I am Laura Hottenstein, a lay judge for local tournaments in Tampa, Fl. My experience is with LD. My preferences are as follows:

No spreading. I need you to speak clearly.

No progressive, no technical.

Signpost.

At the end of the day I am looking to see who has convinced me of their argument. Please be respectful.

I prefer traditional arguments that are intuitive and compelling. No Ks, Theory, etc. or anything related to progressive debate. If you speak too fast I won't be able to hear or follow your arguments, so keep the pace slow.

Very lay judge. I can flow, but you must speak at a moderate pace.

Make logical arguments and weigh.

Be courteous in round.

Hi, I'm Lauren Robinson, and I am assistant debate coach at Cypress Lake High School in Fort Myers, Florida. This is my second year as assistant coach, and I have also taught debate for several years. With me, you can run pretty much any type of argument unless it is blatantly offensive. What I want is a clear framework, values and VCs that make sense in light of your overall argument, and evidence that you've considered all logical possibilities.

I am pretty flexible on speed. I can listen to and understand someone speaking pretty fast, but spreading just to hear yourself say more words rather than to fit in essential points seems showy, a bit inconsiderate of your opponent, and pointless to me. If spreading seems warranted by the density of the material you're addressing, I will allow it, but don't spread to just repeat yourself twelve times. Aim for profundity rather than verbosity.

I vote for the side that better convinces me, so make logical, coherent arguents and speak clearly so I can understand you. I will not tolerate spreading in the round; if you spread in the round, I may vote against you for that reason alone. Also, I dislike tech. So, avoid running DA's, counterplans, plans, theory, kritiks, and other technical arguments.

The way I judge is straightforward and methodical. Keep this in mind when I am judging your debate. This is the way I judge rounds:

1. First I decide which framework (i.e. value and value criterion) is best suited for the round

2. Then, I go through each contention on either side individually and evaluate whether the aff or neg on each contention. If the aff won an affirmative contention, then I will consider that in my final decision. However, if the neg won that contention, I will drop that contention. Same goes for the neg side.

3. Finally, I weigh the standing contentions on each side against each other. I decide which contention(s) are stronger in the context of the winning framework.

So, these are the things you should do to win a round that I am judging:

1. First and foremost, do not spread. I cannot understand a debater that spreads and will tend to vote against them. As a general rule, do not talk faster than 7.

2. To ensure that I catch all the most important parts of your case (like the value, value criterion, and each of your contentions), try to slow down and emphasize when you are introducing your framework and each of your contentions. Throughout your entire case, speak clearly.

3. Make sure you clearly advocate for why you won your contentions and why your opponent lost their contentions.

4. Make strong weighing arguments and explain clearly why your contentions fit the winning framework better than the opponent's contentions.

5. Keep track of time and maintain formality throughout the round.

I am looking forward to judging your debates. Good luck debaters!

I am a lay judge and I prefer no spreading.

No spreading.