LD/PF: I flow diligently, but I want you to speak pretty, too. I'm okay with speed, but not spreading. Don't make warrantless claims, please. I'll listen to any idea, no matter how bizarre, if you have cards for it. Be polite and sportsmanlike, above all else.

WSD: I'm most often a PF/LD judge. I want you to use lots of examples to illustrate claims you're making. This format of debate is 50% longer than the 40-ish minute attention span that PF and LD have cultivated in me as a judge, so I want you to speak engagingly. Command the room.

CX: I'm a traditional judge all the way. I do not care at all for jargon. This is a speaking activity; go slow and be clear and I'll flow it. Explain it to me like I'm 5.

Debate is fundamentally a speaking competition in which the art of rhetoric is utilized – speaking effectively to persuade or influence the judge.

As such, please do not speak at a pace that is not understandable to the average person or read arguments that are detached from the resolution in question.

It is your job as a debater to persuade me, meaning you also carry the responsibility to explain all the arguments presented.

I request that you maintain a healthy relationship with evidence - if you are going to make a claim, support it with evidence. Alternatively, if your opponent states something that is within the canon of common knowledge, please do not demand that they cite it. (i.e. do not demand evidence for the claim that Paris is the capital of France.)

Provide clear voters and an explanation of why you should win the round.

Ask any other clarification questions before the round!