I am fine with a healthy pace, but don't like a full on scream-and-gasp, stomping spread; I like to be able to actually process what you say. Be sure to emphasize key points and signpost. (If I don't flow it, it is unlikely that I will vote off of it). I like to hear authors' credentials and heavily frown upon power-tagging and heavy paraphrasing. Don't tell me, "I have a card that says..." unless you actually read the card and citation. I want to hear actual application of evidence/analysis through the round (not just shells/blocks), so explain to me how you actually interact with the opposing side or I will get frustrated as judge. Weigh impacts and pull them through framework; I overwhelmingly vote on offense that supports framework. Rudeness and condescension will do you no favors for speaks. Note (for what it's worth): I am a former policy debater and interper from a traditional circuit (competed in high school and college) and have been coaching LD, PF, Congress, and speech events across multiple circuits for years and judge all events. Please avoid confusing traditional with lay, as I'm fine with debate jargon, etc. Feel free to ask me any clarification questions before the round.

PF/LD Paradigms

I’m first and foremost an interp coach. Treat me like a lay judge who happens to know the rules (and yes- I know the rules). No spreading, clash is fine. If you really want to pick up my ballot, be sure to focus on cross-examination. I find that a strong, quality CX can illustrate your ability to communicate, prove your points, illustrate your knowledge and understanding of the debate and show your best engaged debate skills. Anyone can read a prepared card. Show me you know what to do with it.

On an aside, I do like debaters to keep it professional. I like it when people stand for cross-examination and are polite and supportive to their opponents before and after the round. I like it when I feel the teams are focused and paying attention not only to their opponents' speeches but also to their team member's speeches.

Congress Paradigms

I look for competitors who are prepared to speak on any topic - especially if they have prepared to speak on both sides of the topic. I look for quality speeches that add value to the debate; if we're four cycles in and you aren't bringing new information, crystallizing information we've heard, or providing a new rebuttal then it's easy for your speech to get lost amongst the masses. Activity in the chamber is good - I'm looking for you to be engaged in listening to other speeches, asking valuable questions, and working together to run a fair and efficient chamber.

Interp Paradigms

I was a high school competitor all four years - competing in all Interp events (DI, HI, OO, prose, poetry, Duo, Duet) and Congressional Debate. I competed on the Texas and National Circuits. Here's the big thing to know - you should never change your style, material, or story to try to get my 1. I will always respect the stories you choose to tell, the performance you're developing, and your courage to be you and share messages important to you. Just be you. My ballots may sound tough, but it comes out of a desire to help you improve. I've provided insight into what I'm looking for but none of it should force you to change your content.

For Interp Events, I'm looking for honest storytelling (talk to me like a person) and tech that helps enhance your story and not detract from it. I'm looking for clear, well-developed characters. I'm looking for an excellent intro that provides meaning and importance for your piece. I'm looking for excellent execution of pacing and incorporation of levels. Draw me into your story and leave me with something to take away. In addition, for all binder events, I'm a stickler for binder etiquette.

For Public Speaking Events (OO and INFO), I'm looking for topics that you are personally invested in. I'm looking for an engaging AGD, a clear vehicle, and well-defined points supported by a balance of ethos, pathos, and logos. Share your heart story and be honest with it. Most importantly, these are two events where you can really be yourself. Be your best self, sure. But don't feel like you have to put on a whole song and dance to get my one. I'm looking for an inspirational, conversational tone. INFO - I'm looking for creative visuals that are well-executed and add value to your speech without being a distraction.

For Extemp, I'm looking for a clear understanding of the question and a definitive answer with supporting analysis (cite those sources guys). Two points or three points are fine, depending on the question and your approach to answering the question. I just want your speech to have a clear sense of structure and organization. I'm also looking for strong presentation skills. Have vocal variety, adopt a conversational tone, know how to present in a way that is approachable for all audience types and not just those well-versed in current events and extemp. Don't be afraid to crack a joke, but don't rely purely on humor. Fluency breaks, circular speech (rehashing points and repeating yourself), and poor time management could affect your rank in round.

General note for everyone - I have a really bad thinking face and I'm going to look confused and upset. I'm not - don't take it personally! It's just my face and I don't really have a whole lot of control over that. Plenty of times I've had my own students tell me they were sure I hated what they were doing and then I was very complimentary of their work. So I promise you my face has nothing against you! It's just a grumpy face.

I'm a parent of a debate / speech student who regularly competes in tournaments. Just to share some of my background, I work as a mechanical engineer in the defense industry. I typically keep up with general news (social, world, and the economy) and follow specific news topics that interest me. I've helped raise a daughter who is a sophomore in college and a son who is a sophomore in high school as a single parent since 2018. I like to play tennis with my son and we share interest on how our favorite players are doing.

As a judge, I will follow the criterias that were set out for us in judging your performance. In general, I'll be looking for how effective you are which generally means being efficient, clear, concise and convincing.

Meghan Clark (she/her)

Experience:

–competed in LD on the Texas UIL circuit

–coached LD for 7 years, policy for 5, also on the Texas UIL circuit

–currently coach extemp/platform events at Plano West

PF:

--I am a fairly typical flay judge.

--Truth over tech. I do not particularly like kritiks or other non-resolution based arguments (not a huge fan of progressive debate). Don’t run theory about dates, speaks, disclosure, etc. - I have zero interest in judging this. I strongly dislike frivolous theory arguments and tricks. Don’t run them.

--Make sure that you extend your arguments and signpost clearly. No sticky defense.

--I care a good deal about weighing impacts in the back half of the round. Make sure you do this. Don’t introduce new arguments in the second half of the round, and I don’t want arguments that consist of three blippy arguments with buzzwords. I would vastly prefer substantive weighing of impacts. I generally default to probability over magnitude.

--I care about quality rather than quantity of evidence. You must have clear taglines for your evidence. Don’t paraphrase.

--Make sure you are courteous to opponents and don’t speak over them during crossfire. I expect professionalism, respect and civility towards me and towards your opponents. If you are verbally or non-verbally showing disrespect towards your opponents or me, expect to lose speaker points. It goes without saying that you should not be racist/sexist/ableist/homophobic/etc. in any way during the round.

--I do not like spreading. PF should be accessible to a wide audience, and spreading makes that difficult. Speak at a normal rate of speed if you expect me to flow your argument. Extreme speed will most likely result in lower speaks. If I call “clear,” slow down.

--In final focus, make the case for why you deserve my vote - don’t demand my vote.

--Strike me if you’re reading a meme or social experiment case.

--Stick to the time structure - no skipping grand cross for PF.

--If a card is heavily disputed during round, I will call for it.

Parent Judge - I need you to speak slowly on taglines and explain to me why you won in your rebuttals

If you want to go for extensive theory/kritiks/phil I won't understand - unless you think you can really explain this well to a lay judge, don't go for this

I am a relatively new parent judge. I was a judge last year for debate. Please don't speak too fast.

I’m a new parent judge.

I am a new judge.

Experience: 3 years of judging IEs/Debate and 3 years coaching high school debate teams, with experience at local, state, and national tournaments.

Philosophy: As a tabula rasa judge, I remain neutral and judge based on the arguments presented. I value well-structured, logical arguments supported by credible evidence, with ethical and value-based arguments welcome if well-articulated. Evidence is crucial.

Preferences:

Argumentation: Appreciate direct refutation and clash; offensive arguments are more persuasive than purely defensive ones.
Speaking Style: Clarity and persuasion over speed; no spreading.
Framework: Establish a clear framework and weigh impacts accordingly.

Round Conduct:

Points of Contention: Summarize and crystallize key points in summary and final focus speeches.
Crossfire: Viewed as an opportunity to clarify and challenge arguments; not the primary basis of decision but can enhance presentation.
Other Considerations: Maintain respectful behavior; be clear, concise, and structured in speeches. Be open to different approaches if justified well within the round.

Hello Debaters!

Good for you at checking paradigms.... I judge several different types of debate:

As a communicator, you should be able to adapt to your audience...ie Judge.

Have fun! Debate is a wonderful activity where you can be smart, have fun, and learn at the same time.

Some items I think you should be aware of that I think weakens your presentation:

Being rude, forgetting to tag your cards, not having cards formatted correctly, and not making some kind of eye contact with judge during cross.

DO NOT say please vote for Aff/NEG...your argumentation and evidence should demonstrate your side should win.

Things to help your presentation: Smile, being polite, and organizing your arguments with internal signposting...sharing cards and evidence before using them.

Public Forum- DO NOT PROVIDE AN OFF TIME ROADMAP- I do not need it.

Please have started the email chain and flipped as soon as you can.

include me in the email chain macleodm@friscoisd.org

Or use a speech drop

General Ideas

There is not enough time in PF for effective theory/K to run. I will not vote for you if tricks or theory are your only arguments. I expect the resolution to be debated and there needs to be clash.

I think you should be frontlining offense (turns and disads) in rebuttal. Straight up defense does not need to be frontlined, but I do think it's strategic. Summary to final focus extensions should be consistent for the most part. Overall, the rule of thumb is that the earlier you establish an argument and the more you repeat it, the more likely I will be to vote for it, i.e., it's strategic to weigh in rebuttal too, but it's not a dealbreaker for me if you don't.

To me warrants matter more than impacts. You need both, but please please extend and explain warrants in each speech. Even if it's dropped, I'll be pretty hesitant to vote on an argument if it's not explained in the second half of the round. Also, I have a relatively high standard for what a case extension should look like, so err on the side of caution and just hit me with a full re-explanation of the argument or I probably won't want to vote for you.

The most important thing in debate is comparing your arguments to theirs. This doesn't mean say weighing words like magnitude and poverty and then just extending your impacts, make it actually comparative please.

Technical Debate

I can flow most of the speed in PF, but you shouldn't be sacrificing explanation or clarity for speed.

I will try my best to be "tech over truth", but I am a just a mom of two five year olds and I do have my own thoughts in my head. To that end, my threshold for responses goes down the more extravagant an argument is.

If you want me to call for a piece of evidence, tell me to in final focus please.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me before the round.

Policy I am a stock issues judge when adjudicating Policy. I am fine with speed/spreading with signposting and roadmaps.

I can't stand the K. Please don't run one. Debate the resolution or run a T argument but very rarely will I vote off case arguments.

Parli/World Schools- Need to see fully developed warrants, impacts and confidence. I love stories and learning new TRUE stuff...

LD- I love debates about Criterion and no neg cases are great if ran with logic, links, and detailed examples. Tell stories. I will buy it if presented professionally and with logic. I need weighing of worlds and chrystalization.

Congress- Please make sure to reference previous representatives speeches and show me you have been flowing and are responding to what has been said in round.

Showing decorum and being polite- like thanking the previous representative always a good thing :)

PLEASE DO NOT ask if I am ready- I am always ready or I will say to please wait.

World Schools- I love the decorum/Parli element and terminology usage. Attacking the premise of arguments, call out logical fallacies, and weigh the worlds please....Make sure to give examples that are not just made up- I know Harvard studies everything, but please refrain from making stuff up.

I do appreciate puns/tasteful humor and use those POI requests and answers strategically.

Azophi Moffat. Avid Tutor.

I am a parent judge, and I look for:

Consistency- Meaning you are not stumbling on your words or stuttering too much.

Tone- Appropriately speaking in a high or low voice (If it's clear that you're supposed to speak at either a high or low voice at certain points in your speech, or if you just have a naturally high- or low-pitched voice, then that is fine)

Content- Please keep your content easy to flow and understandable, but if it's something like congress, extemp, LD, PF, policy, or world schools, and If I do not understand the content all of the time, I'm still able to tell if your content is good (& clear) or not.

I am a new parent judge. Please don't be rude and be polite.

I look forward to hearing you speak.

Tina Thompson ttsui88@hotmail.com

I'm here to provide real-world guidance for debate. Good luck!

A few tips:

-Don't use Rapid Delivery (spreading). It's not good public speaking. Not persuasive.

-Respect towards your opponent show poise and grace.

-Speak clearly and make eye contact.

-Summarize to ensure your audience caught your rationales/your focus.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a few more tips from Mr. Hensley from Newman-Smith High School:

How Should Debaters Approach Constructive Speeches?

A few well-developed arguments prove more persuasive than a larger quantity of arguments., Arguments should each be addressed individually.

How Should Debaters Approach Rebuttal Speeches?

Rebuttals should provide voters to address the important issues advanced in constructive speeches., Rebuttals should extend arguments individually which debaters advanced in constructive speeches.

How Should Debaters Approach Evidence?

Citations after article introduction are preferred.

How should debaters use values, criteria and arguments to support a value position?

Build the value that is not overly complicated and should be relatable, and criterion should not be over technical.

What arguments (such as philosophical, theoretical or empirical) do you prefer to support a value position?

Empirical, but a highly persuasive philosophical approach can potentially work just as well.

Kritik (K) arguments:

Critical arguments should provide substantial evidence for their support: as in every criticism needs at least one "For example" or at the very least a thorough clarification with a credible, referenced source.

How should debaters run on case arguments?

Make sure all claims are supported with specific, defined examples. Avoid paraphrasing.

How should debaters run off case arguments?

Make sure they have a purpose or illustration for the case at hand.

How should Debaters run theory arguments?

The focus should be winning the debate, not just attacking a person’s style or flaws of method. Winning on technicalities isn't winning a debate.

Note for today's event (The McMillen High School Last Word) - I have a sore throat and would like to minimize my speaking / talking as much as possible.

I am a parent judge and have been judging for many years now. I used to judge PF earlier but for last couple of years I am doing IEs.

My paradigm regarding IE:

• I did a lot of drama and theater in my school and college days and am still involved today. So I am familiar with the intricacies of most of the IE events and have a good understanding of what makes a for a good performance.
• I like to see energy and passion in performances. Ability to evoke the emotion in audience is a key metric of success for me.
• Delivery, voice modulations, facial expressions, hand gestures, character swapping etc. are key component of IE performance (as applicable to each event). They make the performance richer and more impactful. So doing more is preferred than doing less.
• Each IE event has its guardrails. I like to see students stick to that as much as possible.
• Time management is key for me. I would like performances to use as much time as possible and avoid a situation of finishing too early. But going over is also a no-no.
• Most important - your conviction as a performer in the piece that you are performing. Make it convincing!
• Lastly, in every round, I need someone to help me with the time keeping.

My Paradigm regarding PF:

• I would highly prefer that you speak clearly than quickly. I like when teams use a structured framework for their arguments. I will vote for the team that best responds to the other team's arguments while at the same time clarifying their own arguments.

• Comparison and direct weighing of arguments will make it much easier to make my decision. With that being said, please refrain from using too much technical jargon without being able to explain it first.

Good luck to everyone!

Hi, I'm Greg Zarbo,  This is my first time to have the honor to be a judge for a speech and debate tournament.  I've have vast experience presenting speeches public speeches.  I have been a member of Toastmasters and was an MC at conferences and presented at lunch and learns and corporate dinners,