National Speech and Debate Tournament
2023
—
Phoenix/Mesa,
AZ/US
Michael Convey Paradigm
Lincoln Douglas
Lincoln Douglas Debate Judge Philosophy
Your experience with LD Debate (check all that apply)
Current LD coach
Former LD competitor
Summer LD instructor
Experienced LD judge
Former Policy debater
Collegiate Policy debater
Speech coach
How many years have you judged LD debate?
15
How many LD rounds have you judged this year?
31-40
What is your preferred rate of delivery?
8/91 = Slow conversational style
9 = Rapid conversation speed
Does the rate of delivery weigh heavily in your decision?
N
Will you vote against a student solely for exceeding your preferred speed?
N
How important is the criterion in making your decision?
It is a major factor in my evaluation
Do you feel that a value and criterion are required elements of a case?
N
Rebuttals and Crystallization
Voting issues should be given:
Either is acceptable
The use of jargon or technical language ("extend", "cross-apply", "turn", etc.) during rebuttals:
Is acceptable
Final rebuttals should include:
Both
Voting issues are:
Absolutely necessary
How do you decide the winner of the round?
I decide who is the winner of the most arguments in the round
How necessary do you feel the use of evidence (both analytical and empirical) is in the round?
7/91 = Not necessary
9 = Always necessary
Please describe your personal note-taking during the round
I keep a rigorous flow
Additional remarks:
I'm 100% a game judge, the flow is like a chess board and it is your job to navigate it with whatever tools you have at your disposal. You can run anything; Theory, Topicality, Ks, CP, DA/AD/Plans/KPlans but for all of those you need to give a "why" and impact calc for everything, fail to do that and you will lose the round.
That being said stock issues are inherent to an argument, if you don't solve for anything or you can't show significance then you will also lose. Topicality is loose for me but again if you fail to solve for something or show it's significance then you lose.
Spread as fast as you want, no I don't want to be on your email chain, I was reading at 340 wpm once upon a memory. If you turn into a mumble rapper like Post Malone then you are not communicating effectively and you'll have stuff drop on the flow. Clear and fast is fine, murmuring quickly is not fine. When in doubt slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Too often debaters are reliant on judges reading their card for them to put them on the flow rather than conveying the information. If there is something in the debate that is the razors edge that will make or break the round then I will evaluate it but that is rarely ever the case (I have only seen it once, same source cut two different ways).
I do private coaching but I also care deeply about the debate community so please feel free to reach-out with questions after your rounds. mconvey1@jhu.edu
B.S. Ecology from Arizona State University
M.L.S. Environmental Law from Sandra Day O'Connor Law College
M.S. Geospatial Intelligence from Johns Hopkins University
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