I am currently the Head Speech Coach for The Bronx High School of Science. Formerly, I competed in info, extemp, congress, and PF for Apple Valley High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

Speech: To get my 1, you will need to do a few things. First, you should be memorized. Being on script often makes speakers less conversational and less able to do convincing tech. Second, your speech should be around 10:00 minutes. You should be using the full time that you are given to tell your story. I will not give the 1 to speeches over 10:30 if tournament rules specify that, but I will not drop you for going slightly over time. Third, if I find your speech to be offensive, I will drop you. This community should be one that is open to diversity and celebrating it, not turning people's identities into caricatures. I will write on your ballot what specific joke or character I found to be too offensive so you can hopefully change it. Next, I will be judging you on both your performance and the other things you do while in the room. I believe that good speakers have good ethos, and it will be difficult to give you a high rank if you were a bad or distracting audience member for your fellow speakers. If you are performing with a binder, feel free to use it as a prop. In fact, I love to see creative binder tech. In OO and extemp, I am looking for solid arguments backed up with research. I want to hear your citations. Outside examples and personal stories are welcome. In interp events, I want to see clean and creative blocking and very distinct characters. Basically, I am looking to give my 1 to good people who speak well.

Congress: Like in Speech, I look for good people who speak well. I believe that good debaters have good ethos, and it will be difficult to give you a high rank if you were a bad or distracting audience member for your fellow debaters. On evidence, I am looking for solid arguments backed up with research. I want to hear your sources. Excessive rehash will be penalized. Congress is a debate event, so I like to see clash. Ask good pointed questions and engage in the debate. That said, overly aggressive speakers will not rank highly. As parliamentarian, I will pay attention to the types of arguments and tactics you use throughout the tournament. I like to see logical consistency. For instance, I don't like to see debaters who advocate for isolationism on one bill and open borders on another.

Public Forum: I'll be honest, even though I competed in public forum for three years, I'm still a pretty lay judge. If you are going to speak quickly, then make sure you are very clear because I cannot vote for an argument that I do not hear. My favorite arguments are niche policy arguments that are impacted with regular people saving money or lives not being lost. I will not consider arguments that are not discussed in every speech up to the final focus. I will give arguments the weight that you do. If you say something is important, prove why. Arguments made in crossfire should be reiterated in speeches because I won't flow it. I base my speaker points mainly on how a speaker conducts themselves in cross-examination. I bring a lot of the mindset I have for speech into the debate space and I am looking to support good people who speak well. If you make clear arguments with impacts that link and are not a jerk, you will get high speaker points and will likely win the round. I will drop any team that I feel is being overtly or intentionally offensive. I don't need to see your evidence unless it is highly contested in the round and the deciding factor. Also, in cross, ask questions. You can't go on a rant and end it with "right?" and call that a question. Not gonna lie, I hate off time roadmaps; just signpost!

Good luck to everyone competing and I hope you enjoy your day!

Hello all! My name is Felicia Chen and I am a freshman in college. I have been in speech for four years but this is my first time judging. I have performed in DI, OI, and Declamation. I find in a great speech elements of storytelling, good body language, eye contact, a wide range of tone variation, and personal voice. I look forward to working with you!

I am currently a student at The Bronx High School of Science. I am on the Speech team, and have competed in OO and Declamation in the past.

First and foremost, your speech should not be offensive. Sensitive topics (ex. racism, sexism) are allowed to be addressed, as addressing them is a part of the process to spreading a more positive message/solution. But I cannot stress this more: your speech should not aim to degrade others through means such as racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, etc. Speech is a safe space for diverse identities; do not ruin that. I will not hesitate to drop you for this. I will let you know in your ballots if I found something too offensive.

Second, your speech should have proper timing and content. The preferable time range for me is 9:00-10:30 minutes. Your speech should have sufficient content to at least reach the 9:00 minute mark. If tournaments specify, I will not give you the 1 if you go over 10:30. However, if not, I am not too much of a stickler for time if you go a little bit over. In terms of content, for public address categories, I am looking for proper research to back up your claims and for an entertaining speech. I like to hear personal anecdotes as well, so feel free to do that. What I am not looking for is a 10 minute rant without anything solid to back it up. Public address categories spread messages you find important using information; remember that. For Declamation, I am looking for variance in performance. What this means is that if you are, for example, using a Ted Talk for your piece, it should not be monotone. For interpretation categories, I am looking for the creative use of tech and good development of characters. Feel free to use your binder as a prop for tech.

Third, you should have proper performance both as a speaker and an audience member. As a speaker, I am looking for confidence in abilities. No one in the room will judge you if you slip up a little or for what you say. Be confident in your abilities. As an audience member, I don't want to see disrespectful behavior. This means that I don't want people having conversations or their phone out during performances.

Good luck in your rounds, and remember to have fun!

Hi everybody! My name is Charlie (he/him); I am 19 and a CUNY college student. I judge Speech -- I have the most experience with Interp categories (Duo and OI/P+P in particular), but I have a base knowledge in all of the categories. It's important to me that you speak on a topic that you're passionate about, and that (regardless of category!) I can feel the importance/emotions of your speech. Have fun!