My main priority when assessing debaters is to see whether a speaker is able to fully understand their opponents points and directly compare it to their own contentions. I believe one of the greatest skills students can pick up from debate is to be able to listen to your opponents and effectively address their arguments, not just being able to defend your own. If a debater can compare and clash their arguments with their opponents and use logic + evidence to justify why, in the context of that debate round, their contentions are better, then I believe they have a strong chance of winning.

Here are a few guidelines for a debate round I'm judging:

-Of course, do not use any discriminatory, hateful, harmful and/or profane language during your speech

-Small aspects of your speech could have a impact in my RFD since they can interrupt important parts of your speech if they are distracting or invest me into your speech more if executed correctly

-Weigh correctly! It is the most important part of a round

-Please signpost during your speeches. I'm a slower writer with certain utensils (pencils for example), so you should make sure that I know of how your case connects

-Use proper debate terminology! It makes you sound more experienced during your round

-As the second speaker, make unique arguments. According to me, your speech was a waste if you just repeated your partner's points (try to do some more weighing and focus on refuting)

I am a parent judge. I have not done debate before, so please do not use debate jargon, as I will not understand. Speak slowly and clearly. I do not do low point wins, as how the each speaker does also factor into my decision.

Doing all this will make my decision easier. Have a good round! :)