I don't debate circuit and am not familiar with spreading or K's, so most likely if you spread I won't be able to flow your case. I really don't have many preferences for throughout the round, but please do signpost your case if possible! (1st contention, subpoint A, subpoint B, impact, etc.)

Golden Rule: Be nice to your opponent. Not too aggressive, not mean, treat each other with respect. If I see you are not being nice, I will lower your speaker points.

Also, a quick preface to this paradigm. I know it seems scary that it's so long, and I'm not here to intimidate you, I just find it fun to have a long paradigm full of references and humour, in an effort to lighten the situation (and make me look more knowledgeable HAHA). If this is scaring you, I promise that is not my intent; I'm not a scary guy (or at least, I try not to be lol). Now, read on :)

A Brief TL;DR Of This Excessively Long Paradigm

Nah, no TLDR. It's your round, make sure you read and understand everything, and please ask me if you don't. I suggest listening to Writer in the Dark by Lorde while you read this.

A Tad About Me

Hey, I'm Vivek! I'm currently a college student, and previously served as PF Captain for Mountain View-Los Altos Speech and Debate (los altos >>). I'm a massive Taylor Swift fan (like my top played artist in 2020 AND 2021 oop), which makes me sound very basic, I'm aware. In my free time, I enjoy watching TV, going on car drives, eating, spending time with friends, etc. I'm excited to see y'all debate (I may scroll through Reddit if I'm bored, jkjk); below is a (very) comprehensive paradigm on what you should be doing to tailor to my preferences.

Also, my pronouns are he/him.

Lying

Look..... just don't lie. I used to have a whole paragraph here about not lying, but honestly, if you've made it this far, you know how bad lying is. If you're going to win, do so the right way.

Spreading

Do not.

Signposting

Do! I need to know where to flow.

Off-Time Roadmaps

Oh god yes please. So helpful.

Crossfire

Just answer your questions well and ask good questions. Don't give like super long answers, because that wastes the crossfire time for me and your opponents. If you want to elaborate, do so in your upcoming speech. At the same time, I don't flow crossfire, so even if you don't do so great, that will only be reflected in speaker points, not in my ballot.

Framework/Standard

If you do not list a framework, I will use your opponents'. Please list one, or you may end up regretting it.

Impacts

This is important, list your impacts, it helps me know who is helping the most people in the rounds. It doesn't necessarily need to be quantified, but it could be helpful for magnitude weighing.

Weighing

Taken from the paradigm of Daniel Fernandez.

Don't just make arguments and respond to your opponent's arguments; invest time to explain why the arguments you make the matter more than the arguments your opponent makes. The earlier you start and the more often you bring up your weighing, the better!

One note on weighing: I would advise teams against saying that their arguments are more likely than their opponent's arguments because the strength of weighing comes from the ability to accept your opponent's argument as true and still win the debate by demonstrating why your own argument matters more. When you argue that your argument is more probable than your opponent's, you put the added burden on yourself to win their case because you need to win a reason why their argument is not true or improbable. You should always seek win-win the debate by winning the fewest amount of arguments.

Extend

Extend your cases and refutations all the way through Final Focus so I know you didn't drop anything! If you drop something, I probably will not consider it in my final delegation. I once lost an eliminations round at Berkeley because I didn't extend one point in summary :( ......so, extend!

Speed/Pacing

I'm fine if you want to go fast, just don't go super-duper spready fast (spreading = bad. sry policy and LD!). Also, have a constant pace, don't speed up and slow down - time management!! Plus, speak clearly! If I can't understand you, then I might drop your point by mistake!

Arguments

Just don't be offensive, and also run creative arguments! Feel free to run squirrelly arguments. Plus if you make me laugh (yay!) I will probably raise your speaker points. :)

Evidence

Some may dislike me for this (myself included), but for evidence, I follow Charles Schletzbaum's preferred rule - NSDA Public Forum Rule #7.1B. In accordance with this rule, please have the author's name and date, along with their agency (ex. for Adrian Jones from the Mayo Clinic in 2013 should become "Jones 13"). I may call for cards, so be ready for that, and don't have any sketchy/shady evidence (debate math discussed below).

Debate Math

Eh. I used plenty of sketchy debate math myself throughout my debate career, so I can't really fault you for this one. Just make sure it makes sense in context of the actual world, and that you have the statistics to back it up.

Speaker Points

Taken from the paradigm from Christian Jochi Vasquez :) :

My average is a 27 for the losing team and a 28 for the winning team. I think speaker point inflation is pretty ridiculous these days. A 30 to me means that there is nothing I can critique about your speech and it was perfect [Vivek's edit – look for ways to improve speaker points below]. Somethings that can help you with getting a higher score:

A) Voting issues, not just blind extensions. Talked about this a bit up above. I want to hear real weighing in the round, and that means actually applying some form of calculus to the arguments. I think categorizing arguments into broader issues allows you to do this. Feel free to prove me wrong though, and I mean that sincerely.

B) I like clever lines of questioning. In PF this is a little bit more difficult to do, since crossfire is double-sided but I think it can still be done. You're never going to get a good opponent to concede some major point by just blatantly asking if they're wrong. Rather, asking small questions that build up and setting a trap is not just strategic, but makes me impressed as a judge

C) Jokes. I like to laugh and smile, but lately a lot of rounds have done the opposite for me.

Fun ways to get better speaks (for a maximum of 29.25 points - the rest must be from your actual speaking) :)

Firstly, I'd like to preface this section by saying that I want to make debating less stressful for you, and more entertaining for me. Therefore, I include this section, because it's so much fun to hear y'all's amazing references and stuff - please try to include like at least one reference to a show/movie listed below, because it's fun for everyone and makes the atmosphere just generally more comfortable. As a debater, I have never had a judge give me the option to reference entertainment I like (and believe me, there have been a lot of situations where I could have) - I want to be the judge that gives you a creative platform, so while the debating aspect is still pretty serious, you can also have a bit of fun with it :)). (note: obviously try to be tasteful where you say it, not in a random sentence about poverty and starvation in some part of the world or something lol)

- Puns in speeches (but NOT in contention titles): +0.25 speaker points

- Incorporate the first line of "All Star" by Smash Mouth into your rebuttal or summary in a way that makes sense: +1 speaker point.

- Reference one of these (and it must be a clear reference, I suggest making analogies to situations. It cannot just "Aang said 'war' once and so did I," have something tangible. And feel free to ask me for a review on any of these, I will let you know if it's good or not): + 1 speaker point:

(*clears throat*)

ATLA; LOK (omg the ending, my heart <3); MCU (including Deadpool (1&2), AOS, Daredevil, MCU Disney+ shows; ps Daredevil is amazing); Breaking Bad/El Camino/BCS (but not s5 of bcs); DCEU (including The Flash, Arrow(s1), Doom Patrol, Gotham, Lucifer, Peacemaker); Michael Schur Universe (The Good Place, The Office, Parks & Rec, B99); Dan Harmon shows (Community, Rick and Morty); The Umbrella Academy; Star Wars (including Clone Wars, Rebels, Mandalorian, BOBF); most things Disney (ask for clarification); Disney Channel Shows! (GLC, DWAB, A&A, L&M, Jessie); Stranger Things; Kim's Convenience; NBA stuff in general; Any Harry Potter movie/books; Literally anything Rick Riordan; Crazy Rich Asians (one of my all-time fav movies, and the books are solid too); legit anything Taylor Swift (omg my fav, like....champagne problems? paper rings? illicit affairs?? we stan!! lmk if you want recs); also anything Ben Platt, he ruled my high school junior year (what is it with sad music and junior year? hmm); The Last Dance; Columbo; Once Upon a Time; New Amsterdam; Johnny English (any of the three films, but preferably #2 because that's my favorite oop); Die Hard (1,2,3,4); Feel Good (PG please); Bridgerton (I caved into the trend oop, and probably lost a few hundred braincells because of that); Rocky (1,2,3,4,5,6); Creed (1&2); The Karate Kid (I,II,III); Cobra Kai (ahh i love this show); The Queen's Gambit; You. Basically, you've got options here. It's an easy speaker point. Do it. Please. Make me laugh. I am starved for entertainment (and, yes, I see the irony).

- Rap your summary/final focus: 2 speaker points

Get 30 speaks 101

There are two ways to get a 30:

1. Roast your opponent's case. However, not just a simple, boring roast, it needs to be a really unique, brutal comment. Again, DO NOT attack your opponent personally in any way – I would never advocate for that. If you're going to attempt this, go for their arguments. Also, I decide whether your roast is 30 points-worthy.

Theory/Kritiks

Hmmm, theory and K's and similar stuff are very interesting, but I have no real idea on how to weigh them in context of the round lol. I completely understand Abigail Spencer's gender K, and do agree that is a problem in public forum; if such a situation (or other situations with similar severity) arises, definitely feel free to address it. However, don't run theory or a K just for the fun of it, as it will probably backfire on you. If there really is a legitimate reason to run the K or the theory, then of course I encourage it, but if not, then just don't.

Disclosure

Eh. As a competitor, I understand wanting a judge to disclose. Therefore, I will try my best to disclose; however, if I'm just not feeling it, I may not disclose, and that's no reflection on your abilities to debate, I'm probably just having my own personal reservations to doing so (which can and will be influenced by numerous external factors, not limited to the round).

Non-PF rounds

If I'm judging you in Parli, LD, or Policy, I probably have no clue how to judge your round lol. Parli, I can get by (preferably keep the theory to a minimum). For LD I can also sort of understand, but weighing the morality aspect of the round can be confusing, as PF doesn't have anything like that. Policy..... I have no clue mate. I just hope that nobody assigns me policy rounds (hint hint tab).

Extra! (Though probably also helpful to read)

Don't title your contentions with something punny, like "Big Bad BRI" (from the BRI topic in Septober 2019). As much as I like puns, preferably not in your contention titles, as I want to know what the contention is about. If you can find other places to incorporate puns/jokes, then feel free to do so!

Also, please don't start your speeches with "I'd like to thank the judge for this round, I'd like to thank my opponents yadda yadda yadda" because it's so, so, so infuriatingly pretentious.

For all intents and purposes, I am a flow judge, but definitely also go for lay appeal lol. While I generally don't vote based on perceptual dominance, instead on your arguments, it does unconsciously factor into my decision (I am human, after all).

You can probably count on me having some background information on the topic, but it will definitely not be anything specific; now that I'm no longer debating, I don't have the proximity to these topics, and I'm not really staying updated about the Baltic States or the South China Sea in my free time.

I may have already added this somewhere, but I'll reiterate it here. I support sticky defense, but that is only if the evidence/argument has gone unresponded to by your opponents by the end of the round. Sticky offense is not a thing; please extend.

Watch this. It is so cute.

And at some point, please read this. It was written by a good friend of mine, and points out some very interesting points on debate itself. And on that note, please treat sensitive issues as sensitive issues.

I'm going to leave you with a life tip (which implies that I've lived long enough to experience much more than you all, which really isn't true, but whatever heh). Public Forum Debate is one of the most interesting, inclusive, and exhilarating activities I have ever done. I gained an entire second family here, one I conversed with daily and trusted with all of my heart. Public Forum will always hold a special place in my heart, and nothing could change that. That said, competition often transforms debate into a very toxic atmosphere to be in. Treat each other with respect and just be polite. While this is an important point for debate, the real world is a very toxic place as well - just try to be the nice person. Everybody is going through something: maybe their parents are having a divorce, their grandfather just died, they just broke up from a long-term relationship. Don't add to their internal problems. In rounds, debate your hearts out, but do not go for any personal attacks. Don't say anything that can be perceived offensive, including acting homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, anything of the sort. At that point, I will drop you if you're actively contributing to debate's toxicity. Just be nice.

Note for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 season of debate. Please do not sit with your partner, on the same screen, together (AKA not social distancing). Not only is it not safe for you and your partner, it's just annoying because there are so many teams that get disadvantaged for taking the proper safety precautions.

With that, good luck everybody.

I have been a judge associated with Notre Dame High School since 2018 as my older sister is the director of speech and debate there. Tournaments I have judged include invitationals and state qualifiers. My experience includes debate events such as public forum and Lincoln-Douglas, as well as interpretative, oratory and extemporaneous speech events. My debate judging style focuses on the value criteria of net benefit or maximizing welfare. If I feel the proposal would potentially do more harm than good compared to the status quo, I would vote for the negative. If the proposal seems to be more beneficial compared to the status quo, I would vote for the affirmative.

From the origin of my debate career, I have been a parent judge. Therefore, I really like it when you stand up straight, look me in the eye, and pay attention to the other speakers and your partner. If you think those things don't matter, you may be surprised in the future. I absolutely believe that debate, and especially Parliamentary Debate, is a fantastic endeavor. I will honor that and I will expect you to as well.

My experience spans about 13 years as I squired my two youths to as many tournaments as we all could attend and judged many rounds. Those two are coaches now and I have remained active because I believe in what the community is doing. So show me what you, and they, have gotten from this activity, such as:

· Critical thinking about the arguments you propose from great use of prep time

· The ability to cogently rebut your opponents case

· Eloquent communication of those arguments

· Tactical elements of argumentation

Speed: It’s fine if you can continue to enunciate appropriately so your opponents and I can hear your arguments. If a case is made but we don't hear it, then it doesn’t exist. If this judge doesn’t hear it it's a sure bet the case does not exist.

Pet peeve: Most plans cost money. It will be beneficial if you have a relatively good idea of how much is needed and where you intend to get it.

Tactics: K’s, Perms and Theory arguments are clever when done well and lose when done badly. Plan Inclusive Counterplans almost always work against you. If an opponent makes an argument that is unfair, you still have to call them out for it. Otherwise, like unchallenged contentions, it will flow through.

There has been quite a bit of change in the debate community and improvement in tournament activity. You should be proud of your participation. Everyone is in the room because they respect the activity of debate. We can demonstrate that and show our respect for each other. I will listen intently and try to deliver a lucid decision. Sometimes RFD’s delivered quickly can sound abrupt. Please don’t be offended. You are great competitors and often significant academic achievers. Getting better requires understanding why votes go against you, not how wonderful you are. I want to walk away better for hearing your arguments. Good luck and thanks for the opportunity.

Hi,

I am a flow judge and I judge purely based on participants arguments.

Here are few things that will get you winning points

- Clearly state the framework.

- I encourage creative cases. However, if someone is presenting an overreaching argument (or absurd), I expect the other side to call it out.

- Do not email your cases. This is a debate and we are not here to read documents.

- Do not spread. You need to articulate your case in a clear manner.

- Be courteous to your opponents. Argue the case and not the person. Any personal aggression will lead to loss of points.

- Present your arguments confidently and clearly. You need to believe in your arguments.

- Present multiple pieces of evidence to back up your arguments. If it is not provided, the opponent should call it out and I will drop your argument.

- Stick to the allotted time and do not run over time. However, you may finish your sentence that you started already without me dropping that argument. Arguments made after the clock will be ignored and will lower your score.

I will not disclose and all feedback will be provided in the ballot.

General Guidelines: Speak clearly. Avoid spreading. I flow the arguments reasonably. Signposts are appreciated.

Don'ts:

Don't bring new arguments/refutations in your last speech unless it is to address the opponent's previous speech.

Don't overstate (e.g opponent don't have evidence or didn't address - if they actually have or did) - especially in final speech of the debate (when your opponent doesn't have chance to respond).

Winner: Main decision factor for me to decide on who wins is based upon which contentions are remaining (and their impact). If that does not decide a clear winner, how convincing the arguments were (including evidence), how well you understand the case (both sides - to defend yours and weaken opponents), debating skills (cross ex, rebuttal, summary) will play a role.

Speaker Points: I assign speaker points based according to tournament guidelines.

Feedback: I want to really help the contestants to do better in their remaining rounds and future debates. So I give feedback after the rounds orally (unless time pressed) and don't disclose results unless needed.

I am a parent judge and I have experience judging PF and LD for 2 years.

DECISION CRITERIA: I try to keep an impartial opinion about the topic, and base my decision solely on the points made by the participants, how well they defend their own points, and raise issues with opponent's points. I evaluate the content, examples, and data and check for consistency and evaluate how well the data supports the contentions. For my decision, I try to evaluate all aspects and all rounds of the debate from the contentions to the rebuttals and summary. A coherent point by point summarization at the end is always a good way to make an impression.

FLOWING: I like to flow along with the participants so that I can review my notes later, and provide detailed feedback to the participants.

SPEAKING PREFERENCE: I prefer speaking styles which make it easy to grasp the content. Try not to just read your notes, but speak to the judge with the help of your notes. Going too fast or providing data after data (which marginally supports your contentions) is NOT the best way to impress. Also being argumentative with your opponent is not a good impression and might reflect in the speaker points. In terms of speed, I prefer a normal (or slightly fast) speaking style as long it is understandable to the judge and the opponent.

Make sure you signpost well. Off-time roadmaps are always appreciated.

I'd strongly prefer that you give the name of your card - it'll make it easier for me to keep track of your case, and I'll be more sure that you have a proper source for whatever argument/evidence you bring up. However, you can decide not to if you so wish.

Don't be rude to your opponent or in general (as you could probably already guess).

If there's something I've missed, I'm happy to clarify any questions you may have before the round starts.

When you get into the zoom meeting, please send a message in the chat stating your code, school, preferred pronouns, and anything else you think I may need to know.

I graduated in 2019 competing in LD and have judged LD, PF, and Parli many times before. I am open to lay or circuit debating styles, however, please agree on a style with your opponent before the round begins. I don't like seeing circuit debaters rolling over lay debaters just because they can. It isn't educational; it isn't fun; don't do it. If you are going to spread, please send me and your opponent what you will be reading before your first speech. Especially over zoom, audio can drop out and I'd hate to miss something important.

For Parli, if you have a POI, please raize the zoom hand to (hopefully) be more clear.

I will do my best to stay on video, however, if the circumstances wherever you are debating from don't favor you being on camera, please do not be pressured to share your video - regardless of what the tournament rules are.

PLEASE COME PREPARED. I have linked a couple of resources below to aid you in your 2020 tournament preparation. This year has proved anything can happen so I'm open to whatever terminal impacts you have.

2020 end of the world prep:

What to do if there's an earthquake: https://www.tripsavvy.com/earthquake-safety-tips-in-los-angeles-1586562

What to do if there's a tsunami: https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/worldwide/how-to-survive-a-tsunami

What to do if there's a raging wildfire: https://prevent-lss.com/blog/theres-wildfire-near-home/

What to do if an asteroid is headed towards the earth: https://anonhq.com/what-can-we-do-if-an-asteroid-hits-us/

What to do if you encounter aliens: https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vida_alien/xenology/appA.htm