Hello! I’m new to judging and excited to support you on your journey in Speech and Debate.

Please keep a good pace and avoid jargons and acronyms. I will be evaluating your speech presence (your tone, eye contact, posture, inflections, etc) and your debate skills (i.e.the strengths of your argument), paying close attention to your ability to grab my attention and have carefully selected citations. Having a respectful debate is important, so focus on the arguments of others and how you can prove/disprove their points.

Parent judge, most experienced with Congress.

I appreciate credibly sourced research, well-constructed arguments, a clear speaking style, and most importantly, respect for your fellow debaters.

I am a parent judge relatively new to speech and debate this year, though I have now judged several tournaments.

Please limit spreading. I will be less able to effectively judge you on your merits and arguments if I am unable to track what you are saying. Speed and volume are not substitutes for well articulated arguments!

Depending on the event, I will likely take lots of notes and often be heads down. I will be engaged whether making direct eye contact or not. Be explicit regarding what supports your case and/or what detracts from your opponent.

By your closing, you should have made a convincing case why your impacts or value out-weigh your opponent’s. In keeping with the rules of debate, do not bring up any new arguments in the second half of a round, or they will be disregarded.

While I will keep time for appropriate events, I expect you to be responsible for your time.

I will not reveal my decision or give feedback after the round (except in higher rounds with multiple judges), but I will make every effort to leave notes in Tabroom for the round and each individual.

Good luck and enjoy!

Congress: Speeches should not just be read. Ideal is performed without reading except for statistics. Each speech should add to the conversation, not just rehashing. Perspective should be of a representative not a speech and debate participant. Try to give specific examples of people or events when possible. Stats should add credibility and value to the speech. Use the space you are provided, don't just stand in one place. Voice should be clear, audible and most importantly, confident. Questions should be direct and relevant. Approach to questions should be assertive but professional. Participation is key.

Debate: Focus on clear points that support your argument. Voice should be clear. Clarity over speed. Rebuttals should show understanding of the issue and dissect the argument. All arguments should be tied back to value premise.

SPEECH: Clarity above all. Clear voice. Clear transitions and clear story. I want to be immersed in the presentation. Create imagery using your voice, posure, and pantomiming (Where applicable).

You should be polite, but you should also know that being obsequious will not gain you extra points.

Please don’t use debate-world jargon. The people judging are not debate team members, so using words that mean something totally different in their world (the real world) is not effective.

Don’t be overly pedantic. If your argument is premised on a word game (e.g. "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is.") it just seems silly.

Hyperbole (e.g. "Half the human population will die if you don't vote for AFF!") can be viewed as insulting to a judge’s intelligence.

As a judge I can't see your cards, so getting into an argument with your opponent about cards is kind of meaningless to me.

The best debates are about articulating ideas and presenting evidence to back up those ideas. Focus on persuading your audience—in this case, the judge—not each other.

Make it a debate that would impress Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.

WSD is about the burden of proof, so my main criteria for judging the round is whoever upholds and frames the debate under the burden best. Make logical connections, clash with the other side, and back it up with warranting and impact. Tell me why it matters and why I should care.

Delivery and Engagement in the round are just as important. You have 8 eight minutes for most of your speeches so make use of all of your time to the best of your ability. Speak clearly, don’t spread, I don’t mind if you speak a bit quicker than a normal speech rate, but make sure you annunciate and I can understand you. Be actively engaged in the whole round, I expect everyone in the round to be participating and standing for POIs at some point.

Most importantly, just have fun! You all prepared for this tournament to the best of your abilities, so this is your chance to showcase it. Take it round by round and try your hardest at every point, no matter the outcome of your previous debate. Good luck to everyone!