Please include me in your email chain: shyller.mcguire@granburyisd.org

I have been coaching debate for 16 years. Before that, I debated in HS and college. I am fairly traditional in all aspects and will always prefer an on-topic debate to a kritik.

CX

I will judge a debate round both as a decision-maker of the debate and as an educator of oral argumentation. I will vote for the affirmative if its proposal is inherently more advantageous than the negative option (the present system or the counterplan). The affirmative must meet its obligation to the burden of proof on each of the stock issues to win the debate.

The purpose of debate is to deliver arguments so that anyone listening to the debate may make an informed decision as to which side presents a stronger case. Debaters speaking rapidly, or making random arguments without sign-posting, do not communicate and therefore cannot win.

LD

I am very traditional. The VC debate is the most important debate. Your arguments should all link back to the VC. I do not enjoy progressive debating in LD and will not vote on a K. Regarding delivery, you should primarily have well-developed arguments. Now having said that, if I can’t understand you, I won’t flow. If I’m not flowing, you lose. Please stay organized and signpost your arguments.

CONGRESS

Rate of Delivery

Your rate of delivery should be such that a layperson could understand and follow your arguments. See footage of actual senate floor debate for reference.

Quantity of Args

Quantity of arguments is not as important as the strength of your arguments.

Evidence

I'm not listening just to check off that you used sources. Use your sources to add credibility to the argument.

Parli Pro

You MUST know parliamentary procedure in this event! Show me but don't delay us with frivolous motions.

Clash

Speakers should incorporate some direct clash on the issues previously brought up by others. Avoid repetition of other speakers' points.

Questioning

Ask purposeful, straightforward questions. Challenge the speaker on their knowledge of the topic.

Meghan Clark (she/her)

Experience:

–competed in LD on the Texas UIL circuit

–coached LD for 7 years, policy for 5, also on the Texas UIL circuit

–currently coach extemp/platform events at Plano West

PF:

--I am a fairly typical flay judge.

--Truth over tech. I do not particularly like kritiks or other non-resolution based arguments (not a huge fan of progressive debate). Don’t run theory about dates, speaks, disclosure, etc. - I have zero interest in judging this. I strongly dislike frivolous theory arguments and tricks. Don’t run them.

--Make sure that you extend your arguments and signpost clearly. No sticky defense.

--I care a good deal about weighing impacts in the back half of the round. Make sure you do this. Don’t introduce new arguments in the second half of the round, and I don’t want arguments that consist of three blippy arguments with buzzwords. I would vastly prefer substantive weighing of impacts. I generally default to probability over magnitude.

--I care about quality rather than quantity of evidence. You must have clear taglines for your evidence. Don’t paraphrase.

--Make sure you are courteous to opponents and don’t speak over them during crossfire. I expect professionalism, respect and civility towards me and towards your opponents. If you are verbally or non-verbally showing disrespect towards your opponents or me, expect to lose speaker points. It goes without saying that you should not be racist/sexist/ableist/homophobic/etc. in any way during the round.

--I do not like spreading. PF should be accessible to a wide audience, and spreading makes that difficult. Speak at a normal rate of speed if you expect me to flow your argument. Extreme speed will most likely result in lower speaks. If I call “clear,” slow down.

--In final focus, make the case for why you deserve my vote - don’t demand my vote.

--Strike me if you’re reading a meme or social experiment case.

--Stick to the time structure - no skipping grand cross for PF.

--If a card is heavily disputed during round, I will call for it.

About Me-

I competed in both speech and debate events all four years of high school. Specifically, Info, OO, POI, Prose, Poetry, LD, PF, DX, Impromptu, and Congress. I never actually competed in HI or DI but I did cut pieces for both and helped critique and watch them over the years so I am very familiar with the events and how to judge them fairly. The only event I am completely unfamiliar with is CX.

That being said, I competed in both PF and Info at the National Tournament in back-to-back years. I also qualified in Congress twice and came very close to qualifying in OO. At Nats I also advanced in PF and Original Spoken Word Poetry, and competed in Expository and Prepared Prompt.

My paradigms for debate:

LD and PF– DO NOT SPREAD. DON'T EVEN TRY IT. IT WILL NOT WORK OUT IN YOUR FAVOR. Spreading is one of the lowest tactics in debate that you can stoop to. If your opponents can't hear/understand your arguments and neither can I, take a guess at who I'm going to rank higher. I am slower with auditory processing than the average person, that being said, speak up and enunciate but there is no need to yell at me like I'm deaf. The clearer and easier you are to understand, the more points I will give you, and the more likely I'll be able to follow your case.

I don't buy into theory, I don't like it. If only one team runs theory, chances are that I'll favor the traditional/non-theory arguments. Just debate the topic, not the debate itself, redundancy annoys me. Definitions and explanations will always work in your favor, don't assume that I just know and understand everything.

Let everyone speak during cross, don't talk over each other. Be cordial and respectful of both myself and your opponents. I don't care who speaks the most, I care about what you're saying. Quality is always better than quantity.

I'm not going to hold drops against you unless it really negatively impacted your case. So don't critique your opponents amount of drops, I can keep count myself.

Congress– Once again, I don't care who speaks the most, I care about what you're saying. Quality is always better than quantity. Participate, but don't do it simply for the sake of asking the most questions or giving the most speeches, make the ones you do the best quality. I pay attention to who is considerate. Taking one for the team will always give you higher points in my book, it won't hurt you on my ballot. Don't personally attack anyone or their opinions unless they are completely illogical/untrue (their opinions, I don't tolerate personal attacks for any reason and I will call you out in front of the whole chamber).

PO- As long as you keep track of precedence and recency correctly and you run a smooth chamber without letting the "power" go to your head, I'll like you. Make sure you're calling on everyone fairly and don't have any blatant parliamentary procedural errors.

Speech– I do not discriminate based on topic or subject matter. I will critique your portrayal of that topic though so be careful how you are presenting controversial or sensitive subjects. (Just do it justice and make decent choices) Ask for time signals if you need them, it's worse to go over or significantly under time than to just get the signals. Try not to be distractingly fidgety (we all have our nervous habits) but if they are overly obvious or distracting I might comment on them. Make your movements intentional.

Info– I don't like overly interactive visuals, interaction with visuals is fine but I don't like when you use flashy aids to compensate for lesser speech quality. The components of your speech are more important to me than your visuals.

Interp– I don't buy into the theory that POI and DI must be full of crying, screaming, and throwing yourself on the floor. Use those tactics in moderation and only when they actually add to your whole performance and piece. Ultimately a well cut piece that's performed even just ok will rank higher than one with too much of the dramatic effects (crying, screaming, throwing yourself to the floor or throwing your black book).

HI- This one is especially hard, but if your piece just isn't funny, I'm sorry but I can't really help you with that. You have my sympathy but I can't rank you well in an event where the point is to be humorous if your piece just isn't funny or especially if it verges on being offensive.

Everyone– I will Never judge you based on things you can't control (ex: your voice). As a female former speaker/debater I know how hard it is. Your register, frequency, pitch, etc. are beyond your control and will not affect your overall scoring in my book. That said, if I feel there is not good intention behind your tone, that is when I will count you as being aggressive. There's a difference between passion and aggression. If you just care about what you are saying, that's fine. It's when you start seeming overly rude that I will count your voice and mannerisms against you. This goes for the guys too, especially in your interactions with female competitors. JUST BE CONSIDERATE AND CHILL, DECENT HUMAN BEINGS PLEASE.

In Public Forum and Extemp: I value delivery & analysis supported by evidence from credible sources. I want to know the significance of your topic and what are the impacts of your arguments, tell me why it matters. I can't vote for points and impacts I can't hear or understand, so slow up for key points and explain them clearly. Understand that you are Debating not Arguing, this is an important distinction that must be known by each debater!

In Congressional Debate: I value the natural delivery of points and impacts and reasonable positions. I look for acknowledgment of prior speakers' points and clash leading to good argumentation and refutation, and for purposeful questioning leading to clarity, understanding, or insight. A lack of clash is frowned upon. Knowledge of and adherence to Parliamentary Procedure is expected in the chamber. Skillful Presiding Officers make sessions a positive experience for all and will be ranked accordingly.

In Oratory, Info, and Impromptu: I value your originality, creativity, and persuasive presentation of ideas of personal importance. Cite your sources, explain their importance, and tell me why it matters.

In DI, HI, DUO, Poetry, and Prose: It is crucial that you tell a story in a meaningful and impactful manner. Characterization, gestures and facial expressions, and, vocal variation will all add to the overall decision. Along, with the dramatic structure of the piece and mindful storytelling!

Overall speaking skills or/and argumentation are critical to winning! But remember the most important thing is that you learn!

Spoken Word: It is crucial that you tell a story in a meaningful and impactful manner. Characterization, gestures and facial expressions, and, vocal variation will all add to the overall decision. Along, with the dramatic structure, organization, clear theme, and mindful storytelling!

Debate has defined parameters that should be followed closely, with that said, I would like to see debaters follow time constraints as well as to be mindful of abuse. Impact calculations play a big role in the sway of my ballot. I do not like CPs or Ks unless the Negative can continue the flow to provide CLASH to the Affirmative. Be witty, be resourceful, be respectful, have fun, and glean knowledge for your next round!

Speeches should feel natural. I find myself ranking higher ballots towards those who engulf and invite me into their world, rendering my pen to ballot useless, as I listen instead of write. Call my attention. Make me laugh. Make me cry. Make me angry. Make me empathetic to your cause.

Congressional Debate

Congress, while functional debate, is just as significantly role playing. Take the role. Serve the part. This increases professionalism and individuality within the round. I prefer quality over quantity and communication must be elemental to the round. It the quality here blended with unique arguments that leads to clash.

Theatrical Individual Events - DI/HI/Duet/DUO/POI/Prose/Poetry

Be in the moment. Engage your judge and audience. Be confident. Perform with focus on your verbal presentation blended with your physicality. I look for proper inflection, diction, and enunciation alongside other elements of characterization. Balance your time with the story arc you are attempting to establish - help me visualize your character's world and the thematic meaning you are highlighting. Have you created a reflection of the mood and essence intended by the author(s)? Be sure to include an appropriately crafted introduction. I enjoy a well designed teaser before entering into your introduction. In partner events the introduction should be equally balanced. I equally enjoy well crafted settings through movement and pantomime. Throughout the round remain respectful of the performances in your room.

Forensic Individual Events - OO/INF/USX/IX

A professional presentation is anticipated ranging from mannerisms within your speech towards vocabulary choice, organization, handling of presentation topic (this includes props in Informative) to general presentation techniques of pace, diction, projection and general enunciation. I look for a well developed and organized concept supported by appropriate evidence, statistics, and personal anecdotes. A balanced use of time in appreciated as your present your introduction, points and conclusion. Inform, persuade and entertain. I enjoy effective use of rhetorical devices. This includes both historical and pop cultural allusions, alliteration and the rule of three. Sound devices enhance the quality of a presentation and make your statements memorable. Eye contact shows confidence. Rhetorical situations should include the full rhetorical square and nit simply the triangle - use ethos, pathos, logos and kairos.

I tend to be a more traditional judge, but that does not mean I oppose different styles of LD Debate. While I am not fully accustomed to CX-style debate in LD, I am comfortable with CX arguments. If you feel more comfortable running policy arguments, go for it. It won’t impact your ballot simply because it is policy.

Spreading: I’m pretty comfortable with spreading, but if I can’t understand you, I will put my pen down and stop flowing your arguments.

Impacts/voters: Please weigh your impacts in your final rebuttal! Give voters! If you don’t tell me why I should vote for you based on the arguments in the round, I will default to your opponent's voters.

Overall, keep it classy. I will dock major speaker points if I feel a competitor is deliberately attacking their opponent.

OO/INFO/Extemp:

As long as the speech is organized and easy to follow, how you organize it is up to you. I know there are different standards everywhere. Make sure you back up your points and arguments with sufficient evidence!

INTERP:

I have no preference for how you put together your piece as long as it helps the plot structure overall. I love good character work! While pops and tricks are nice, what really wins me over is getting lost in the character's story when it is genuine.