NSDA Taiwan District Tournament
2019 — Taipei, Taiwan, TW
Debate Judges Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideDave Arnett
Director of Debate, University of Kentucky
27th year judging
Updated September 2023
Go ahead and put me on the doc chain davidbrianarnett@gmail.com. Please be aware that I do not read along so clarity and explaining your evidence matters a lot. Many debates I will ask for a compiled document after the round. I reward clear line by line debating with mountains of points and wins.
Better team usually wins---X---------------------the rest of this
Team should adapt---------------X----------------judge should adapt
Topics-X----------------------------------------------Topics?
Policy-----------------X-------------------------------K
Tech--------------X-----------------------------------Truth
Read no cards----------------X---------------------Read all the cards
Conditionality bad-------------------------------X---debate should be hard
Nothing competes------------------------------X---counterplans are fun
States CP good--------X------------------------------States CP bad
UQ matters most----------------------X-------------Link matters most
Line by Line-X-----------------------------------------Flow Anarchy
Clarity-X------------------------------------------------Srsly who doesn't like clarity
Lots of evidence--------------------------------------X-lots of really good evidence
Reasonability--------------X---------------------------competing interpretations
29 is the new 28---X-----------------------------------grumpy old guy (true for other reasons but less so on this)
Civility-X-------------------------------------------------My Dean would cancel our program if they saw this
i'm sticking to a 10 second synopsis of my thoughts because my paradigm keeps getting deleted so i don't want to spend 208320840 minutes typing a whole paragraph:
policy:
email: mirab2508@gmail.com
pf:
- everything in the final focus needs to be in the summary
- don't just read 2 arguments against your opponents arguments and proceed to read a bunch of new contentions in your rebuttals. the rebuttal is responding to what the other team said, it's not a time to read new contentions unless you finished answering their stuff.
- be nice pls
Most of my background is in Policy debate (1984-2015). I started coaching PF in 2015ish.
I read a lot about the topics and I'm familiar with the arguments.
I think you should read direct quotes, minimize (at best) paraphrasing and not make up total lies and B.S.
My decision will come down to the arguments and whether or not voting for the Pro/the resolution is on-balance desirable.
I flow and if you notice I'm not flowing it's because you are repeating yourself.
Email: change1@mca.org.tw
Put me on the email chain, I won't be flowing off the doc though; I only flow what you say.
I started debating from elementary in Public Forum and then I did policy for 2 years and competed in the NJFL in the US and the MS ToC. I'm doing LD now as a K debater in US tournaments.
I vote on what's on my flow, if something is dropped, I won't evaluate it. Therefore please make it organized and easy to flow. I'm a tech>truth judge, I'll only vote on what you told me to, so please IMPACT EVERYTHING. I'll be very sad if I have to vote for the losing team because you didn't extend your impacts or warrants. EXPLAIN EVERYTHING, don't just tell me that being racist is bad, explain what happens when you are racist in a debate round.
PF
It's mostly the same as policy, but no plans and definitely no theory.
Speed: I'm fine with speed (if your opponents are) just stay clear. I'll say clear twice and then I'll stop flowing by the third time.
Time: time your own speech and prep time. Your speaker points will be busted if you go overtime or steal prep.
Speaker Points: Clothing has nothing to do with debating. You can show up in a T-shirt and flip flops and your speaker points won't be affected. Be courteous and organized and you'll get a 28 easily.
for those that don't understand what I'm talking about below, don't worry, you're probably fine
Framework: let's be honest, PF is just slower/mini-policy. I default util and CBA, but I'll vote with any warranted method. Please clash with the other side's model, don't just tell me what your's is, tell me why the other side is wrong.
Kritik: If you can run the Kritik as a linear DA, I'll happily vote for it. No alternatives because advocacies aren't allowed in PF.
CX/LD
Policy: The bread and butter of debate. I'm down with voting on policy args, just extend them properly.
PIC: I dislike word PICS, although you might have a harder time winning PIC
Topicality/Theory: I'm not a big fan of theory unless there's in-round abuse. I don't like frivolous theory, but I'll vote for it if the other team doesn't say anything. I default reasonability and drop the debater. If you run theory, you better go for it; time skews just wastes everybody's time and takes away from the content of the debate. HOWEVER, I'll happily vote for it if you have a good, pragmatic impact.
Framework: I love a good framework debate despite me being a K debater. If it does turn into a framework debate, please clash; I've seen too many rounds where people just say their own framework but doesn't tell me why the other side is bad. I default Util.
Kritik: I love Ks but they are pretty difficult to explain. I'm familiar with Model Minority Myth, Cap, Semiocap/Baudrillard, and Afropessimism, but I not deeply versed in the literature, so please give a fire rebuttal/final focus that explains what the arg is clearly.
Speed: I'm fine with speed (as long as your opponents are ok with it too) but if you aren't clear, I'll say "clear" twice, I'll stop flowing if I can't understand what you're saying afterward. Please sign-post.
Cross-fire/CX: I don't flow crossfire/CX, but it plays a pretty big part in my decision. Try to use it as a time to gain ethos and set up arguments. Be aggressive, but not rude (it'll come out of your speaker points). I love trap questions (and when people call them out) and I'll reward high speaker points for it. You better know your own evidence when you go into crossfire though, your speaker points will be destroyed if you read the wrong evidence or don't know what it says.
Speaker points: I don't care what you wear or if you stand or sit. I'd honestly be fine if you all came in with shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops. Speaker points will be evaluated based on organization, Cross-fire/CX.
For those that actually read my whole paradigm, I'll boost your speaker points by .2 if you whisper Taiwan No.1 at the end of your speech.
Be clear, confident, and respectful!
Newbie Coach for ADL
I flow.
I give pretty high speaks if you're nice.
Email Chain: Brandonchen.135@gmail.com
Ask in round if you want to know more about me
Experience/Debate Background: I have been doing PF for around six years as a first speaker. I also did some policy and WSD.
Judging Styles
- Speed: I'm fine with speed as long as debaters make themselves clear and understandable. However, if debaters spread and I can't understand them, I would automatically drop the argument.
- Speaker points: Speak openly and confidently. I judge on how well the speeches are, so remember to be loud and clear enough to earn yourself high speaker points. Respect your partner and the opponents. I deduct speaker points for rude behavior.
- Arguments: I judge the quality of arguments and how well debaters explain them. When it comes to rebuttal, I prefer debaters to explain the arguments rather than just reading cards. Remember to weigh arguments and explain to me why you deserve the ballot.
- Flow: I am a flowing judge. The debaters are more likely to win if they weigh the debate with arguments for me and clearly explain why they outweigh their opponent. I do flow during crossfire.
When I look at the flow for decision, I start with the final focus, so it is important that debaters clearly explain their arguments and weigh. Make sure to tell me why you deserve to win with strong and convincing reasons.
experience:
- done SD, PF, and Policy for the past 6 years
- National WSD 3rd Speaker
- Co-President of TPDSA
general (x = where I lean towards)
- Clash-x-------------No Clash
- Tech---x------------Truth
- Impact Calc-------x--------Impact Comparison
- Speedy-----------x----Conversational
- Flowing CX--------------x-Not Flowing CX (there are exceptions)
- Signposting (please do it) - i.e. let me know where you are going in your speech
notes for PF and SD
- I like it when there is a narrative i can follow
- speak up because if you are too quiet it technically doesn't count on my flow
- don't be rude to your opponents
- please have warrants -- i will not just accept your arguments just cuz you have an author
- extend what your 2nd speaker says
- hopefully your final reflects the summary
- remember that you are a partnership, not an individual person
- don't assume that your judge knows nothing and try to stick to the truth
policy
- If you are gonna do theory, please make sure you understand it
- Same thing with Ks -- also note that my ability to judge these are very limited
- Please give a road map
- Though I like to be included on the email chain, expect me to vote off what I got on my flow and not what I got off the speech doc (I have no issue admitting that I simply couldn't hear what you said and hence could not vote for you)
- let's not spread analytics or theory ←_←
- condo is probably good
- I <3 aff-specific DAs---impact calc/comparison---card indicts/rehighlightings---topicality
I judge based on the following considerations, in decreasing order of importance:
1. The strength of the argument
2. Sentence composition and word use
3. Oral presentation skills
Please speak at a steady pace, so that your words are coherent and intelligible.
Good luck out there!
I debated policy on the U.S. national circuit throughout high school and college, and was ranked 5th nationally in college. I coached a nationally competitive high school, taught at the Stanford and Claremont debate camps, and am currently teaching for ADL. Anything goes - speed, Kritiks, whatever. I judge off the flow and I expect you to write my ballot for me explaining why you won. Be nice to each other and remember, this is not a game - how we think matters.
in terms of experience, i've done pf, cx, world schools, and parliamentary debate for two years of high school
speeches
- you can spread, but please articulate and add me to the email chain (fang.darrenf@gmail.com)
- your narrative/story should clear and extended throughout the round. however, i'm tech > truth, so anything that's dropped i will consider as agreed on by both teams
- please weigh and tell me how to evaluate your arguments (write the ballot for me!). absent debate to the contrary, i default to voting for the advocacy that is likely to accrue the most net beneficial util impacts upon consideration of its hypothetical implementation. unless i'm told to do otherwise, i use the heuristics of offense/defense, timeframe/probability/magnitude, and uniqueness/link/impact to compare arguments
others
- i love Ks.
- the more specific the CP is to the aff, the better, because it drives competition
- please be nice during cross! (no shouting please). i don't flow cross, so if it's important, bring it up in your speech
I competed in college parliamentary debate, and have 5 years coaching public forum debate in Beijing, Taipei, and now back in the United States. Under my tenure in Beijing, we won the NSDA China National Championship two years in a row.
I am a flow judge. I expect debaters to provide evidence for their arguments and responses, but if they do not, it is the responsibility of their opponents to highlight a lack of warrants.
I do not flow crossfire, so any significant information gained in crossfire should be brought up in later speeches.
I am focused on content over style, but do believe there is a necessity to communicate major issues clearly and convincingly when the debate is coming to a close.
I am okay with spreading, as long as the debaters are speaking clearly.
For policy, I'm a member of a jury. I've had an introduction and instruction, but I enter the case with an open mind. The prosecution must prove to me why to condemn the man (the SQ) with evidence, logic, and the overall benefit to society. The Neg must show me, using the same, that the SQ is better or that a proposed alternative, such as a CP tops the AFF plan. If it's nearly equally, I'll go with the Neg on the assumption of Inherency. The SQ represents the thinking of a vast number of people; just as, if it's close, we're not going to condemn a man to death.
For LD, we're standing by the side of a railroad track. The two candidates are trying to convince me to vote based on their platform, which includes a policy, which I assess based on its practicality and morality. As the common person, I'd listen to their logic and, of course, they'd need evidence, but in the end, I'm deciding on right and wrong as much as practical issues.
For PPF: I'm watching a television show, Two sides are debating a policy issue, and they're trying to convince me, the viewer, of their position. Obviously, to prevent me from turning the dial, they'd have to be more entertaining than policy debaters. Still, however, as a learned watcher of a political talk show, I'd want to hear evidence and sound logic to convince me which side is more right.
I've coached and judged LD for several years, at the local, regional, and national tournament level. I teach AP Language and Compositon in my 'regular' lfe, and bring my educational background with me wherever I go.
Debate to me is ultimately about 2 things: logic and communication. I consider these aspects as having equal weight. if you offer a plethora of well-formed points but do so in a frantic, mumbling, or otherwise ineffective matter, I will not score you well. Similarly, if your debate is all style and no substance, you shouldn't expect to do well with me.
I'm a sophomore cxer at westwood.
I will listen to all arguments, do whatever you want.
I have been debating competitively for around five years now with experience in PF, CX, LD, and a little bit of WSD. During these years, I have competed in up to 15 tournaments all around Asia and the United States.
I’m a flow judge and will therefore focus primarily on your content. I’m ok with speed and spreading; presentation and delivery is not as much of an issue as long as you are clear in what you’re saying. I have a background primarily in CX so I enjoy arguments along both the lines of your regular policy-oriented topics as well as ones that are more critical based. I don’t have strong preferences in terms of argument types, so feel free to run whatever you think you can best debate.
That said, some debaters take this as an invitation to run all the arguments that they know applies to the topic—try not to do this for the mere sake of running more arguments. Quality and depth outweighs quantity. (Don’t let this discourage you. If you think you can defend all your positions effectively, by all means, run them!) This should answer most questions regarding my stances on kritiks/theory/cp etc. Run them if you can explain them extensively and use them strategically. One thing I will say is that I think framework is an area of argumentation that debaters should use effectively. I’ve seen that a lot of debaters tend to drop them after their first speech. Engage in the fw and write my RFD for me in terms of what my decision should be based off of in the round.
On the same subject matter, be clear in how you want me to weigh the debate; otherwise, I will default to my personal judgement in deliberation. Quick note on final focuses: don’t bring up new arguments. I will not take new arguments into consideration. Try to focus on your extensions and analysis in this speech. Engage in your opponent’s points and create clash.
Lastly, please be respectful to everyone in your debate room. Feel free to approach me before the round if you have any other questions you would like to clarify.
Good luck with your debate!
Experienced- I did PF for almost two years from grade seven, but started debating smart debate when I was grade 4 (for three years). I have judged ADL smart debate tournament.
1. Speaker point- Clear speaking and politeness are important. Respect your partner and also the opponents.
2. Speed- spreading is fine as long as everything is clear and understandable.
3. Argument- I look at the argument the most, and mostly make decisions based on the argument you make. I prefer debaters explain the arguments rather than reading cards.
4. Flow- I am a flow judge. Debaters are more likely to win if they tell the judge how to weigh the debate and why you outweigh opponents.
Most importantly, I determine the winner based on what you say, but not how you say it.
ADL
UMich 25
email chain - debatekkjk@gmail.com
Tell me 5 reasons why we should debate - bonus points
haven't read too much into the topic - be sure to explain your warrants and argument
CX
Don’t copy paste evidence in the email body, send it in a separate doc
Disadvantages:
Hardly went for any DAs throughout my high school but I do like debating/learning/ judging them, so you do you. Tell me why your impact outweigh, if not why it turns their case. Do have links (multiple links are awesome)
Counterplan:
Explain the mechanism of your counterplan and why that is better than the 1AC. Tell me how you solve case, throwing out the terms CP solve case doesn’t mean anything. Have a net benefit so that your CP solves more and I’ll probably vote for the CP. I’m not the biggest fan of theory arguments. I would be willing to vote for them but you will have to do an insanely good job at explaining why it is bad and the impact of violation. Line by line still applies to theory arguments, so do that.
Kritik:
I'm probably an average judge for kritiks. I went for cap with a destituency alt most of my neg rounds in high school. If you are going for a kritiks please do explain them. So explain exactly what is the aff doing that you are criticizing. I prioritize analytics over reading a bunch of cards for kritiks. Yes, literature is important, so still have evidence to pry our advocacy but it shouldn’t be all just cards. Framework on K: tell me what the role of judge should be and how I should utilize my ballot.
Topicaility:
The neg team should have an impact and tell me exactly why the aff team not being topical does influence the debate. Tell me the violation, how and why they violate your definition.
Hello, my name is Tim.
I judge based on the following considerations, in decreasing order of importance:
1. The strength of the argument
2. Linguistic presentation (i.e. sentence composition and word use)
3. Oral presentation skills (how you speak)
I don't mind if you speak a little fast, but your presentation must be coherent and intelligible. A slower speaker who makes a few great points will get a higher score than an excessively fast speaker who rattles down a dozen points.
Thank you - I look forward to seeing you debate!
As far as my judging philosophy goes, I do not have particular preferences. I believe that debate is a place for discussion and discovery. Respect and politeness is a very important part of a good debate. Below is a briefing of how I look at each speech/area of the game, for both Public Forum and Policy (shorter for Policy as you should know what you need to do).
Public Forum
Cross-fire – Be polite, be persuasive, and don't beat around the bush. This is not the time for quarrel or to read off new arguments, but it's for answering your opponents' answer directly. I will not flow cross-fire, so if your opponents conceded to an argument or you think you made a great analytic, you need to mention it specifically in your speech so that I can take note of it. Ask good questions! Closed ended ones are always better than open-ended or clarification questions.
First speeches – There is no need to have a Framework, but it will definitely work for you if you utilize it throughout the debate. Often, people read framework just for the sake of reading it, and fail to develop it beyond their first speech. In short, it is a very powerful tool that debaters should definitely consider using and if you're not using it, don't bother reading it in the first place. As far as case goes, any type of arguments work for me – unless it's illogical or very offensive. But I expect that close to half of the arguments you read in the first speech would be extended into the debate, or else reading that one card is just a waste of time if you don't take advantage of it later in the debate.
Second speeches – The most important roles of the second speaker is to attack the opponents' case, defend their own side, and potentially build upon their case by reading add-ons or additional arguments. The order you put these burdens in really depends on how you are taught, but generally it is most effective to put your rebuttals first and case last, with more time spent on your case. Anyhow, I'm not picky about the order, it just have to be strategic in the debate. And again, if you have a framework you should definitely extend it right in the beginning of your speech.
Summary speeches – This is the time when debaters must funnel down the arguments of the debate for the judge. If you do not list out the most important arguments, it becomes time consuming for me to look through the notes and I might miss an argument that you believe you have won on. Don't feel obligated to extend every answer or argument, just explain to me which are the most important arguments and/or clash in the debate. What's even more strategic and effective is to start your impact calculus here, so that there's less work for the Final Focus. A final note is that I shouldn't see any new arguments in terms of contentions (new answers to the opponents are okay). Also, if you shadow extend any cards (meaning you only read it in the first speech not the second speech), I may or may not vote on that card. But if the opponents never addressed that inconsistency, then I will just let it through.
Final Focus – Here is where you want to limit down the debate to that one or two arguments you think you have won on. There are many ways to do this, but no matter what, it should be clear, concise, straightforward, and easy for me to follow. In the end, the more work you do for the judge means the more likely the judge will vote for you. Impact calculus is also very effective here. In short, no new evidence, elaborate your arguments (including your framework if you extended it throughout the debate), persuasion, and a story to sum things up if possible.
Speed – spreading is okay but hopefully you're not doing it in PF. Clarity > speed, always.
Policy Debate
Framework – like Public Forum, framework should be included in your speech unless you have a good reason not to do so. Develop it, use it to your advantage, and extend it across your speeches so that I will take this into consideration when deciding the ballot.
Topicality – if you do not extend it across the your speeches, I will disregard it as an argument, and be sure to include all of the necessary components. Again, this is a tool that can win you a debate.
Theory – must be explained clearly, efficiently, and logically if you're going to mention it.
Kritiks – only run them if you know how to explain them from the inside out. Have a strong link and don't rely on prewritten blocks. You can always tell when a debater doesn't understand a kritik they're running.
DAs – be strategic when running them, especially when paired with a CP
CPs – always have a net benefit to the CP, answer each permutations separately, and be strategic.
Prep – email/flashing is not considered prep, but if it takes an unreasonable amount of time, then down goes your speaker point.
Include me in your email chain: benson_lin@brown.edu
(work in progress)
Above are more like the logistics of the debate. As far as skill, persuasion, and speaker points go, just do your best and learn from your mistakes because it's not something that can improve in a day, but as you have more and more experience.
Good luck and have fun!
Debate:
I have participated in debate for more than 6 years, including public forum, LD, and Policy Debate. I am open to all kinds of arguments and speed.
Clarity outweighs speed. Quality outweighs quantity.
Just a reminder, the purpose of debate is not only to present your arguments but to engage with your opponents.
Speech:
I have experience doing speech as a kid and experience of being a speech judge.
Keep mind of the time management, clarity, and volume.
Competition is never about only about winning and losing, its more about what you've learned.
1. What is your debate background?
Started debating in high school and competed for 3 years.
Participated in Wenzao Debate Open (2018, 2019) and Nanke Invitational Forensics Tournament (NIFTy)
2. How do you judge?
I am a flow judge and base it mostly on argumentation. Although presentation may play a part in my final verdict, its role is not significant. I will mostly be comparing the strength of the arguments, framework, and reasoning.
3. Please explain other specifics about your judging style?
As a fast speaker myself, speed will not play against the individual debaters.
Personally, I believe that Kritiks are important in a debate because it highlights the impact of the resolution through the assessment of different societal philosophies.
Providing counterplan is crucial to the opposition side as it provides an alternative to the resolution. However, if the counterplan is not thoroughly explained and developed, it may be insubstantial and irrelevant to the debate as a whole.
I do not judge debate very frequently: most of my debate experience comes from running the Parliamentary Debate Society within the school at which I teach. Prior to that, my previous experience of debate has been in the UK, when I coached a team for the English Speaking Union’s London Debate Challenge; it should be noted that the nature of parliamentary debate in the UK is rather different from US college debating.
I have an academic and teaching background: I have a PhD in political history, taught politics and philosophy at university for six years, and have taught history and English for the last thirteen years, both in a London state school and at Taipei European School. For the last six years, I have been heavily involved with MUN conferences.
I enjoy engaging with arguments in depth, and have no problem with arguments that come from an epistemological or ontological perspective. I am always open to hearing interesting and original arguments.
Debaters should be aware that I get irritated with the overuse of jargon and common presumptions. I will also appreciate teams that speak at a pace that allows their listeners to engage properly with the logic of their points, rather than making it an exercise in fast listening.
6 years PF coaching experience. Science major in University.
•Technicality: take care to explain to me why I should vote for you-- provide coherent links & impacts
•Crossfires: I enjoy a good show.
•Speed: no spreading please :) I want to understand every word.
•Do judges even follow their own paradigms?
1. Debate Background
Having debated since 2013, I have done a variety of types including policy, public forum, and parliamentary. I have competed in multiple tournaments such as, but not limited to: TOC China, NJFL USA, and NSDA China. I have made it into eliminations for the majority of my tournaments. Moreover, I have also judged in the TIUC and multiple other tournaments.
2. How I judge and judging preferences
I am a flow judge and will make my decisions purely based argumentation, but be aware that your delivery will significantly affect your speaker points too! I am fine with spreading but please make sure that you are clear and pause and/or signpost before new arguments to make yourself easier to follow. I will not clarify any arguments with you, so if you are unclear (mumbling, etc.) and I do not catch you argument, it will be your own loss!
Please remain serious, respectful, and polite towards everyone throughout the debate, particularly during crossfire. Other than bad delivery, rude behavior will negatively affect your speaker points as well. This includes, for example, continuously talking over your opponents non-stop and not giving them a chance to respond. Its not dominating, its just avoiding clash/debate. Also, please do not cover your face with your paper/laptop. Its hard to be convince someone without looking at them!
As for argumentation, I do not have any particular preference for any type of argument. However, comparisons (e.g. impact calculus) and clash is very important to me. A judge will vote all arguments/impacts to be equal unless you give them a reason why they should prefer your argument, regardless of how absurd your opponents argument may be unless there is a certain framework I am put into during the debate. Its quality over quantity. It doesn't matter if your opponent proves 10 different impacts if you can prove that your one impact outweighs their 10. So debate analysis (weighing different arguments) and of course, clash (disproving your opponents arguments, etc.) is extremely important for me.
Please also note that I do not vote based on crossfire and will not flow it. It does not, however, mean that the crossfire is unimportant. Crossfire is a chance for you to expose your opponent's weak points or to set up traps for your opponents to fall into to which you can use against them at a later speech. However, no matter how great a point you made in crossfire, please do not assume that I will vote upon any of it unless you bring it into your main speeches. So make sure you do that if you do make a good point.
Finally, please don't steal any prep time or make any new arguments in the final focus, as I will simply start your time or disregard the new argument.
Be confident and good luck!
Michigan PS
Michigan PP
Michigan PD
Tech trumps truth. I will strictly default to the arguments on my flow and refrain from injecting my biases into the debate. That being said, I will not treat 'ad homs' or issues that occurred outside of the round as arguments. They will not be evaluated.
If you have an ethics challenge, stop the debate. Do not treat it as a case neg or argumentative strategy.
Unless instructed otherwise, I will judge kick CPs.
Email: tynews2001@gmail.com
I participated in four years of policy debate in high school and I debated four years at Western Kentucky University.
I am open to anything and I try to be as tab as possible. Just use warrants in your argumentation, even if it is theory. If an argument has absolutely no warrant and is just a claim, there is a chance I still won't vote on it even if it is 100% conceded. That is to say, if you just say conditionality is bad because of fairness and education, that is a series of claims without warrants, and thus is unpersuasive even if the other team doesn't address it. However, if a poorly warranted claim goes conceded, then I will not necessarily adjudicate the strength of the warrant as it is the other team's obligation to defeat this warrant, and as such I will take the warrant as true unless it is unintelligible or utterly absurd. I will default as a policymaker if you don't put me in a competing paradigm.
When adjudicating competing claims, it is my hope that debaters will engage in evidence comparison. However, if two contradictory claims are made, and no one weighs the strength of the internal warrants of the evidence, then I will likely call for the evidence to adjudicate which claim is more strongly warranted (assuming the argument may be part of my reason for decision). Same goes with topicality. I am 50/50 in voting for topicality, and I default competing interpretations.
If you are running critical/performance arguments, please be familiar with the argument and able to intellectually defend it. My personal preference when I debate is usually policy-oriented discussions and my personal bias is that switch-side policy debate is good, but I don't let this inform my decision in the round. At the same time, I think that non-traditional forms of debate are an important component of the community and have an important message to broadcast, and as such, I have voted for performance affs in the past.
The following is a preference and not a requirement. It is common for me to judge teams running non-traditional forms of arguments and personally be unfamiliar with the literature base. Thus, it is probably in your interest to ask if I'm familiar with a non-traditional argument prior to the round unless you plan to explain it extensively in the round. An argument is inherently less persuasive when the messenger also does not fully understand it, and the debate is probably less educational for everyone involved as a result. In general, I think you should be familiar with any argument you read before you deploy it in-round, but I've found this is more frequently an issue when high school debaters deploy the critical literature base. If I don't think you are familiar with your argument, I won't hold it against you in my RFD (although it will inform my speaker points), but it will probably influence whether you are able to effectively deploy the argument on the flow, where I will vote.
Finally, you should tell me explicitly how the RFD should be written if you win so I can understand your vision of the round. If you do not have ballot directing language, I will use my own judgment to write the RFD, so it is in your interest to write the RFD for me.
Tripp Rebrovick
Director of Debate, Harvard University.
BA, Harvard; PhD, Johns Hopkins
Please put harvard.debate(at)gmail.com on the email chain, but see note 1 below.
Updated January 2021:
The first thing to know about me as a judge is that I take overviews in the final rebuttals very seriously. The team that correctly identifies the critical arguments for each side will generally win, even if they have problems elsewhere on the flow or if I have other reservations about the argument. In other words, most of the time, the team that gets my ballot has done a better job of (a) identifying the most important arguments in the debate and (b) persuading me that in evaluating those particular arguments I should believe them. Similarly, I've found that in most of my decisions I end up telling the losing team that they have failed to persuade me of the truth of their most important argument. Occasionally this failure of understanding is due to a lack of clarity on the part of the speaker(s), but more often it is due to a lack of detailed explanation proving a particularly significant argument to be correct.
As a judge, I am usually skeptical of anything you say until you convince me it is correct, but if you do persuade me, I will do the work of thinking through and applying your argument as you direct me. It is usually easy to tell if I am persuaded by what you are saying. If I’m writing and/or nodding, you’ve probably succeeded. If I’m not writing, if I’m giving you a skeptical look, or if I interrupt you to ask a question or pose an argument I think you should answer, it means I’m not yet convinced.
In close debates, in which there are no egregious errors, I tend to vote for the team that articulates a better strategic understanding of the arguments and the round than for the team that gets lucky because of a small technical issue. My propensity to resolve arguments in your favor increases as you communicate to me that you understand the importance of some arguments relative to others. I am usually hesitant to vote against a team for something they said unless it is willful or malicious.
A few other tidbits:
1. I will not read the speech doc during your speech. The burden is on you to be comprehensible. Part of me is still horrified by this norm of judges following along.
2. If what you have highlighted in a card doesn’t amount to a complete sentence, I will most likely disregard it. Put differently, a word has to be part of a sentence in order to count.
3. CX, just like a speech, ends when the timer goes off. You can’t use prep time to keep asking questions or to keep talking. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to alt use time.
4. Please number your arguments. Seriously. Do it. Especially in the 1NC on case and in the 2AC off case.
5. Pet Peeve Alert. You have not turned the case just because you read an impact to your DA or K that is the same as the advantage impact. For example, saying a war with china causes poverty does not mean the DA turns a poverty advantage. It simply means the DA also has a poverty impact. In order to the turn the case, the DA must implicate the solvency mechanism of the affirmative, not simply get to the same terminal impact.
6. [Since this situation is becoming more common...] If the affirmative wins that conditionality is bad, my default will be to reject conditionality and make any/all counterplans unconditional. Pretending that the counterplan(s) were never introduced is illogical (they stay conditional) and solves nothing (the affirmative can't extend turns to the net benefit).
Lay Judge.
Speed is fine with me as long as you can convey your point across clearly.
I appreciate Kritiks and creative arguments.
October 2022 update: I am unfamiliar with the 22-23 high school topic and this will be the first time I judge this resolution - please keep this in mind before you spread through your blocks :)
Conflicts: ADL. My pronouns are He/Him. Add me to the chain: junxuan.ethan@gmail.com
Stolen from Dylan Willett: I am in Taiwan which is at minimum 13 hours ahead of the tournament I am judging so make sure to start off at a pace where I can adapt to your speed and speed up progressively through the speech because I might begin the debate a bit groggy.
I will judge the debate based on the flow. That said, I'm not too familiar with high theory Ks, but I will try my best to adapt to whatever argument style presented in the debate.
I lean negative on most theory arguments. I lean AFF on T, and I find reasonability a very persuasive argument when argued well. Please don't let this dissuade you from going for T - good debating can overcome most of my preferences/biases.
I won't judge kick the CP unless the 2NR tells me to. Impact calculus is very important. The Cap K is a very good argument if your link explanation goes beyond "state bad".
Send case to email chain before your speech & I might ask for extra cards if I’m curious: joytaw@gmail.com
My wifi sucks, it'll make it a lot easier for everyone to have at least speech docs prepared for your speeches - lowkey required for rebuttal, others optional but preferred.
I debated in HS but it's been a while (class of 2020) -- I can understand tech but prefer to be treated like a flay. Semi-ok with speed in the first half of the debate if there are speech docs (still pref not going super fast) + No spreading in second half of the round pls. If you do, I guess I'll still evaluate it but it will only be what I can catch + your speaks will be dropped.
Lay ----- Flay --X--Tech
Public Forum:
General update/preference on framework: I don't like oppression olympics. I don't like talking about why we should prefer one group over another group so if both teams have framing impacting out to marginalized communities, I prefer the debate to just be on the link level unless you are undeniably winning on the warrant level. Also I don't like the "link-ins bad" arg as much either, I just don't like the round being over before it starts.
Theory - pls no theory unless it's about the other team not reading a content warning. I mean if u do read theory i guess i'll judge it but i prefer substance so my threshold for responding to theory is prob a lot lower than u would like. I also don't care for disclosure theory.
Evidence - I care about evidence ethics so don't egregiously miscut cards but if you are going to run ev ethics on someone, implicate why it's more important than substance debate or why it should control my ballot. Also, I think paraphrasing is fine in PF so don't run that on me lmao.
- keep track of your own times pls
- pls stop asking if it's okay to take prep just announce to the room so we're not waiting around and time yourselves
- Be clear. I never get enough sleep so if I don't catch it, it won't be on my flow.
- Frontline if you're second rebuttal
- I don't flow crossfire. If it's interesting I'll listen, but if it's important - bring it up in speech.
- Don't be rude to the other team or I’ll drop your speaks. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzpndHtdl9A)
- YOU CAN’T EXTEND ARGUMENTS WITHOUT EXTENDING WARRANTS!!!! (e.g. Don't just tell me ending arms sales causes war - give me reasons WHY that's true and extend the impact of WHY it's important) Every time you extend an argument you should extend the link chain + impact. No blippy extensions.
- Terminal defense is not sticky (translation: Rebuttals will not be directly flowed across so bring it up in summary if you want it in final focus)
- Collapse
- Pls don’t make me intervene (write my ballot for me with weighing)
warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants (warrants =/= evidence)
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in summary and final focus
pls thank u
Policy update:
I'm familiar with policy debate, as in I've judged it before, but I never competed in it. I competed in public forum so keep that in mind when you're debating. Aka:
- don't go too fast, if you are gonna spread - send me a doc
- If you're running theories or Kritiks that are not intuitive -- please EXPLAIN THEM FULLY or it will not go your way. Also if it involves smth sensitive - please include a content warning.
- Time yourselves - I might do it on the side too but I want you guys to keep track of it yourselves. Especially prep or opponent's prep.
I’m both a public forum and policy debater. I’ll listen to and vote on pretty much anything - including kritiks, theory arguments, or framework. Write my ballot for me and clearly articulate your impacts. Please remember to provide warrants, compare impacts, and refrain from power-tagging needlessly. I don't tolerate clipping of any sort. If a team wants me to look at a specific piece of evidence or call another debater out on something, that desire needs to be explicitly expressed within a speech or during the round. You can speak as fast as you want as long as you're clear.
Despite being fairly new to competitive debate at the high school level, I have also previously done debate and other similar activities in both middle and high school. As a judge, I am more of a flow judge as I base my decisions on the argumentation presented by the two teams. This could into the amount of critical thinking, evidence, research, and response but also the impact, logic, and unity of those arguments being presented. However, I still believe that delivery is important, as speaking clearly and at the right speed is crucial for the points to be understood. In terms of Kritik counterplans, and other factors, I do not have a specific preference as they do depend on the debaters themselves. It'll be fine as long as if they are reasonable and can positively contribute to the arguments and case as a whole.
1. you can speed up
2. dont steal prep
3. i dont flow cross
4. read anything you want just do it loud
5. be nice to ur partner
I am a high school debate coach. This is my first year in this position. I do not have any previous experience judging competitive debate. I do have extensive experience with Model United Nations, and Mock Trial, however.
I did not debate in high school or college.
I would prefer it if teams did not spread, because I think it brings down the level of the debate, overall. That said, I will do my best to accommodate all speaking styles. I recommend that all debaters not lose sight of the importance of speaking persuasively and really selling the impacts of their arguments.
TLDR: Time yourself and do what you do best, and I will make my best effort to make a decision that makes sense. Extremely low tolerance for disrespect. Do not say death is good. Minimize dead time and read aesthetic cards for higher speaks. Be nice, stay hydrated, and have fun!
Email: Add poodog300@gmail.com. Set up the chain before the round starts and include the Tournament Name, Round, and Teams in the subject. Will start prep if you are taking too long. Please take the two seconds it takes to name your file something relevant to the round.
AFF Things: Know what you are defending and stick to it. I will vote on any theory push if debated well enough, but most things are reasons to reject the argument. Very bad for non-resolutional K AFFs.
CP/DA Things: #Stop1NAbuse. CPs should have solvency advocate(s). I think competition debates are fun. Not a fan of UQ CPs. Politics is always theoretically legitimate. Can vote on zero-risk.
T Things:Not the best so don't blaze through analytics. Explain what your model of debate would look like. Outweighs condo and is never an RVI. Plan text in a vacuum is silly but I will vote on it.
K Things: Agree with JMH: policy debaters lie and K debaters cheat. No good in K v. K. I will be very unhappy if you read a K in a Novice/JV division or against novices. Debate is a game and procedural fairness is an impact.
PF/LD Things: Paraphrasing is fine if you have evidence that can be provided when requested. Will not vote on frivolous theory or philosophy tricks. Ks are fine if links are to the topic.
Nice People: Debnil. Both Morbecks. Michael B. Cerny. Steve Yao. Delta Kappa Pi.
Mean People: Eloise So. Gatalie Nao. Chase Williams. Kelly Phil. Joy Taw.
he/him
I am currently a policy debater at Taipei American School and at ADL (1A/2N)
I prefer tech over truth
I’m fine with any arguments as long as the warrants are clear
Impact calculus and evidence weighing is helpful
Your goal in the final speeches should be to write the ballot for me
I don’t factor presentation into my decision
Go as fast as you want- but make sure you’re clear enough for me to flow it
1. My background
- Debated (policy debate) for two years in high school in New York, USA.
- In college, I didn't continue competitively in debate but did "persuasive speech."
- 10+ years of coaching/instructing/judging debate in secondary education to students and fellow teachers. (Mostly in policy debate, but also some public forum and Lincoln Douglas)
2. How I judge.
- It is true that I deliberate on the overall presentation of debaters to an extent. (see below)
- I primarily focus on arguments and logical reasoning/connections.
- The delivery primarily only is an impact if it makes the arguments unclear to the listeners (myself or the opponents).
3. My judging style and preferences.
- Any pace/speed should be okay as long as the speaker is clear and loud enough (I'm not a fan of debaters racing through a preprepared speech thoughtlessly while being barely comprehensible).
- I'm not a big fan of a Kritik approach but will accept it if there is enough of a clear, logical connection created by the speaker. (If you use one, you had better be really good with having it connected and possible/believable.)
- I attempt to approximate the estimate of the “AVERAGE INFORMED CITIZEN.” (A simple "blank slate" is not an average citizen, so I do somewhat weight points according to the arguments being reasonable. However, you are also not debating against my knowledge of a topic.)
- I enjoy hearing counter plans and original ideas but don't like it if a counter plan is remarkably similar to the affirmative plan (has only minor differences/changes).
- I DON'T LIKE SPREADING! I would rather have a team choose their best arguments instead of trying to win by just having a large number of minor points that end up being dropped. (If you have a lot of points, that is not a problem that is, if... lots of points are dropped by your opponents, but you can defend the parts challenged are defended instead of quickly dropping them (when challenged) that would convince me that you are ready to defend the other points that were dropped. However, if you spread and then repeatedly drop your own arguments (when challenged), that would lead me to believe that you are only trying to win via numbers alone.)
Additional notes...
- I am dyslexic... if there is a lot being said, I might not be writing/typing because it can be distracting from what is being said, but I am keeping mental notes. (Being dyslexic means that it is a bit harder for me to write and listen simultaneously.)
- My notes are sometimes messy because they are only intended for me.
- I prefer to give immediate feedback instead of long detailed written reports but will write up the more major things in a feedback report.
Email: Nathan.in.Taiwan@gmail.com (ONLY use my listed email if you need it to share evidence or in debate email chains)
Background
Director of Speech & Debate at Taipei American School in Taipei, Taiwan. Founder and Director of the Institute for Speech and Debate (ISD). Formerly worked/coached at Hawken School, Charlotte Latin School, Delbarton School, The Harker School, Lake Highland Prep, Desert Vista High School, and a few others.
Updated for Online Debate
I coach in Taipei, Taiwan. Online tournaments are most often on US timezones - but we are still competing/judging. That means that when I'm judging you, it is the middle of the night here. I am doing the best I can to adjust my sleep schedule (and that of my students) - but I'm likely still going to be tired. Clarity is going to be vital. Complicated link stories, etc. are likely a quick way to lose my ballot. Be clear. Tell a compelling story. Don't overcomplicate the debate. That's the best way to win my ballot at 3am - and always really. But especially at 3am.
williamsc@tas.tw is the best email for the evidence email chain.
Paradigm
You can ask me specific questions if you have them...but my paradigm is pretty simple - answer these three questions in the round - and answer them better than your opponent, and you're going to win my ballot:
1. Where am I voting?
2. How can I vote for you there?
3. Why am I voting there and not somewhere else?
I'm not going to do work for you. Don't try to go for everything. Make sure you weigh. Both sides are going to be winning some sort of argument - you're going to need to tell me why what you're winning is more important and enough to win my ballot.
If you are racist, homophobic, nativist, sexist, transphobic, or pretty much any version of "ist" in the round - I will drop you. There's no place for any of that in debate. Debate should be as safe of a space as possible. Competition inherently prevents debate from being a 100% safe space, but if you intentionally make debate unsafe for others, I will drop you. Period.
One suggestion I have for folks is to embrace the use of y'all. All too often, words like "guys" are used to refer to large groups of people that are quite diverse. Pay attention to pronouns (and enter yours on Tabroom!), and be mindful of the language you use, even in casual references.
I am very very very very unlikely to vote for theory. I don't think PF is the best place for it and unfortunately, I don't think it has been used in the best ways in PF so far. Also, I am skeptical of critical arguments. If they link to the resolution, fantastic - but I don't think pre-fiat is something that belongs in PF. If you plan on running arguments like that, it might be worth asking me more about my preferences first - or striking me.
I flow, but you should consider me a lay-judge. Win with your arguments and your logic, not debate tactics. In PF rounds, please do not impact your arguments out to 'human extinction.' I do not believe this is a realistic consequence of any of the topics debated in PF.
I also do not allow off-time roadmaps. I really like roadmaps and signposting, but you need to do it within the timeframe of your speech.
Civility and respect toward your opponents is paramount. Also, please speak loudly and clearly. I have a minor hearing loss and will rely on you to communicate clearly. Thanks!