I am a parent judge for Congress. My degree is in Political Science with a focus on the U.S. govt. I have lobbied Congress, written opinion pieces on behalf of a Senator, and worked closely with govt. agencies such as FDA.

I am looking for a healthy debate. Can you provide new facts or pull the facts given together and summarize? If not, please think twice about speaking. Speaking for the sake of speaking and not to further the debate, seems rather useless. Try not to read your notes. You need to have a strong open and at least three reasons we should affirm or negate a bill. Smooth language read from a page is less important than a passionately delivered, well researched piece.

Congress, overall - I am here to judge you and you are here to speak. I don't like when time is wasted not debating when that's the whole point of this event existing. Along this line, if previous question was moved and you still have a speech, maybe you should have been better prepared or chosen to speak sooner. I believe it is selfish to make an entire chamber sit through a broken cycle if your speech is not going to actually contribute to debate.

Congress Scorer- Congressional debate should be extemporaneous or have an extemporaneous feel. If I can tell that this is a pre-written speech and not your actual words, this will result in an automatic 5.

Because there is only 3 minutes per speech, the critiques I can provide are generally not the most thorough, however, I do try to provide feedback based on what I notice.

Speaker ranking is determined by conduct in chamber and questions asked. I do not necessarily take into consideration the number of speeches; however, in a competitive round, quality of speaking and speeches will be a distinguishing factor between close competitors. To break this down: You will be ranked higher in my ballot if you:
1) Use questioning time effectively both as a speaker and as a questioner (I don't mind asking question to bolster your side as long as you aren't wasting what little time is given in each block)
2) Effective and correct use of parliamentary procedure
3) Have well-spoken speeches that do not read from a page (or do not feel like they were written from a page).

Speeches scoring is determined based on this rubric on page 14 https://www.speechanddebate.org/wp-content/uploads/2017-Congressional-Debate-Guide.pdf. I prefer this rubric to the 2020 guide due to its detail.

It is rare for PO to rank below 5th in the round on my ballot. I understand the difficulty and the difference in the role of PO vs Speakers in the Chamber. That said, if there are many people deserving higher ranks as speakers,

Congress Parliamentarian - I ensure that proper order will be kept in the chamber at all times. I am very familiar with Parliamentary Procedure and will assist the Presiding Officer as needed. For Novice and JV, I will generally hold a more interactive seat with clear and direct instruction, as well as advice. For Varsity, I will take a more observational seat (unless the PO has specifically asked for a more hands-on parliamentarian). My expectations for both are similar (being more lenient with JV/Novice), however, are also understanding of experience in Speech and Debate, as well as the category overall.

What you can anticipate from my feedback: If you are a speaker, honestly, unless I have to say something (for good or bad), don't expect to get feedback from me on your speeches. You have two other judges that are giving you feedback. If you are PO, expect very detailed feedback and suggestions. Don't be intimidated by walls of text and paragraphs (with links), because that feedback is there to share my knowledge and tips that I have had with my experience with ParliPro and POing and imparting that on you.

Scoring, overall, is based on conduct in the chamber. Generally, students will receive a higher rank if they:
1. Use proper parliamentary procedure in every role in chamber (personal privilege, point of inquiry/order, effective uses of motions, etc.)
2. Utilise questioning blocks appropriately and functionally (actually asking questions, and not bringing in more information that should be addressed in a speech and ACTUALLY follow NSDA and MSHSL, when appropriate, guidelines)
3. Ensuring fairness and efficiency from every role in chamber
4. Pet peeve of mine: If you say that you are going to follow NSDA guidelines, actually follow them. There are many things that are done that explicitly go against NSDA (and MSHSL) guidelines that no one corrects. Examples include, but are not limited to: opening the floor for debate (this has never been a thing as long as I have been alive), closing the floor for docket nominations

In competitive rounds, I am looking for competitors who are paying attention, genuinely adding to the debate, and making themselves appropriately known.

While I understand that speeches are an important aspect of debate, when I am Parliamentarian, they are my second focus while ranking. I do not score speeches in this role. Most of my feedback is provided on an as-needed basis, with the exception of PO.

Hello! I am a coach/judge for Congressional Debate. I do occasionally judge traditional debate formats, so you may see me there, too. Back in school, I competed in congress in the off season from speech and at this point have been involved in speech/debate longer than not. I have a BA in Rhetoric and Advocacy, so I usually come at argumentation from that lense.

A note for all: contradictory evidence is just contradictory evidence. If you want me to believe the refutation, I need to know why your evidence should be believed over theirs. Otherwise you both have evidence and that's cool.

Congressional Debate Overall Comments
Ultimately, I am here to watch a debate. I am not a recess monitor and I do not want to be one. Please use the time allotted to debate, whether on the legislation itself or amendments. Yes, I know you're told that judges don't like amendments -- which is usually true, but they are better than watching a recess. On that note, while we are not judging what happens in recess, if it occurs in front of the judges, we now know what was discussed. That means that if you state you don't have a speech on the next legislation but you can pull one together, I commend your willingness to do this on the fly, but I now know that the speech you're about to give is minimally prepared.

You should also know that I read the manuals, handbooks, guides, etc for fun -- so I've likely read through the entire set of rules at both the national and state level at least 3 times thus far in the season. Does that make me a nerd, yeah - but I am a well prepared nerd. So, if you tell me you're going to follow those rules, please do so. For example, please do not call for a motion to open the floor for debate.

Please, leave the traditional debate jargon in traditional debate. You can talk about the status quo, impacts, contentions, and voters without labeling them for us -- we will still know what they are. Congress is a debate event, but it is a completely different animal and I would prefer it stay that way.

Congressional Debate as a Scorer
I will generally default to more speech points over less every time. This means that I will almost always score a 5 or 6 unless there was something overtly offensive or inappropriate. I do prioritize extemporaneous delivery over full-text, prewritten speeches. Speeches that contain improperly cited evidence will be scored down as this is a requirement at both the state and national level. I only need the required elements per the rules, so it's easy enough to cover. Please, give me a well constructed speech (intros, previews, signposting, concluding statement at minimum).

When ranking the top 8 at the end of the session, I will consider speeches, questions asked and answered, decorum, and understanding of parliamentary procedure. Presiding Officers will often rank in my top half. When competing, I was a PO more often than not, so I know that this is a challenging role and can be a great fit for some competitors. With that in mind, I will give more feedback to the PO than a lot of other scorers. It is all given from a place of constructive feedback and to consider with your coaches.

Congressional Debate as a Parliamentarian
My job as the parli is to focus on the PO. I am happy to help as much or as little as needed. I do assume, though, less assistance from the parli is needed at the varsity level.

Always feel free to raise points of inquiry from the floor or ask questions/clarifications as the PO - I am happy to answer them from both sides. My favorite memories of Congress as a competitor were the interactions with parlis in the lower levels to help us become the competitors that we were in upper divisions.

As my attention is focused on the PO and the chamber running effectively, please expect limited speech level commentary from me. I will provide overall comments to competitors regarding their questioning, decorum, and chamber level things. I am looking for all competitors to have a solid understanding of Parli Pro and the rules (both guides and manuals). I am also looking for fair and efficient chambers that still allow for POs to have an active role within the dynamic of the room AND not so efficient that we don't allow space for motions from the floor or people that need a bit extra time to process.

For final rankings, I will consider everything that has occurred in the room -- this will mean that the best speaker will not get my 1 if their conduct in the chamber, questions, and understanding of the rules/parli pro are not congruent with their speaking ability.

Traditional Debate
It isn't very frequent that I am in these rounds, but sometimes I am. So - consider me a lay judge. I have plenty more than the basic knowledge of the events than the typical lay judge. However, I am not impressed by how well you can cater your arguments to my preferences. Adjusting to your audience is important, but it will not result in a win from me. Give me a clear and clean debate that is paced at a speed that is understandable and I will be content. Also,pleasedefine your jargon the first time you use it.

Speak at a pace that people can understand. In order to cover too many thing in your time limit don't speak so fast that i cannot understand anything .

Be authoritative in what you say. if you are not convinced what you are saying, i am not convinced either.

Enjoy speech and debate!!!!

Attention TOC Congress contestants: this is NOT the place for judge profiles. Those will be posted at http://toc.tabroom.com.

Hi hi

I did WSDC and whatnot in high school, so I'm familiar with the norms of worlds judging and round expectations. A couple of specific things: (1) Make sure your arguments are properly mechanized. The term fiat is thrown around in world worlds too often without proper explanation or justification. I like interesting models, just explain them well and make sure they're reasonable. (2) Please impact things. This is straightforward, but if you have an argument, tell me why it matters relative to the debate. (3) Weigh! Be incredibly explicit about why one argument is more important than another in the back half. You don't have to win all/ the majority of arguments in world schools, just the most important ones!!

I was a policy debater in high school for GRHS, Grand Rapids, MN. I have a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from Hamline University, where I was also a Logic tutor. I am a Communications Consultant and parent to a debater at AVHS, Apple Valley, MN.

Clear and concise logical arguments are most persuasive. Evidence that is germane to the topic and to the particular arguments is always welcome. But the point of debate isn't to measure who has the best evidence, it's who is able to string pieces of evidence together logically to argue their point. The activity isn't called "Reading Research Really Fast," it's called "Debate." You can read a lot of evidence, but if you're not deploying it logically in an argument, you won't be persuasive.

For Congressional Debaters:

Congressional Debate is not just Extemporaneous Speaking with extra time to prepare. You are there to simulate an actual congress. This means that debating amendments, negotiating deals, and strengthening the bills that are before you is supposed to be something that you do. If you're in the opposition and you're arguing that the amount of money the bill allocates to nuclear power would be better spent on wind and solar, then offer an amendment to that effect. If you're on the pro side and you're getting killed because the opposition is successfully arguing that fining Big Pharma for price increases doesn't address insurance company profits driving costs, then amend the bill to address that problem. Compromise, negotiation and creative problem solving are skills that this type of debate is supposed to give you practice at. Engaging in it will also make the debate much more interesting and enjoyable for the debaters and the judges.

Debaters who engage in amendments in good faith, and demonstrate skills at negotiation, compromise, and creative problem solving, will be rewarded in ranking.

Greetings,

My name is Sara George. My pronouns are she/her. I am a school administrator you can call me Dr. George or Mrs. George .

I am excited to see you debate and speak! I am a former policy debater and competed in oratory, extemp and dramatic duo back in the 1990s. I retired from coaching speech, policy debate, and LD debate in the early 2000s. Now, I am a school administrator with a doctorate in Educational Leadership and the mom of a speech competitor & LD debater.

Speech Paradigm:

1) Be clear, tell me a / the story, make we want to believe you, and I'll award speaker points accordingly.

2) I want to see that you as a speaker want to connect to me as the audience.

LD Paradigm:

1) I don't care how fast you do or do not talk as long as you are clear and your argumentation makes sense. Debate is about the exchange of ideas; talking pretty is a bonus.

2) I want to hear well reasoned cases. Weird cases and critiques are fine, but they need to be well reasoned.

3) Sign posting helps me and it helps you to show me that you've addressed each of your competitor's arguments.

4) Arguing is a skill that is worth investing in. Being rude is not a skill, it is a problem. Argue with your opponent in a sound and rational way, and you'll earn my ballot.

A note about debating on education related topics:

I am not interested in hearing any teacher bashing by students. It is rude. Your teachers and coaches took the time to help you get here and help teach you how to debate. Don't argue anti-education perspectives in front of me. I am totally open to educational reform perspectives. However, it is incredibly rude to make teacher / coach volunteer judges listen to an hour of anti-teacher rhetoric on their weekends.

Policy Paradigm:

It has been a while since I've lived and breathed policy. I can listen and flow quickly, but for the love of all things good, please sign post!

I am totally open to listening to reasonable critiques of actual societal problems like the marginalization of people based on sexuality, race, perceived gender or a world view that hurts real people.

Arguing is a skill that is worth investing in. Being rude is not a skill, it is a problem. Argue with your opponent in a sound and rational way, and you'll earn my ballot.

Helloooo, I'm Adrianna she/her, I did congress for four years at Eagan High School and I now attend the University of Minnesota. If you wanna email me for whatever reason... my personal email is adrianna196@comcast.net.

I'm mostly looking for a well-structured congress round. That means I want to see intros, rebuttals, crystals, an actual debate round. Don't give in to the stereotype that congress is a speech category and not create a debate round :/ I hate when cycle is broken and will encourage against it in round. Know that if you prevent cycle from being broken and take the speech, I WILL remember and consider that. BUT, you should have both sides ready at any position, PLEASE.

I really like seeing you look at me and the other debaters, having an interesting intro to your speech, clash, emotions/expressions, impacting, ethical sources, and a good attitude! It should be fairly easy for me to follow your points, evidence, warrants, impacts, weighing, and reasoning. Remember I'm going in with no research on the legislation and you are persuading the room to your side.

Know you'll be dropped automatically if you use ANY offensive language, you're rude to others, or you yell over others during questioning. I also hate when people put triggering evidence in their speeches whether or not you put a trigger warning. If you have to put a trigger warning you probably shouldn't say it all. Another thing I dislike is if you don't use up the full 30 secs you're allowed for direct questioning. That's a WASTE of a question, please try to keep going or have more prepared to ask. If you were paying attention to the speech, this shouldn't be a problem ;) I also don't appreciate asking questions, trapping someone, then giving up any remaining time in the questioning period to the chair and cutting off the speakers answer. VERY rude and you are NOT making a point by doing it, let them answer or let the time run out, be respectful, or expect to be dropped.

For POS, I mostly want to forget you're there, sorry. If I'm not thinking about you then you have done your job well. I want no mistakes regarding precedence and recency - one or two isn't the end of the world, as well as short and to the point statements. No one cares about the chair's feelings. You end up wasting mine and the participants time in round when you include unnecessary speech. Furthermore, when calling on speakers and questioners at the beginning of the round, if the tournaments provides no precedence and recency chart, it should be RANDOM. Please please please don't create your own "chart" and use that to call on people. Wait a couple seconds for everyone to rise, then call on someone random. I'll know who in the round is from your school. Two people from the same school competing for po is weird so maybe communicate before round. Be a good sport!

HAVE FUN

Hi everyone!

I mainly judge congress and that was the event I did for five years; however, I do have a lot of competitive experience in extemp and have been in outrounds for it as well. I've also competed in extemp, PF, interp, impromptu, and oratory, so I'd say I have a wide depth of knowledge of different events.

I've had success across all these events, so I promise I know what I'm doing when I'm judging and do my best to be fair.

I do flow.

For congress:

First and foremost, I'm looking for respect to other members of your chamber especially during questioning. Please don't speak over one another. Some amount of friendly fire is ok but it cannot be offensive or rude in any way, neither can your speeches.

In your speeches, make sure that you are incorporating the rest of the debate. This is not an oratory event. You should not have your speech memorized or say what you had written from home. Engage with your peers, include refutation and rebuttal. If you are not the first speaker on the bill, it is your responsibility to mention previous speakers!!! Your points should be well organized, so we can understand what you're trying to convey.

Congress is as much a speech event as it is debate, and I evaluate you as such. Your argumentation is equally as important as your presentation. That being said, I will rank you higher if you have a great argument but some stylistic errors, but if you have great style with shallow arguments, I will rank you lower than the type of speaker I mentioned previously.

Start your speech with some type of attention getter instead of just saying "this is the side of the bill I am on." Don't read directly off of your pad, make some eye contact with your audience. If you stumble, that is FINE. I will not penalize you, simply keep going with the rest of your speech. Always be ready to speak or to flip sides. You should have prepped both sides, so it shouldn't be a huge deal if you need to flip. I despise when rounds have to be put on hold because there are too many speakers on one side or no one wants to get up and give a speech.

There is nothing wrong with being the presiding officer (PO)!!! I will judge you based on how fair and efficient you are. Be as invisible as possible when it comes to argumentation, but add some spice in between when calling for speakers or questions. Rounds can easily get boring with repetitive arguments, but a PO has the luxury of engaging in a more conversational tone. If there is a PO election, I will have higher expectations of you. Also, I would highly prefer it if you have an online spreadsheet.

If you wish to amend the bill, please know the procedure before doing so otherwise the chamber goes into chaos.

Please have fun when participating in rounds! Become friends with the other congress people in your chamber because congress kids have a special advantage of having an event that is inherently social.

If you want feedback, I'm happy to talk to you after round or can give you my email if you would like and can message you my commentary.

Good luck!

I'm an administrator at Northland Christian that has been traveling with our debate team for over 10 years. Over the years, I have judged a variety of events like PF, Congress, and IEs. Each year, I judge at a couple of tournaments for our school like Berkeley and Glenbrooks. When making a decision, I will look mainly at content and style. Students should not speak too fast and should make logical arguments throughout the debate; they should be considerate to their opponents and the judge throughout the round. I will not keep a rigorous flow throughout the round, but I will take notes to help me make a decision. For Isidore Newman, I will be judging Worlds. I have seen a couple of practice rounds and understand the style and expectation of students in this format, but this will be the first time I judge this event.

Experience: 7 years of judging PF and Congress, Juris Doctor with Legal background.

Philosophy:

I approach debate as an educational activity that fosters critical thinking, effective communication, and the exploration of various perspectives. My role is to evaluate the round based on the arguments presented, the quality of evidence and analysis, and the overall coherence of the debate.

Roles of the Debaters:

1. Clarity and Organization: I value clear, concise, and organized speeches. Debaters should articulate their points effectively, signpost, and provide a clear roadmap for the round.

2. Argumentation: I prioritize well-developed and supported arguments. Provide strong evidence and analysis to back up your claims. Quality over quantity; I prefer a few strong points to numerous weak ones.

3. Rebuttal and Clash: Engage with your opponent's arguments. Effective rebuttal involves addressing the core of the argument, not just the surface-level claims.

4. Flexibility and Adaptability: Be prepared to adapt your strategy based on your opponent's arguments and the direction of the round.

Evidence and Sources:

From my legal education and background, I pay very close attention to sources. Cite reliable and credible sources. The quality of evidence is more important than the quantity. If a source is questionable, make sure to highlight this in your argumentation.

Cross-Examination:

I consider cross-examination to be an integral part of the debate. It's an opportunity to clarify, challenge, and extract concessions from your opponent. Effective cross-examination can significantly strengthen your case. I will pay close attention to challenges to opponents' arguments and how it is used to strengthen your case.

Speaker Points:

I will assign speaker points based on clarity, argumentation, strategic choices, and overall contribution to the round. Be respectful and professional throughout the debate.

Role of the Judge:

My role is to fairly and objectively evaluate the arguments presented. I will not inject my personal opinions into the decision-making process. I will assess the round based on what transpires in the debate.

Speed and Delivery:

While I can handle a moderate pace, I value clarity over speed. If your arguments become unclear due to rapid delivery, it may hinder your overall assessment.

Respect and Decorum:

Maintain respect for your opponents, partner, and the judge throughout the round. Be mindful of time limits and follow the established rules. I do not tolerate arguing over each other or unnecessary interjections as it muddles and slows the debate.

Final Thoughts:

Remember, debate is an educational activity, but don't forget to have fun! Embrace the opportunity to learn, grow, and engage with different perspectives. I look forward to a productive and insightful round!

Important:

Evidence: 8

Analysis:8

Clash:7

Question:7

Extempore:9

Delivery:9

Persona:1

Atiitute:5

Even though debate is different from speech competition. But making a good speech always makes your opinion stronger.

kplunkett@stmdhs.org for cases/cards

Traditional judge, I prefer no spreading or Ks. I won't take off for them, but I encourage you not to!

• The easiest way to earn speaks is to clarify the voting issues and prove how and why you outweigh. I'll weigh the round based on the criteria you give me, so be sure to give me a metaphorical rubric!
• I'm a tabula rasa, so I'll vote exactly how you tell me. Hit your framework/V/VCs early and often.
• I like to see claim-warrant-impact. I flow what you say, not what I think you mean.
• Spreading will not affect your speaks, but I prefer conversational speed and good delivery. Quality, not quantity, for arguments.
• Cards should be clearly cited and available for review should there be a conflict over source validity or context. Clipping will not be tolerated.
• Signpost - reference the contention # or subpoint in speeches and CX.
• CX is for questions, not rebuttals.

Currently the Congressional Coach at the Lakeville Debate Team

Congress-Specific Paradigm: I rank based on how well each student utilizes the 3 main canons of rhetoric (ethos, logos, pathos). Ethos is measured by how much you successfully engage in congressional role-playing. Logos is measured by how successfully you structure and present a logic-based argument. Pathos is measured by your overall speaking ability. I prioritize in the following order: argumentation > speaking skills > congressional role-playing.

Please note that strong speaking will never outweigh a poor or incoherent argument. This is a debate category, not speech.

To improve your ranking, I want to see extemporaneous speeches with well-warranted and linked arguments (CWI), regardless if it's a construction, rebuttal, or crystallization speech. Asking well-thought-out questions and responding successfully to questions will improve your rank. Showcasing a well-developed understanding of each bill will improve your rank, even if you don't speak on every bill. I am open to progressive debate, so bend/break the rules IF AND ONLY IF you have a legitimate reason to do so. I want to see clash in round, so don't just repeat what others have argued; instead, give me new information, ideas, whatever. Giving a speech to avoid breaking cycle will also raise your rank even if your speech is less prepped.

POs: Major mistakes WILL cost you. Small mistakes can be forgiven, especially if caught immediately and corrected, but continuous errors will lower your rank. The round relies on you, and judges will catch your precedence mistakes even if the chamber doesn't. I will only provide a high ranking to a successful and accurate PO.

PF/LD/Policy Paradigm

Experience: 4 years of PF in high school in Minnesota (2012-2016), 4 years of intercollegiate Ethics Bowl (2016-2020). I have a B.S. in communication arts (concentration in political rhetoric) and computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I've judged PF every year since 2016 and have experience judging Congress, Public Forum, Policy, and Ethics Bowl. I currently work in tech.

Speaking: I prefer clean, concise, and persuasive speech. This will affect the speaker points, but my preference will not interfere with who wins each round. I will do my best to keep up with spreading, but I am not as experienced. Any excessively rude remarks will seriously hurt your speaker points score. Be polite.

Argumentation: I will follow any theory or progressive-level argumentation presented to me, but again I am not as experienced with this so be as clear as possible. Be consistent, use warrants as needed, and provide strong links into impacts. I will not intervene on a weak link chain. I will intervene on poor/inaccurate evidence.

Judging: I attempt to come in with an open mind to the best of my ability. My choice depends on everything said during the round and nothing more. The winner of each round will be determined based on the framework provided to me, the best-substantiated framework if there is conflict, any progressive framework if argued, or a broad act utilitarian cost-benefit analysis as default. I will weigh the impacts of each side based on that framework and pick up the side that provides the best world. I advise extending your arguments consistently, engaging directly with your opponent's responses, and explaining why your arguments ultimately outweigh your opponent's.

I am happy to answer any questions or concerns and provide feedback as needed. Feel free to contact me at sarakrabon@gmail.com

In case you are wondering….

Hello, My name is Julie Ritz-Schlaifer. I am a family law attorney/mediator, a Past President of Minnesota Women Lawyers, and am currently one of the debate coaches for Minnetonka High School.
I earned both of my degrees, BA summa cum laude in Speech Communications and JD, from the University of Minnesota, where my youngest son, Miles MHS23 is attending. Go Gophers!

I am a former high school speech and debater from Watertown, SD, where I had the good fortune to learn from the legendary Donus D. Roberts (ddr to his students). As a senior, I qualified for Nationals with my original oration “The Lie," and competed at the National Forensic League Tournament in San Francisco in both original oratory and policy debate. While in college, I served as Blake High School's Assistant Debate Director/Coach with esteemed Coach Greg Dawson.

If you speak too quickly, I will not understand your arguments or evidence and cannot base my decision on what you have said. Debate is about persuading the judge, which should be your main focus as you speak. Be organized in your case presentations and rebuttals. And please be cordial to your opponent, especially during cross, even when you clearly disagree with each other. The ability to disarm an argument with a smile on your face as you advocate for your contention using credible evidence in a way that compels a decision in your favor, can be a game changer in a debate round and in life.

Amanda Soczynski’s Judge Philosophy

A little about myself; I have been involved with forensics for 19 years as a student, judge, and coach. I am currently in my 8th year as the congressional debate coach at Edina High School. My background was originally in speech where I competed and coached. In High School, I learned policy debate as a class rather than competition on a local level, so I competed but not in a typical local circuit. I have been judging debate for the last 13 years, in all categories. I judged CX for the first 5 years and the last 7 years in LD, PF and mostly Congress. I graduated with a Mass Communications degree from University of Minnesota School of Journalism and a J.D. graduate from William Mitchell College of law in 2014. I work at Thomson Reuters on legal software & research, as a content expert. I really love congress, watching, coaching. I always try to strive to do my best! If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. My goal is always to be an educator and help you succeed!

If for some reason my parli notes don't end up in your results packet, email me at amandasoc@gmail.com or amanda.soczynski@edinaschools.org. I will send you my google doc. I parli a lot and I always take lots and lots of notes and try to give RFD's when I can. If you don't get the link. Please ask, I put a lot of work into them. ????

I have a congress paradigm and CX,LD,PF one included in here.

Evidence / Citations / Warrants for all categories: *note - Statista is not a source, it's like Wikipedia, it's a congregation website not actually doing any of the studies that are on there. If you copy and paste the title of the stat you're looking at it will likely take you to the original source. Also the little (i) icon often will tell you where it can from. DON'T USE STATISTA as a source with me. I am a professional researcher by trade, so I care about citations! They matter and if they are from a source I don't know or if they're suspicious to me, I will google them.

Congress Paradigm:

General:

One thing to remember - judging congress is hard! It's just as exhausting for us as it is for you. We're trying really hard to compare a lot of people who have vastly different styles! I try to write as much as I can, but I spend a lot of time listening, so sometimes my comments can be lite at times. I'm working on that, the three mins go so fast. I'm hoping this will help shed some light on how I evaluate debaters.

When it comes to national level tournaments, at this point, almost everyone is a proficient speaker, so I really focus on the quality of arguments and ability to be flexible in round. Being a well rounded debater is important for me, especially as a Parli. I want to see a variety of type of speeches, and ability to switch sides, and flex to what the round demands. Make sure you are listening and not rehashing, if you're doing a rebuttal make sure you are extending or further attacking an argument.

I REALLY APPRECIATE A GOOD AUTHORSHIP OR SPONSORSHIP. Nothing is worse than judging or watching a semi-final round where there is no first aff, and having to take an in house recess immediately. Come prepared, have one. Spend the rest of your time doing great questions and defending your position there. I feel like people don't like to do this because they feel like they will be dropped. Rebuttals and Crystals are great, but there's a lot of them. If you can do this well, we'll know. It comes with the most amount of questioning time that if you know a lot about the topic you can show boat.

Linking: This is a debate skill you should have, you should able to link your impacts with others, link arguments together for rebuttal. Most national level congress debaters are great at linking within their own argument, but make sure you link and contextualize to the round. I want to see that they go together rather be a stand alone. That being said, contextualizing by: "I want to separate myself from the other AFF or NEG arguments", that's okay because you are still contextualizing within the round. Do not operate as an island in the debate, it's a good way to be dropped by me. Also remember, you can have great speeches, but if you don't ask questions, you're going to find your way to the middle of my ballot. It's a crucial part of debate.

Impacting:

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. Again, at the national level, most people can impact to lives or economy etc. But what I find people aren't as good, is contextualizing the impact. Example: You tell me that thousands of lives are being lost in Yemen, take it one step further tell me what percentage of that population is being killed, or how that compares to another genocide for context. Make it hit home for all of us. Just giving generic #'s, sure it's the impact, but it doesn't show me the impact. Make sense? Remember I come from a policy background where pretty much everything leads to nuclear war.

Questioning:

Direct questioning is great, but make sure you're not too long winded or too brief, there's a nice sweet spot, where you have maybe a sentence or two question and answer. I've seen people basically run out the time by doing a really long answer, and I've also seen debaters ask such long questions that there's no way the opponent can answer. You only have 30 seconds, make it count.

Participation in Round:

Leadership is important. Remember, I'm comparing a lot of kids, participation with motioning and making sure that all students get to talk is important. This can help make up for bad presidency etc.

PO:

I almost always rank P.O.s in the top 5. It's a hard job, and as a parli, we appreciate good POs. A good way to get to the top 1/2 of my ballot as a PO. The round runs so smoothly I barely know you're there. You are able to solve issues of people not being prepared / docket issues. (This happens so often, time restrictions make things complicated. Especially since lots of tournaments have their own rules).

Mistakes happen, one mistake is not going to tank you. Continuous mistakes, or failing to help chamber resolve issues. This makes it harder. Fairness is also important, I notice when you pick your teammates repeatedly or if you always start in the middle of the room.

Inclusiveness - especially on the local circuit. I don't like parliamentary procedure used to limit people talking. It is also important to encourage those who haven't talked to go. Do your best to make sure the chamber is inclusive.

DON'T ALWAYS PICK YOUR FRIENDS FIRST. I know this happens. And it's easier to pick up than you think it is. Presidency means a lot in congress. Make it fair.

There's a reason I love coaching congress, it's a fun event!

CX/LD/PF Paradigm

General: As I’ve previously mentioned I come from a legal background. I am a “big picture” judge. I do appreciate the attention to detail, however, I don't like when it devolves into a debate that’s myopically focused on one thing. Make sure you take the time, especially in rebuttals to do a “birds eye view” of the debate. Remember, the rebuttal is the last time I hear from you before I make a decision, make it count. I appreciate good crossfire, and cross ex, specifically using information obtained in these for an argument.

Topicality: I like topicality, especially in varsity level debate. I think it makes a for a boring debate to have a non-topical aff. So it’s a pretty garden variety argument for the neg to make.

Critical Arguments: As I wasn’t a debater in high school, I don’t have the technical experience dealing with these arguments, however, I don’t mind critical affs on-face. Since I don’t have the technical experience, I appreciate all critical arguments to be understandable and explained properly. I catch on to arguments quickly, however I loathe having to have to fill in the gaps of an argument because its poorly argued. Make it logical, make it understandable. I generally dislike affs that are anti-topical or affs that critique the topic. I’m not saying I’ll never vote for a critical aff, whiteness aff, performance aff’s, etc, but its the one area where an affirmative is asking the most out of me as a judge. Again, I have less experience with these types of aff’s so extra explanation of sources and philosophies. For kritiks from the negative, I prefer ones that are topic-specific rather than K’s that are broad or philosophical. I’m pretty familiar at this point with cap k, neolib, fem, eco-k, anything outside of these again you’ll have to communicate more effectively as it is a bigger burden for me to decipher.

Theory: I don’t have the background in this, so this won’t be very successful with me as a judge. I overall prefer substantive arguments over theoretical or procedural arguments. My training in law, and my work, deals almost exclusively with substantive arguments, so I tend to prefer and understand those better. If you do decide to go this route, it must be very well done. My flow can’t be muddy, and the explanation must be very logical and understandable.

Speed: I have no problem with speed. I do ask two things. 1. Slow down enough on the tags so that I can understand them 2. Make your tags count. I dislike deciphering poor tags that do not tell me anything about the evidence. Keep tags like 5-8 words, long tags suck.

Post Round Discussion: Please be respectful, I don’t appreciate a “shake down” when I’m explaining my decision. I don’t do speaker points till after the round is over and all the debaters have left the room and I take decorum into account. I am a bit of a non-traditional judge and I do make a concerted effort to bring up constructive criticism and positive comments. Please take these comments as an opportunity to learn!

Background

Hey there, I'm Jack (He/Him). I was a PF debater for 4 years and did Congressional Debate for 3 years; I competed in local and nat circuit so I will generally know what you are talking about. I have judged PF, LD, And Congress locally and nat circuit.

*Online Debate*

For any online tournaments this year (if we have any) we all have tech issues so if you/your opponent drops out from the call please be respectful as we wait for them to rejoin. Please make sure to have hard copies of at least your constructive, cards if possible, it saves a lot of time if internet goes out.

Also, please be mindful of your speed/clarity online. Audio quality over the computer is not always the greatest. I won't stop you but if I can't understand you, I won't flow it.

All Debate

I don't often pick up extinction level impacts, if you are running them please have a clear and strong link chain from event A to extinction otherwise none of it will end up on my flow.

I do not flow CX, I am listening to it but it is a place for you to question and receive answers, not make arguements. If your opponent makes a concession in CX and you want it flowed, you must tell me.

I will more than likely know what you are talking about but present it to me as if I don't. Your debates should be able to boil down to arguements that can easily be understood by a parent judge or someone of the general public. It is not a major voting factor of mine but clarity in arguements and good voters will aid my decision and help your speaks.

Speaker Points: Some judges like them, some do not. I treat them as if everyone starts at 30 points and get detracted for things like clarity, decorum, full use of speech times, etc. Keep in mind that they are not a major factor in the decision and only truly matter for tiebreakers AND they are subjective. Overall, I aire on the high side of speaker points and rarely award less than a 27.5.

PF

I am ok with speed but if it sounds like you can't breathe that's bad (air is good for you) and I probably won't understand you.

I like frameworks and framework debates but I won't be mad if you don't have one. If you do propose one, I weigh Framework and FW clash very highly in the round. If you don't, I assume a CBA

In your constructive, if you have any overly complicated theory or extensive link chains, please take the time to explain them. If you just spew cards at me or tell me a theory without reasoning, I don't have a reason to flow it

Summary and FF: I know everyone says it but weighing and voters!! Don't just give me cards and say your world was better, please tell me why I should prefer your card over theirs and specifically how the outcome is better in your world. In FF make sure to recap all of your partners summary points and don't spend the majority of your time attacking your opponents. Voters, Voters, Voters, breakdown exactly what you want me to vote on for the round.

LD

I expect that both debaters have a clearly laid out value and that there is good clash on which value hold higher priority.

LD is NOT Policy. Depending on your circuit Plans/Counter plans may or may not be allowed, if they are allowed I will take them into consideration (same as running K's, spreading, other policy types) but I'm not very fond of it. Your arguments should be based in value debates, not spreading out your competitors or running CPs when there is no plan in the first place. Please keep LD as "LD" as possible.

As in PF, I will not automatically flow CX, if something comes up you want flowed, tell me.

If you don't provide enough analysis, you can't expect your opponent to respond to it and neither can I. Make sure your ideas and evidence are fully explained and the links are clear.

Again if you spread me out or run things so progressive, I am probably not picking you up. I will say Speed one time if I am having trouble understanding you. If I can not understand beyond that, I will stop flowing.

Something new to me: Ideas on disclosure. I think it kind of ruins the spirit of debate, it allows you to everything on the line-by-line prepped out, and can spread 7 pages to me with no real meaning behind it (for me). I of course understand that disclosure is now common practice but if you are running T-shells on disclosure/contact disclosure you are going to be immediatly dropped by me; I find it abusive and against the spirit of the event.

At the end, tell me why you win the round, what are your voters? Make it clear to me what I am voting on.

Policy

If I am your policy judge there has been a grave mistake and/or there was no other choice. In this scenario I am no different than a parent judge who has never watched a round before and I wish all of us the best of luck. I'm sorry :)

Congress

Having multiple speeches is of course important. With that said, I would much rather have you give me 1/2 really good speeches that add something to the debate rather than repeating what has been said 3 times just to get an extra speech in. Please don't give me fluff just so you are on my ballot more than your fellow Congress people.

Don't be afraid to give an opposing speech when no one else will, I'm not expecting it to be perfect but I would love to see someone step up and put new arguements in place than hear "although the chair frowns on a one sided debate" 6 times in a session.

Overall have fun though, its one of the most "free" and open for interpretation events in my opinion and the bills can lead to some very interesting discourse. Keep it respectful and structure your arguements well but feel free to have some "way-out-there" links and arguements.

I am a PF debater and Debate judge by heart so I would like to see some type of weighing or world analysis past authorship/first negation; it shows me that you as a Congress person are analysing the bill and debate, not just throwing a speech at me with no relevance to anything previously said.

Other Important Things

1) Don't be rude. To your opponent, partner, or me. I won't stand for any yelling or disrespect to each other. If you are being racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, etc I can guarantee you that you will not be winning the round.

2) I will time your speeches but please try and keep your own time, especially for CX. If you would like me to time anything for you and/or give time call outs/signals I will, but for the most part I do not want to intervene.

3)Don't commit evidence violations. I know that's kinda how debate is supposed to work but it's a long process that neither I nor you want to deal with so lets be smart please. With that said if your opponent does commit an evidence violation, don't be afraid to call it out. We all want things to be fair.

4) I will disclose after rounds anytime I am allowed to. I default to a brief Oral FRD with in-depth personal comments on the ballet. If you would like more explanation as to my decision in-round (time permitting), I am okay with post-rounding but please be respectful and brief if you choose to do so.

5) Have fun! Yes, debate is primarily a serious event but a little humor can break up the rounds and is appreciated.

If you have any questions/comments/concerns feel free to reach out. If you want to include me in any email chains, cool. If not that's okay too. If you ask me before round what my preferences are, I will briefly explain but be sad that you did not read my paradigm :(

email: jdsteele@uwm.edu

Good Luck and Have Fun!

Hi, I'm Quincy. I’m an assistant coach at Iowa City West, I am in college at the University of Iowa, I debated for 2 years and I have been judging LD for 4 years, PF for 3 years and speech events for 2 years. For the sake of transparency, I’ve only judged 4-5 bid tournaments, but again, I’ve been around the block.

Email Chain Format:

Tournament Name: School Name (Aff) vs. School Name (Neg)

My email: qat1@rice.edu.
Share a couple of minutes before round. My email has a spam blocker, so it WILL take at least 3 minutes before I receive any email you send.

1. Spreading: If I cannot understand you, I will say 'clear'. I expect to be on the e-mail chain. If I have to say ‘clear’ more than twice, I will stop flowing until your you achieve clarity again.

2. Speaks:

a) Strategy: Debate is an intellectual battle. Strategy shows that you are a good debater. Creativity in your arguments shows ingenuity, which will be rewarded. Unorthodox standards or contentions are encouraged.

b) Common Courtesy: Some simple things affect this, like whether or not you ask to see if your opponent is ready before a speech or before CX. Signposting is always good. Off-time road map, etc. DBAA- don’t be a jerk.

c) Presentation: This has everything to do with how you carry yourself. Wealth can’t buy class. You can look more presentable with a $3 t-shirt than in a rumpled $500 suit.

I will award speaker points based on these factors, and debaters that exhibit a good combination of both of these will be the only ones whom I will award 30 speaks. I will typically award 27-29 or so.

3. Norms Setting: I will harshly punish prejudice (ableism, sexism, racism, homophobia, etc.), evidence ethics violations, and other tomfoolery. I reserve the right to unilaterally drop you from the round if the violation is egregious enough. On the flip side, frivolous IVIs will not convince me.

Don't steal prep time, don't stall, and have your evidence and sources on hand in case your opponent asks about them.

4. Ks: I will give VERY low speaks if you run an identity K(e.g, afropess, queerpess, etc.) that doesn’t apply to you (e.g. afropess but you aren’t black).

5. tech > truth. Obviously. If you win K > theory, I’ll vote on that. If you do the opposite, I’ll vote on that too.

Lastly, if you have questions, or if anything is unclear, don't hesitate to ask. However, you should wait until your opponent is present to ask questions.

Good luck, and may the best debater win!

P.S. +0.1 speaks if you tastefully roast any (current) IC West Debater.

Badgerland Only: online tournaments often have audio issues. Please ensure your environment is clear of ambient noise. I’d hate to vote incorrectly because of audio interruptions.

Currently coach of Minnetonka High School

Hey Y'all I love weighing and extentions and plzzzzzzzzzzz signpost for me.

Ive done circuit for 1 year for LD. Done 2 years of LD, 2 years in other formats, and also 1 year in Congress

LD - Make sure to sign post when speaking. Use weighing mechanics to weigh impacts. Clearly explain framework and why your fw matters. If you don't signpost while doing your rebuttal I will drop it.

• Idk lately why a lot of debaters don't link their case back to their fw.
• Also weighing too duh????
• Signpost plz so I don't get confused lol
• Tech>Truth

If I yell out clear 3 times I will stop flowing

Circuit LD - Plans, Disads, CP, K and Theory only. I will not vote on tricks arguments.

Plans,Disads,CP>Theory>K>Other things

I will vote you down for any Tricks

Congress - Speeches must be clear and concise. The only way you will get a good placement if you actually have clash.

*Little rant: I don't know why nobody in congress have clash. This is a real debate hence you would need some clash. Don't just go up and say your side without talking about the other sides points.

How I vote on congress. Argumentation/Content>Speech points/Quality>Quality of Questions> Following Procedures

Email chain send to trinh120@umn.edu

I coach Speech & Debate at East Ridge High School in Woodbury, Minnesota.

Background:

High School Debate (Iowa): Public Forum Debate, Congressional Debate, and Speech

College Debate (Loyola U): Parliamentary Debate

Coach/Mentoring: The Chicago Debate League, MN Urban Debate League

Retired Attorney – Business Law for pay and Constitutional Law for fun.

Paradigm for Congressional Debate: