I look for Impacts, Framework, Flow; recent, relevant, honest Evidence as well.

Also, how you present: Are you confident, prepared, good at convincing me and defending your case?

I am a parent judge and have no prior personal experience in debate. I have judged at numerous tournaments over the past 3 years and have judged each of the debate events.

The strength and persuasiveness of your arguments are the most important, but specifically I watch for three things: organization, performance and clash.

Organization: I want to be able to track all of your arguments. Make it obvious when you are beginning a new argument or rebutting one of your opponents. Signposting is helpful.

Performance: Act confident, speak clearly, stand up straight and look up from your computer. Do not speak too fast. Use enunciation and inflection in your voice. If you're speaking so fast that I can't follow what you're saying your argument is wasted.

Clash: This is a debate event and I want to see debate! I watch for rebuttals of specific arguments. Signposting during rebuttal is also helpful. I also watch how well you handle yourself during crossfire. Do you ask intelligent questions, when answering questions are you able to respond knowledgeably and confidently?

Be professional. You can debate and clash and probe your opponent's arguments without being rude, offensive or immature.

Public forum is supposed to be argued as if you are in front of a non-specialist or citizen judge. That's me! If you are debating in public forum, your arguments and debate style should conform to that standard and it's important to me that you understand that.

In Congress I like to see extemporaneous arguments that keep up with the flow of the debate and respond to previous speakers. If you're looking down at your computer reading your speech that tells me that you aren't keeping up with the movement of the debate. I like to see advancement of the argument and don't want to hear the same argument repeated that has already been given by another speaker. I also look for how you respond in questioning.

In LD I care more about strong quality arguments than the value criterion. That being said, since there is a value criterion, you should make it clear how your arguments connect back to yours.

I have over 10 years of professional experience teaching and speaking to audiences as large as 5,000 worldwide. I have an undergraduate degree in Economics and a Master's in Business. I am a 40-year IT professional with senior technical roles for Microsoft, T-Mobile, and currently a top 10 financial institution. You can find me on LinkedIn for more details.

Speech:

A good speech will be clear, understandable, well-enunciated, and confident. The occasional mispronunciation (word, place, or name) will not seriously impact your score. However, repeated instances look like a lack of preparedness and will be reflected in your score. Your vocal tone and volume should be appropriate for the audience and venue. I find many more speeches that are far too loud for the room than too soft to understand. Please do not scream me out of the room. My most common feedback is some form of "you are borderline screaming."

Other common speaker issues are nervousness, an overly aggressive tone, filler words, and speaking too fast. These get better with experience and effort. My best suggestion for rapid improvement is to record your practice speeches and review them for these common flaws. You will find this difficult, maybe even painful. But keep doing it and you will improve. Watch almost any speech by Churchill, Reagan, or Obama for an example of great political oratory. Almost every TED talk is quite good. Any President's speech during the Annual White House Correspondents dinner is usually quite good and humorous. They get a lot of help writing them, but their delivery is nearly always on-point.

A good speaker engages with their audience more than their notes or fully written speech. Know your material, look me in the eye, and make a compelling presentation or argument. The elements of good spoken communication are consistent from POI and DI to LD and Congress.

Debate:

All of the above elements of good speech apply to every form of debate.

High-scoring debaters will:

• Follow the principles of good communication above
• Know your topic
• Know your arguments and have supporting evidence
• Know your opponents' arguments and their likely supporting evidence
• Make strong and logical arguments supported by your evidence
• Make strong and respectful counter-arguments regarding your opponents’ arguments and evidence or the weaknesses thereof
• Did your counter-arguments really address your opponents’ argument or do you just wish they did?
• Most debate topics have no clear and obvious natural winning side. If they did, they wouldn’t make a very good debate topic. To win, you’ll need to make better arguments with better evidence than your opponent. I think that usually boils down the three things:
  • Better preparation
  • Better argumentation
  • Better presentation

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The following are not part of my paradigm, but do reflect my understanding of commonly debated topics. Keep in mind, I said "my understanding" which is not necessarily the same as "my opinion" - particularly regarding SCOTUS decisions. You are free to agree or disagree. You are debating your opponant, not the judge(s). And your score should reflect that debate with your opponant, not agreement with the judge(s).

Links to follow ....

I am a high school English teacher with an extensive background in persuasive strategies and logical fallacies. I like organized, concise and articluate arguments, and I will be listening for credible evidence to support all claims. I have been judging debate for 6+ years, and while I understand debate theory arguments, I prefer the debate to focus on solutions and outcomes rather than loopholes. Strong delivery skills are a must!

Policy Maker Paradigm

Stock Issues primary importance

Old-school approach

Rudeness is death

Be decent humans.

Evidence is important, but so is making logical connections to the resolution; what are the real world implications of your arguments?

I am not impressed by the speed of your speeches if you can't make logical arguments. When a speech is delivered too quickly, evidence can be lost and therefore can leave the argument unsupported. If I feel that your speed defies normal communication rate, I will set my pen down. This means that your arguments are not being flowed and do not exist.

I enjoy clash, but it needs to be respectful. When looking at the constructive speech a few well developed arguments prove more persuasive than a larger quantity of arguments. I will forever identify as a “communication judge”. After all, if you are not developing positive real-life skills, what is the point?

I will flow to keep track of the debate, but I am not a flow judge.

Lincoln Douglas debates: The value and criterion are the foundation of the debate. Policy does not belong in LD.

Policy: Stock issues are key.

Congress: Well written speeches are wonderful, but they should be delivered extemporaneously and be authentic to the conversation being had. Also, any speeches given, should add depth to the argument; please avoid repeating main points that have already been presented.

Public Forum: Polite and well informed debate is a must, respect your opponents time. This form of debate was created to be a lay person debate, and I will view it as such.

Be decent humans.

I am familiar with all the categories of debate and speech and would classify myself as a comms judge. I feel that excellent communication skills are critical, and in reality, the point in any style or form of debate/speech. What good is the intent of what you are trying to say if you cannot communicate your point to your audience effectively? So, making sure to be clear and articulate, effectively linking and impacting your arguments, and being respectful of your opponent(s) are all big for me. Speed is not usually an issue, as long as the technology cooperates and the clarity is there.

Other than that, I do really appreciate voters in final speeches. Tell me what you see the focal points for the round being, rather than letting me sort through and pull out whatever stood out or comes to mind. In good rounds the decisions are usually very close. Taking the time to remind me of your important arguments or the shortcomings of your opponent's responses helps ensure that I don't overlook anything in making my decision.

Please do not talk excessively fast. Your rate of speaking should be about the same as in a normal conversation. I prefer speakers and debaters who speak at a conversational rate. A fast rate of delivery has made it difficult for me to
understand arguments in the past. If you talk so fast that I cannot follow what you are saying it will be difficult for me to give you a high score and/or ranking.

Know and follow the rules for the speech or debate event in which you are participating.

I value both arguments and style, with a slightly higher emphasis on style.

Try to utilize the majority of your available time.

Be respectful of each other.

Have fun!

Debate:

• Quality of argument over quantity
• Evidence to back up argumentation.
• Articulate your point - you can go as fast as you want as long as I can understand you.
• Be respectful: In crossfire, don't get muddled in stupid arguments, use them intelligently to undue the other side. Please do not be rude or condescending. There is no room for that.
• Use your constructives to set me up for your arguments - build your case, tell me the story
• Use your rebuttals to give me reason to disagree with your opponent. Don't just attack, you need to defend.
• Use your summaries to clean up anything vague or muddled.
• Use your final focus to make me vote for you.
• Convince me

Congress:

• You have a limited amount of time so try and get as many speeches in as you can.
• However, just because you speak the most, doesn’t mean you will get 1st. Your speeches need to be spoken with clarity, poise, and facts.
• Be ready to back up your argument during questioning. While you are getting questioned, answer respectfully.
• While you are questioning another speaker, be respectful. I will bump you down in rank for being disrespectful
• Just because you are the P.O. does not get you ranked 1st. As a P.O. you need to be respectful of your fellow representatives. If you make faces during someone’s speech or questioning, your rank will go down. If you play favorites, your rank will go down. If you are rude, your rank will go down.
• I judge you based off of your speeches, your answers, and what you ask your fellow representatives.
• if you are down right rude, you will get a very low score. You can be competitive and still do it respectfully.

Speeches:

• Your speech needs to hold my attention as well as your audience.
• You need to engage with your audience and make them feel as though this is the only speech they ever want to listen to
• You need to speak clearly and articulate. If I can’t understand you, I am unable to evaluate you
• Your speech should have a wow factor. Make your speech so interesting that I go back to the judge’s lounge and tell everyone about how great it was.

Hello!

My paradigm is rather simple. I tend to be an impacts judge and go for whichever side can impact calc. their arguments out. Students should debate the way they want to, just please make sure I can hear you. I can follow speed, just make sure that you enunciate clearly so that I can still follow. If you have any additional, specific, questions please feel free to ask me about them before the round. For the purpose of setting up email chains, my email is hubbchri@gmail.com

It's important that participants speak loud enough to be heard and that they don't speak so quickly that I can't understand what they're saying.

It's also important that participants are professional and courteous in regard to the process and to others.

Lastly, I look for roadmaps, framework, and well supported contentions/arguments. Poorly structured or supported contentions and arguments are not as strong or as easy to follow.

I've been judging for more than 15 years now. I've been a coach for more than 7 years. I competed in speech and debate in high school. I know how to do all of the events.

Policy: I very much dislike when the debate goes off into theory arguments for policy. Most of the time they aren't even actual arguments that have been fully formed with all the necessary attributes. Those arguments will be crossed out on my flow. If you can't fully form the argument and have all the parts to it then why should I care to have it as a voting issue? I don't mind reasonable speed. If you breathe anywhere where there isn't punctuation then I will completely cross that card/argument from my flow. That is my biggest annoyance with speed. I lean very strongly towards Policy maker but I'm a stock coms judge. I will always weigh the arguments with stock issues more heavily than I will the other issues. Topicality will be weighed over it when it's actually reasonable. I want a clear shift of policy with the Aff case. IF YOU SAY THEY DIDN'T ADDRESS AN ISSUE THAT THEY DEFINITELY HAVE I WILL VOTE YOU DOWN FOR WHINING, INCOMPETENT FLOWING, AND BEING ANNOYING!

LD: I very much love the Value and Criterion debate. I love traditional debate. I HATE progressive debate you lose a lot of the skills you would normally learn and gain weak skills instead. Give me clear reasons why we should weight the round off of your Value. Both logic and evidence based arguments have their place in this debate. Make sure you use them accordingly. I will drop the entire argument you're making if you breathe where there isn't any punctuation. I'm fine with reasonable speed. IF YOU SAY THEY DIDN'T ADDRESS AN ISSUE THAT THEY DEFINITELY HAVE I WILL VOTE YOU DOWN FOR WHINING, INCOMPETENT FLOWING, AND BEING ANNOYING!

Congress: I very much hate redundant, rehashed, speeches. You don't all need to speak on the same bill. It hurts you when you do that because the later speeches don't have new points and don't progress the debate. Direct, by name, refutation is absolutely going to help you. Using evidence AND citing your evidence is absolutely going to benefit you. You don't need to wave your arm like you're trying to conduct an orchestra. Movement can either add or detract from your speech. Move with a purpose and make sure that it adds to your speech otherwise it's a waste. If you use an intro, which is recommended, make sure you tie it into your conclusion because it ties everything into a nice little bow. I, also, use the NSDA guidelines for scoring speeches and PO time.

P.O. Be ruthlessly efficient. Cut out all of the unnecessary wording. You don't need to thank them for a speech. If we just had a speech in affirmation we don't need to tell everyone that. You can just say "negation" and tap and expect people to rise to be recognized. That saves a lot of time. Same thing for questioning. Cut out all the unnecessary words. It slows the round down and makes it so you don't get the maximum number of speeches. Shut down dilatory motions. Only recognize one motion at a time. Keep the chamber in order. Don't recognize motions that aren't a part of Parli Pro.

SPEECH:

So, I WILL NOT, emphasis on the NOT, judge a piece that has, or should have, a trigger warning in it. I will leave the round immediately if someone tries to run one in my round. Pieces can be very good without getting to the point where there needs to be a trigger warning. I will not judge those garbage pieces. Increase your quality of speeches by getting rid of those.

Hello, and welcome to my paradigm (thank you for reading this before round)!

This is my third year doing speech and debate, with it being my first year at the collegiate level. Admittedly, I am partial to speech, but debate is always fun, too! I am aware of all of the technical aspects of the round, so I will not need explanations.

SPEECH-

I, once again, love speech! Though, I'll be prioritizing different things on my ballot depending on the event.

For platform events, I will be focusing on your content over delivery. For interpretation events, it will be delivery-focused.

Limited prep events are a bit of a mixed bag, but for impromptu/extemp it will be content, and Radio will be delivery.

If you are uncomfortable with prolonged eye contact, please let me know before beginning your speech (except radio, you backwards fools! hahah...)!

DEBATE-

In terms of preferences...

-Please do not spread (speed-read). I can flow it, but it doesn't mean I want to.

-Stay clear of a technical debate. Prioritize the importance of the value/criterion or framework used, and how it relates to your case.

As for how I will be judging the round...

-I prioritize content over speaks. While I may take your presentation into account, stutters and pauses will not affect my judging aside from speaker points, only the attacks you make.

-Cross examination will make or break your round. Use it well and effectively! Try to avoid clarifying questions (ex. "What was the tagline of C2?) unless necessary.

-I will not be bringing in outside information into the round. I know some judges do, which can sometimes be frustrating, so I will not be. However, if something is blatantly incorrect, I can't look over it.

-And finally, please be respectful to your opponent. As a previous coach of mine said, "Debate is a game you play with your friends." Sometimes it's easy to let the heat of the round get to you. It's okay to be focused or even intense, but please avoid insults/profanity/personal attacks.

With all that being said, I'm looking forward to a fantastic round. Have fun! :)

First and foremost, I am not a former debater and have been introduced to speech and debate through my daughter. I've been judging for two full years now and make most tournaments so I do have a fair amount of experience judging debate. Although this is a debate, good speaking characteristics are definitely a portion of your score. Off time road maps to start a speech are always helpful. I like to see good eye contact while speaking, signposting, clear and concise communication along with other good speaking habits help the audience stay engaged. Please don't go too fast as it can cloud up what your audience is hearing. Quality over quantity is usually always best.

I will somewhat flow each round I judge to help me ensure both teams are paying attention to what the other is stating. I like to hear arguments that are well constructed and well presented with supporting evidence that is clear and easy to follow. The same also applies when you are refuting an attack against your case.

As a judge that hasn't done debate before, strong voters to close out the debate do help in making my decision. They are the last thing I hear from you as a judge, so make them count.

Lastly, RESPECT for your opponents is mandatory in rounds I am judging. I expect to hear a good educated argument during a debate, not a shouting match.

For Congress:

Please remember this is Congressional debate, not congressional speech. Although the speeches are what we are judging, they need to address points brought up during previous speeches or questioning. The only speeches that shouldn't address arguments/points brought up by other legislators are the authorship/sponsorship speeches given to start debate on a piece of legislation.

During questioning, please ensure your questions are to the topic at hand. I do reward participants for involvement in the questioning period after each speech as long as the question is relevant to the legislation being discussed.

When reading a prepared speech, make sure to still make good eye contact and use other good speaking practices while giving your speech. I write a lot of comments stating "please speak to me, not just read to me"

I am a communications judge. I want to hear clear speech mostly! I am mostly fine with most speeds, just try not to speed so much that you are out of breath and stumble. Tell me why you should win and why your opponent(s) should lose. Use voters as the cherry on top to get me to sway to your side. Be confident with your speeches and crossfires. Get information out of questions. Dont be rude as well. You can get points across while being calm, cool and collected!

Congress- I want to hear good speech structures, preparedness, barely reading off of computer or paper. Project to the chamber and provide emphasis on the important parts. Provide evidence!! Key thing in congress is to back up your points with evidence. If theres no evidence, its gonna bump you down. Refute points! I cannot stress this enough, it theres just repeat speeches over and over again then its boring and no one likes it.

Hello! My name is Madison Pritchard. I debated for 3 years in high school with experience in LD, Congress, and mainly Public Forum. I have also debated in college at Idaho State University, so safe to say I am very experienced. I have organized my paradigm by events that I am familiar with, as well as some general preferences. Happy debating and good luck!

General:

Be kind! This is high school debate and at its core needs to be about respect and understanding. I love clash but you need to make sure it is respectful, clash makes the debate interesting, without clash a debate ends up being bland. Make sure you are not interrupting your opponent a lot during cross examinations. Be sure that you have all of your evidence on hand and that it is properly cited, if I catch you falsely representing evidence then you will probably get a loss, unless your opponent does something somehow worse. If you choose to run a definition argument, be completely sure you can make it work, I don't love these but sometimes they are needed, make sure it is necessary if you do run one. I am fine with spectators as long as your opponents are fine with it, and as long as they are respectful (NO BEING ON THEIR PHONES). If you have any further questions, feel free to ask in round! Good luck debaters!

Public Forum:

This was my event in high school so you will not be able to get a lot past me here. A good balance of evidence and ethics are the core of this debate. I flow, so make sure your attacks stand and not to drop any main arguments, that will lose you the debate. Do not make the whole debate about evidence, evidence validity debates are not fun for anyone. If I feel a piece of evidence needs addressed, I will take a look once the debate has concluded. Speed reading is not loved but I can follow to a degree, just remember this is not policy.

Lincoln Douglas Debate:

I have a decent amount of experience with this event, so I can follow a lot of the jargon and ideas. My main problem sometimes with this debate is when people make it solely about the value/criterion, don't forget to attack the actual case and not just the value it is based on. Remember this debate is about morality, you need to convince me that yours is the morally correct argument, I will carry these over on the flow more than solely logic arguments.

Policy:

I don't have a lot of experience participating in this one, but I have ended up judging it a lot, so I have experience in that sense. A lot of the jargon I can understand but still be sure to explain some of your terms if you think there is a chance they could not be understood. Make sure your links are very clear. When your links get muddy, especially on a counterplan, you can lose me. Topicality arguments can be great, but again, just make sure they are completely clear. I do not love speed reading; I can usually follow but tread carefully.

Congress:

I just thought I would put some things in here I like to see in congress just in case someone looks for it. Make sure your speeches have substance, I really hate throw away speeches. If you are getting up just to get a speech in, it will not get you any points with me. Everyone needs to be respectful, do not be rude or personally attack other representatives. Please do not use questioning periods to debate, use your speeches, if you do this it will not reflect greatly in your ranking.

Charlotte Reid has been teaching for 17 years, but coaching debate for only 7 of them. While she has no specific preferences towards style, she is conservative and a traditionalist. She keeps a detailed flow, weighs arguments and their impacts, she doesn't like dropped arguments, she likes medium-high speed, clash, appreciates courtesy, and prioritizes clear and concise communication skills. Thank you for engaging in a fun and moving debate round!

Congress:

Part of being a professional speaker requires that you are eloquent while representing your state and issue. Eloquence is something I watch out for, but more importantly is evidence. If you are not able to support your claims with evidence, then you will place lower than everyone else - even if you are more eloquent. I'm really, really tired of watching people speak on issues without claims. Granted, if you are coming from a philosophical or pathos appeal, that is different. But if you are trying to introduce new concepts or claims - don't just make wild assumptions to prove your point (Which a lot of congress kids seem to do)

With that said, the speaker that is also professional, polite, and respectful to their fellow representatives is also something I would like to see. This, however, does not mean I don't want to see some clash. I love clash. If you are able to bring new information to the debate then you will peak my interest. (don't just speak to give a speech, speak because you have important things to say. If you are speaking just to give a speech, make sure you bring something new to the floor that hasn't yet been considered).

Ask meaningful questions in CX that force your fellow representative to think about what they are saying, or a question that helps plant a seed of doubt in the mind of the rest of the audience. Carefully crafted questions (again, don't just ask a question to ask a question) should have a purpose that proves your point.

LD:

LD is a debate that should be focused on the morality of whatever issue you are arguing for. I am all for what ever arguments you want to run here, theory, kritiks, or whatever they may be - but they MUST have links. Ask about this if you ever have me in round. Do what you do best.

If it comes down to an evidence or value contestation, it is your responsibility to give me reasons to prefer and tell me why yours are more important. If it comes down to a value contestation in which both sides can win under either value, please don't waste time trying to convince me that your value is better when they are really the same value. Just agree to the value and move on.

I am fine with speed, and use the flow quite frequently to make my final decisions. I don't have any argument I am biased against, unless of course it is an argument that promotes hate speech, antisemitism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, or any other form of discrimination.

Be respectful at all times, especially during cx - and don't ask questions just to ask a question. Use the information that you get from your opponent in cx in your speech if you can, and make sure to ask the difficult questions. If you need to ask clarifying questions, that is fine.

CX:

I love judging policy. I am fine with speed, and use the flow quite frequently to make my final decisions. I don't have any argument I am biased against, unless of course it is an argument that promotes hate speech, antisemitism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, or any other form of discrimination.

If you are trying to gain access to extinction impacts, your story better be good. Links, internal links, warrants, and evidence better be top notch in order to really 'wow' me. If your opponent finds any holes in your argumentation or links, then you probably wont win your impacts.

I am ok with tag teaming.

I do not count prep time for flashing evidence, but if it becomes excessive then it will probably become a problem.

Be an ethical debater.

Be respectful, but aggressive if and when you need to be.

When it comes to an evidence contestation, you need to give me reasons to prefer your evidence over your opponents while explaing why the opponents evidence fails.

A clear road map. Is super important. Just because I say I am fine with speed doesn't mean I will always be able to follow you. If you lose me I will drop my pen and then it is your job to help catch me up.

PF:

A lot about what I have said about LD and CX applies here. I want to see clear argumentation and analysis and roadmapping. Speed is fine.

If the debate gets messy, having voters is really important.

Give reasons to prefer your evidence or framework if it is contested.

Ask me any questions you have about how I judge PF that were not covered.

I am an attorney and practiced law many years before I started to teach. As a young law clerk, I worked for the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee where I loved going to the chambers to watch the debates. I also helped draft legislation and reports for the U.S. Senate.

With this background I look for arguments and presentations:

1. That are persuasive.

2. That are full arguments (without holes).

3. That a common person (such as a jury member) could easily follow.

4. Good connection with audience.

5. Good speed (not too fast).

6. Believable.

7. Professional.

I love debate as a communication tool. I will LOVE judging your event!

Communications and Impacts