Debbie Johnson MS HS Novice Tournament
2024 — Austin, TX/US
Speech Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideI have been told that I can look mean and tired and a million other intimidating things when judging- if I give off those vibes I'm sorry!
I always want to see speech and debaters succeed and give the best performance they can, remember that high school only lasts four years, above all else have fun with your event and be true to yourself, those vibes can always be felt, and when you're in that happy mental state that is when your performance is the best it can be.
In speech, I look for three things,
- Are you giving a performance no one else can give, this doesn't mean the best performance mankind has seen, but a performance that is your true style. It should be something that could be put on a piece of paper and from reading the first paragraph I would know it was YOU who delivered it.
- Delivery- Is it creative, captivating, and concise? Fluency stumbles happen (nerves do be like that) but it's all about the recovery and raising yourself up.
- Content- I love good content, heck if it's real good I'll store it in my brain so I can use it in my speeches lmao. But the reason I put content third is the fact that speech is all about convincing the audience on a matter, when most people go to watch a speech they seek to be entertained above all else. If they truly prioritized content they would simply be reading academic journals all day. Good content is always the foundation for a solid speech, and I believe that unique presentations and good delivery inherently make for better content as the way it is presented can make the audience see it in a new light.
At the end these are the things I personally am looking for, but if you feel different about extemp that's perfectly valid. At the end you should give the performance you want to give and I will adapt accordingly!
P.S I love content through the use of examples and stories the most, I adore rhetoric, and jokes about anime will always make me smile.
In debate, it's been a second.
Congress is the debate event I'm most confident judging. I would use the same metric I used for speech but swap 2. with content and rebuttal. I believe that advancing the debate is crucial and that always deserves more recognition than the prettiest speech.
LD- Walk me through step by step, roadmaps are crucial, I unfortunately a little washed at flowing so don't do insane spreading on me. Number contentions and letter rebuttals if you are willing, it helps me rift through the debate and allows for clearer judging and rfds.
PF- Same as LD, delivery might come into factor a little as this is public forum and it should be a debate event geared more towards convincing the public instead of solely seasoned judges.
CX- Ooooooooo, Same as LD, I respect the insane prep and work y'all do, as with all the other events, if I look confused(sorry!) , cross might be a time to clear up misconceptions or resummarize both sides (I understand cross in debate events are basically pointless at the tech level I used to debate myself back in the prehistoric age, but making sure the judge is on the same page as ya is something I deeply appreciate).
I pray I haven't lost all my ethos yet, but feel free to ask for feedback after round or reach out to me whenever ya see me. I am always committed to making speech and debate a better place!
Make sure you answer the question and even if you mess up power through your speech. I'll be selecting one of your sources at random to check if they exist and are accurate.
Pls follow extend format, and talk at a reasonable speed. If it is a formulaic segment talk fast if it is something important talk slow.