As a judge, I prefer arguments with credible evidence. Please be respectful to both me and your opponent.

English is my second language so please use simple terms;

Please be clear with your argument and don't talk too fast;

Remind me of your speaking order and the format of the round.

Thank you and see you soon.