I'm a parent, but have judged approximately 20+ debates and speeches. Please speak slowly and clearly. Most importantly, be nice and professional. I will take off points for unnecessary rudeness during a debate.

I prefer teams to time themselves but will follow with my phone.

Not necessary to shake hands before or after, let's keep germs to a limit :)

As a 2 year judge in Parli Debate, and an ex- parliamentarian, I am a big believer in a well planned, organized and fully developed debate.  I track facts and statements and believe that a un-refuted statement becomes fact and therefore passes through when not challenged.   I am a big believer in developing a path of your presentation and following it.  Your sources should come from well respected established outlets/ people, but I do not need to agree with your argument to believe in your debate, and to give you the win.  This goes with your sources and questions. 

Set the ground rules of the debate prior to starting, and manage your time well.  Notes are fine by me, as long as they are not used more than just as reference notes, or reciting a quote, or statistic. 

Don't get too deep into terminology, as I see facts, presented but if it is used, it had better be used correctly and stand the rebuttal of the opposition.  If it does not, it will be counted heavily against the party.

Speed- I am not a huge believer in speed talking at this point in any debaters career.  Being well spoken, articulate and clear in your thought and presentation is essential to great speaker points.

I am not a huge believer in using rules of debate as a reason to challenge to a win, it does weigh in my judging, but not as the sole rationale.  It should be pointed out, but should not be a reason for a debater to win.  though it will make a huge difference in scoring.  I believe in an active debate format and I encourage challenges and conflict, when appropriate.  Too many challenges is looked at as a negative.  Make sure that your challenges are accurate, appropriate to the topic of the debate meet the goals of your Aff or Neg agenda. 

Two things: (1) Do NOT speak too quickly and (2) signpost.

I am a flay judge. I prefer you signpost your arguments and please do not run any K's, theory, or topicalities. Do not spread through your rounds. Please structure your arguments to the best of your ability.

I am a newer parliamentary debate judge (and have gone through the parent training and 6 rounds).  

Constraint: Los Altos High School

Preference: Please speak clearly and slowly.

I plan to do flowing.   It will help me if you go slowly and bullet your construction and rebuttals.  If you are speaking to fast I will not be able to flow. 

Quality is more important than quantity.

Be respectful and observe the tournament rules.  I will protect if you are a member of the opposition or government and introduce a new argument during the rebuttal (the prime minister should acknowledge during their rebuttal that a new argument was introduced by the MO).

Raise your hand on POIs and POOs, and wait for the speaker to acknowledge. 

Remember to have fun!

Hi all,

A good debate from my point of view involves:

1. Solid research of the topic (back with evidence, examples, and data sources)

2. Clear structure of key debate points (fewer is better than more)

3. Crisp articulation of the key points (slow delivery in the beginning and ending of each round will help).

Enjoy! I am honored to have the opportunity to judge your debate.

Daisy

Parent judge here so please steer away from theory unless you really think the other team is being abusive (so that means you should not be running frivolous theory in a round where I am the judge) and you'll have to explain it super clearly-- so don't use jargon in terms of theory. I'm also not super familiar with kritiks so don't run those!

Basically: don't run super techy arguments. keep it simple. stick to case debate if you can. if you veer off case debate there should be a REALLY good reason why.

I'm also not too comfortable with speed, so please be clear when speaking and DO NOT SPREAD.

Most importantly, have a fun debate! Don't be mean or bigoted or else I definitely won't vote for you :D

Have a great debate!

-Ana

I am a parent judge without a lot of experience, so please go slow and be clear.

In the final rebuttals, try to summarize and pick out the most important points that you think will win you the round, and make comparisons between your arguments and your opponents to make it easier for me to evaluate.

Be civil and have fun!

Spread is a cancer on the body of debate which must be excised. If I can’t understand what you are saying, how can I vote for you?

If you run a lot of theory, you need to convince me why I should care - I am not an expert. The last time I took a debate class, you weren't born yet.

Skeptical of Kritik, but if you can persuasively tie to the actual topic, it could work with me.

I want to see engagement and clash more than anything else. This should not be two teams talking about two worlds. To win, you need to address what the other team is saying. This is a simple point, but sometimes overlooked. This happens most frequently when the negative team has a Kritik that they have clearly practised and polished. If you can't relate it persuasively to the actual topic and what your opponents are saying, it's not going to work no matter how smooth your canned speech is.

I strive to be a tabula rasa. If you tell me the moon is made of green cheese, it is, until the other team refutes it. However, the blatantly fabricated statistics in use by some teams are tiresome. Once you get into "pants on fire" territory, I am going to start docking speaker points even if I have to give you the win. FYI, for the team faced with the "pants on fire" argument, you have to point it out to me. It may not take a lot of evidence to refute an argument postualted without warrants, but you still have to call your opponents on it. If you don't, they win the point by default.

I am basically a "flay" judge, meaning I am a lay judge who attempts to keep a flow chart. If you help me by making your arguments easy to flow, you are more likely to win.

Quick Summary - Run whatever you want, be clear. It's your round, take advantage of it! Flow judge, give me articulated arguments. Kritiks are appreciated, warrants are awesome and taglines are not enough. The squo is more scarier now than ever - tell me whatever I can do to make debate a welcome space for you.

Background -

NPDA Debate - 3 years - Enough tournaments and practice to be very familiar with pretty much anything you can throw at me in the debate space.

Judging for 3 1/2 years - judged parli, policy and LD a lot (and I.E.s but whateverrr)

Approach to Judging -

-I am pretty tabula rasa, within reason. I default to reasonability inmost debates unless there is framework that asks me to change my perspective.

-I like high-probability, systemic impacts first and foremost. Give me real warrants and evidence and ANALYSIS I can weigh and you'll find my ballot favorable. I will vote on any framing though.

-I am a flow judge. I always walk the path of least intervention and won't extend or make arguments for you. Give me voters to refer to and it'll make my life easier. I'm really serious about this.

-I love anything kritikal, but it isn't necessary. I like topical and non-topical affs, but be careful with ID tix and other super generic non-topical advocacies. I like straight-up policy cases with advantages and DA's and the like. I like contentions with good framework articulated. Essentially, you can do anything if you do it well and make it easy for me to follow.

-I need articulated impacts, and arguments in general. Taglines are not enough. Explain to me the directionality and extent of your impacts.

-I don't like arguments dropped in member speeches to be suddenly voters in rebuttals AKA shadow extensions but people need to point of order it for me to not evaluate it.

-Let me know if there's anything I can do to make the debate space more inclusive for you. If you have any needs or preferences, I'm happy to help.

Argument Prefs -

Framework - I will evaluate the round as you want me to as long as you win framework. I do default to net benes/util, but am totally open to other ways of viewing the round.

Spec -I think spec arguments are rough to win, but I'm open to them. Give me solid standards and proven ground loss and I might pick you up on it.

Topicality - I don't like time-suck T's, and I think that a lot of T arguments don't actually really impact the debate except to inhibit clash. I have a medium threshold for T. You need articulated ground loss usually. However, if you drop it, or any a-priori arguments, you're going to lose the debate. Just be careful.

CPs - Always a great idea. I think CP's are super underused and really effective. I like PIC debates and if you run a CP, you just need to be careful about mutual exclusivity. I don't have a problem with condo CPs.

RVI's - I will vote on them, but only for a good reason i.e. rhetoric in the procedural/DA/whatever, timesuck arguments that are fully fleshed out, etc. Just like all other arguments, if it's blippy I probably won't vote on it and your time is probably better spent elsewhere.

Perms - Always go for the perm. I think the Opp has to really win the perm doesn't function to have a good shot in the round because it is often one of the easiest places to vote.

Kritiks - I like K's! I don't have a ton of background knowledge on some kritiks but have run a lot of Nietzsche, some D&G, Baud, Wilderson, but not enough of any lit other than Nietzsche that I feel confident with, so you need to explain it to me thoroughly. Any form, whether it's performance, rhetoric or otherwise, I am totally cool with. Be careful of overly-generic links.

Performance Prefs -

-I personally can handle speed as long as it's clear, but if your opponents clear or slow you, I expect you accommodate them. Additionally, attempting to spread opponents out of the round will destroy your speaks.

-I couldn't care less if you sit or stand - it's your space, make yourself comfortable

-Partner communication is fine, verbally or through notes, as long as you aren't puppeting. I will only flow what the designated speaker says.

-I don't have an issue with sass or playfulness, but don't be mean to your opponents or partner. There's a fine-line between the two and if you have trouble walking it, I'd be nice to be safe.

-Use your time as you wish, but try not to be too repetitive.

-I don't think you need to yell or be overly angry to try to project confidence. At the same time, you do you.

-If you are being sexist, racist or generally a jerk, your speaks will absolutely reflect that. You don't need to tread on eggshells, but don't be a misogynist, racist person.

Background:

I competed in policy debate for 4 years at Sam Barlow High-School, and then went on to compete in parli debate for 1 year at University of Oregon where i studied political science and sociology. During my time as a debater I ran all types of arguments, but had a strong tendency towards critical argumentation. This means I am most comfortable judging critical debate, it does not mean I will vote for your team because you read a K. Since competing in debate, I have judged just under a dozen high-school tournaments, and coached part-time in all forms of debate. Considering my experience, I feel comfortable evaluating all forms of debate and all types of argumentation. The most important thing for you to consider if I am your judge is that I will do my best to evaluate the round objectively, meaning I WILL JUDGE OFF OF THE FLOW. Of course, feel free to ask any questions about my experience with/ preference for specific arguments in round.

Public Forum:

While most of my experience in debate involves speaking quickly, reading theory, and critically challenging everything in the round, I do NOT believe any of these things have a place in public forum debate. Though a dropped argument may cost you the round, the most important things to me in public forum are your ability to speak clearly, your ability to support your claims, and your willingness to treat everyone in the round with respect.

Lincoln Douglas:

The way Lincoln Douglas has developed during my time in debate has led me to believe that this is a type of debate where anything goes. Speak as fast as you like, read whatever arguments you are most comfortable with (yes- that includes theory and post-structuralism), and be sure to effectively respond to whatever your opponent brings to the table. In addition to that, I believe that the best LD debates involve thorough analysis and explanation of the philosophical positions at hand. Typically these debates come down to two competing values with my decision going to the team which proves their value is most desirable. Empirical and theoretical arguments supporting your philosophical position are really what you should be counting on to win the round.

Assistant coach for a parli-dominant team. I don't like kritiks nor spreading, and would prefer you stick to the topic with fairly straightforward definitions. Given that it's parli, with limited time for prep, squirrelly definitions are unfair. 

Hi, I'm Julie Guilfoy (she/her), I have been working with the Bishop O'Dowd debate team for the past 4 years as a coach and judge.

Give content warnings before the speeches start please. I'll disclose and do a verbal RFD and feedback if time and tournament rules permit. I welcome fast speaking and evaluate on what is on the flow and evaluate on the strongest case. I appreciate debaters that sign post their case well and go beyond citing warrants; that is, tying their claims and evidence to unified story. Pet peeve of mine is debaters that try to win on overzealous POO's. Be aggressive, not abusive. I welcome debaters running a critical theory based argument as long as they are explained well and don't exclude any debaters from the round. Make sure to engage in the standards, debates and talk about fairness and education.

I am a lay judge who has judged tournaments for almost 5 years.

Kritiks: Please don't run them.

Speed: Don't spread.

Theory: Don't run friv t. Topicality is okay if you explain it well.

Speaks: Speak with clarity, passion, and respect. Structure is very important so make sure to sign post.

POI's: It looks better if you take POI's and answer them well. Try to take and ask at least a few per speech.

POO's: Call them out, but make sure you clearly explain what is new and why it matters. When responding, clearly show me where you said it.

Tag Teaming: Play to your strengths. If you understand something and your partner doesn't or you just want to help them, by all means tag team. Just make sure it's in the spirit of teamwork, not because you don't trust your partner.

Weighing: I value strong last speeches and debaters who can clearly write my ballot for me. Always link back to the criterion.

Be respectful and have fun. Debate is a competition, but make sure you don't take yourself too seriously. Mistakes are okay!

Good luck!

I'm a parent (lay) judge with several years of experience at tournaments.

Not a fan of spreading, especially if you can't be understood. Prefer teams to win on the quality of the arguments versus throwing procedure and interruptions at your opponents. That means please limit points of order. Explain any jargon you use (i.e. uniqueness, link).

I do my best to follow and track the flow, and my job is easier if you clearly signpost and organize your speeches.

I am a parent judge and don't have past debate experience. I primarily judge Parliamentary debate.

K's

I am not a huge fan of K's but if you really think it pertains to the debate, don't be afraid to run it as long as you are able to link it back to the debate at hand.

Delivery

This applies to all forms of debate, not just Parliamentary. Probably my biggest preference is that you do not spread. It makes it more difficult for me to render the right decision as I want to be able to hear your arguments, but I can't when you speak so fast to the point where it is impossible to understand.

I am parent judge and starting judging from Fall '16. 

Please do not speak at a fast speed to make all your points in the alloted short time.

I will judge based on the arguments and the burden of proof. I will do my best to ensure that best argument wins - which shows good evidence, persuasiveness and justification.  

I am a lay parent judge. I appreciate warrants and clear links. No kritiks, and if you run theory, you will need to explain clearly your opponent's violation with minimal jargon. No spreading. There is no need to shake hands. Focus on having a clean debate, and tangible impacts are preferable to " then there's nuclear war and we all die."

I am a lay judge and try to look for the logic in points. I strongly prefer you to talk slowly and thoroughly explain your points. Please signpost and let me know when you’re starting a new point. DEFINE EVERYTHING, keep the debate simple to understand, and define any key terms. Try to avoid excessively large words. Stay on case and impact and let me know why your points matter.

Observe Silence when not Speaking: Please respect the speaking team by observing silence when it is not your turn. If you need to communicate with you partner, do it on paper. DO NOT WHISPER while the other team is speaking.

No tag-teaming - do not interject or add onto your partner's speech.

Debate Speed: Keep your speech at a normal, conversational pace. If I cannot keep up with you, then I will not be able to consider your arguments thoroughly. You will be better served by having fewer, well articulated arguments than by trying to cram in extra points.

Theory: Arguments based in theory will be considered, but I don't give a lot of weight to them. I care most about your ideas and ability to structure an argument.

Other:

Presentation is important: eye contact, posture, clarity of speech and appropriate volume. Please speak loudly and clearly enough for me to hear you.

15 second grace period to finish your speech after time, after that you will loose speaker points.

1. Please make sure you signpost your contentions.

2. I like to follow logical and clearly structured arguments.

3. I expect to see good engagement and effective rebuttal of your opponent’s arguments.

4. I’m open to Kritik- take whatever rebuttal strategy you think will maximize your chance of winning. But, as I mentioned earlier, my decisions are based exclusively on the arguments and counter arguments presented with strongly backed-up concrete facts or examples.

5. No Spreading, be respectful of your allotted time, your audience and have fun!!

I am a parent judge with no debating experience. I do not vote on theory or other debate technicalities. Please keep a steady flow that is easy follow so I can flow all of your points, is you spread I may not be able to record all or your contentions on my flow. I tend to vote heavily on impacts so be sure to clearly link all of your arguments and their larger impacts.

I am a parent judge (my son tells me I am a flay judge - experienced lay judge), and I'm in my fourth year of judging. I appreciate clear sign posts and logical arguments: tell me what you're going to say (roadmaps are nice), then say it, and finally remind me what you've said. I also appreciate debaters who do not speak so quickly that I cannot absorb their arguments or understand their individual words. I believe that clear, well-paced speaking communicates the debater's confidence in their argument.

I can tolerate theory but not unless you use it judiciously. If I feel like you're using trivial theory shells for strategic purposes, rather than to do what theory is meant for (encourage a fair and educational debate), I will count it against you. If you do run theory, explain it well so I understand.

POOs are allowed and I will discern whether it's reasonable. I expect POIs to be used fairly, and not just to disrupt the flow of your opponent.

No K's, be civil, good luck!

I am a parent judge and have been judging tournaments for a couple of years, and here are some important things to keep in mind:

Approach to Judging:

1. I am not a tabula rasa judge, and I won't vote for false arguments or facts.

2. I like to see logical and structured arguments in the round. I prefer if every argument is clearly structured. The motion should be seen from all viewpoints, not just from one focused one.

3. There must be links. Every argument needs to be heavily backed up with evidence and warrants, and I want to see logical and thorough conclusions. I won't buy any claim that is thrown out there unless you can use common sense to understand it.

4. The Affirmation's plan should be bound to the resolution, and should only specify necessary details. The negation's counterplan shouldn't stray too far from the original plan.

5. Please no theory or kritiks.

6. Don't make new arguments in the last two speeches, but the other team should call a POO if they hear one.

7. Don't ask too many POIs (3 max) but the other team should try to answer all of them.

8. No spreading! Speak VERY CLEARLY and SLOWLY!I can't vote for an argument if I don't understand it, and be sure to SIGNPOST! No complicated debate jargon. With this in mind, oral presentation skills are important to me.

Bonus speaker points if you say something in Telugu to end the last speeches.

Above all, have fun and be kind to each other!

I judge equally and fairly. I know all debate technicalities as I debated in the pro circuit. Do not use complicated words such as climate change and feminism without proper explanation. Remember that personal experiences may not be indicative what actually happens most of the time.

I've been judging for a year now and am still figuring out a few things. I try to flow, so signposting and clear transitions help me a lot. Make very clear which points of the other team you are responding to. Don't mix things up and confuse me. I note everything down and make an objective decision purely based on what I see in my notes looking for arguments refuted and dropped. It's great to be excited, but clarity of delivery helps your speaker points. Don't forget to have fun!

Please speak at a reasonable rate, define terms and make clear links from policy to impacts.Avoid complicated debate jargon and Kritiks. Use theory only if you believe that there has been an abusive definition or that your opposition has gone off topic. Don't abuse POIs or POOs. Neg Counter-plans are acceptable . The team that educates me on the topic and makes their case clearly and respectfully will get my ballot.

I debated at El Cerrito High School in Parli for three years. Although I'm not a college debater, I still enjoy the debate community and judging!

Not that picky of a judge, but have a few thing to say:

1. I'm not a big fan of jargon. Please use it sparingly.

2. Focus on clarity of argumentation and responses.

3. Speak at a normal speed.

4. And be respectful - we're here to have a good time.

I have judged parli debate since 2016, and public forum later on as a parent judge. As a software engineer, I'd like to judge simply and mainly based on the core of the delivered speech, in other words, its logic quality, clearness, tightness and creativity of the argument itself rather than any superficial words of politeness or mediocre prologue...(but it does not mean that speaker can totally disregard of the basic manners when speaking or listening).

How speaker is clear, straight, detailed, well-organized, strong, creative and rich in their contentions and in proving opponent's flaw and weakness in their arguments is what I'd like to judge on.

So debaters should be relaxed, respectful and stay focus on your speech as well as listening well and carefully to the other side to create a strong, creative debate to win the round.

For each of young debaters today, gradually building good debate skill either from winning or losing a round is building for yourself a precious asset for your success in the future. Like other judges, I hope to contribute somehow to this process of your development.

Have fun and enjoy debate!

Hiep Tran

I'm a parent Judge, I will vote primary on arguments that make sense and are supported with logical explanation and supporting instances and data.

To make sense, an argument must be logical with a claim, warrant, and impacts.

All arguments should also be defended and no extensions should be made without responding to attacks on it. Ex: If your opponents make turns in the first rebuttal, make sure its responded to in your own rebuttal, otherwise I will consider it dropped. Signpost in speeches, especially if you're jumping around the flow. Weigh your arguments in the end and tell me why to vote.

Speaking needs to be clear enough, with expressions, going too fast may turn out counterproductive.

I care more about the quality of the presentation and the organization and logic of the argument than for the rapid-fire spouting of facts. I prefer speakers who use a more conversational style, with a normal pace, and I am turned off by the use of debate jargon — the USFG, permutation, aff/neg, etc. I’m a professional writer and editor who believes strongly in using clear language and speaking in complete sentences with appropriate pauses, rather than a breathless speech that sounds like one long run-on sentence. Use everyday idioms, metaphors and gestures.

I am a parent volunteer and have judged at a few tournaments before. I also debated three years of policy debate for Loyola High School (LA) and then a year of parliamentary at Princeton University. However, that was some time ago, and I am not as familiar with theory and K debate. So, if you run theory, please explain all lingo, and please avoid K's altogether because I may not be able to follow.

Please speak clearly and try not to go too fast so I can flow your arguments. Signpost and flush out your arguments; I won't buy a point only supported by numbers and stats, you need to explain to me why that evidence matters and why your argument is true. Towards the end of your rebuttals speech, make sure to close off the debate and tell me why you think you should win, tell me what you want me to vote on and why.

Misrepresenting your opposition's arguments may be good enough to win you the debate (if they don't call you out on it), but it sure won't win you any speaker points. Be respectful to opponents/partners/judges/audience. Ethics violations will heavily influence speaker points. I will generally score speakers on a range between 24-30 speaker points (although I reserve the right to go below that for serious ethics violations). I will consider both argumentation and presentation but generally weight the former above the latter. Points for humor if you can pull it off!

hello, i am a judge that has judged at a few tournaments before.

i prefer it if the debaters in the round speak a bit slower but more clearly. please try to use less jargon and explain the arguments clearly.

please do not run any arguments about kritiks or theory.

i have a background in finance and issues related to international tax laws.

I judge based on the notes I take. I try hard not to inject my own knowledge and opinions into a debate.

Please engage one another's arguments and provide clash. Please provide well-developed arguments with good warrant and impact. I would be more impressed with one to three well-developed, deep, and logical arguments over eight superficial, conclusory, and/or flat-out-ridiculous arguments.

Theory arguments have their place. If you make a theory argument, please convince me that your theory argument is actually worth caring about and is relevant to this topic, to this debate, and to your deserving to win.

Please be a human talking to another human and not a space alien talking to a computer. This means (1) you should be respectful to all, (2) if you speak too fast, I will be unable to write down all you say, and what I do not write down will probably not help you, and (3) if you decide to use jargon, please explain the jargon as if I don't know what it means. Debate is supposed to develop great leaders, and great leaders can communicate to all people, not just to other specialized people exactly like themselves.

Good luck!