I'm a parent, but have judged approximately 20+ debates and speeches. Please speak slowly and clearly. Most importantly, be nice and professional. I will take off points for unnecessary rudeness during a debate.

I prefer teams to time themselves but will follow with my phone.

Not necessary to shake hands before or after, let's keep germs to a limit :)

Speak slowly! Articulate your verbiage with great diction. Please present as few contentions as possible to allow both the affirmative and negative teams to have a quality debate. Always have excellent eye contact with the judge. Take pauses occasionally to allow everyone a break from the intensity of the argumentation. Use wit from time to time to lighten the moment. Never, never be sarcastic against your opponent! Be as passionate as possible no matter what side of the debate you are on.

While I take into account technical points, I mainly base my decisions on the much simpler premise of who was most persuasive in their argument and the way they presented their argument. If you speak so quickly that I can't understand what you are saying, or that I have to work really hard to understand what you are saying, I hold that against you. I encourage you to imagine we are in a real life setting, and you are trying to convince me that you are correct, and your opponent is wrong.

I am a Presbyterian minister who writes and delivers a speech (sermon) every week, which is designed to persuade people. When I judge I am interested in the following:

1. Well crafted arguments--I expect people to present logical, concise and tight arguments for their team. I am more interested in quality than quantity, so throwing a lot of words on the table in rapid fire succession does not impress me. I want the argument to be clear and follow a logical order. I also expect the the various arguments to support, inform and build on one another.

2. Rhetorical ability--this is closely related to the above, but is more about HOW you say rather than WHAT you say. Both are important. Verbal illustrations, similes, metaphors and most of all an unpretentious but sturdy vocabulary is important. Humor would be entirely appropriate when used well. Inflection of voice, and the ability to speak clearly are important as well. If you have something to say but lose in the delivery, you have undercut your own argument.

3. Ability to move the hearers--I want to hear that you believe in what you say, and that you want the people in the room to believe it with you. Be persuasive, and try to move the people hearing you to your point of view. Convince me that your argument is right!

These loosely correspond to Aristotle's three points of rhetoric--logos, pathos and ethos.

I am an inexperienced judge, but my son is a 4-year parli and policy debater at Ashland High School. I have some previous judging experience, however not at a high level. 

Hello All,

My name is Anna Werthaiser and I competed in LD and PF all throughout high school. I am a freshman in college and absolutely love judging. I have competed in parli before, written cases as in-class projects and know how it's structured. My mom was the Ashland coach for six years so just because I only competed in LD and PF doesn't make me a "lay" judge.

Speed:

I'm perfectly fine with speed as long as you are also perfectly fine with speed. If you have not done any spreading exercises and think you can just "talk fast," most likely, I won't understand you. Just like any person, if I can't understand you, your flow WILL be blank.

The flow:

Please signpost. 'Nuff said. Roadmaps are quite a gift. Use them. If both opponents are okay with off-time roadmaps, I don't care either way.

K's:

I love a K just as much as any other judge but don't read me the whole book on philosophy. No, I don't read everything on all philosophers but a brief synopses is nice.

Framework:

Please don't make it a framework debate because who likes those? Those who uphold their framework and/or their opponents will win in my eyes.

Be nice to each other and don't be rude. Debate rounds are suppose to be professional and debaters should be polite. No need to be nasty. Show off a little. I want to know what you know and please don't assume I know anything because like any good judge, my prior knowledge and opinions will be left at the door. Can't wait to experience such talent, and congratulations on TOC. Good luck.