A little bit about me: I coach for Millburn High School in New Jersey. I competed on the circuit in high school and college.

I do my very best to be as non-interventionist as possible, but I know some students like reading judge's paradigms to get a better sense of what they're thinking. I hope that the below is helpful :).

Overall: You can be nice and a good debater. :)

Here are some things to consider if I'm your Parliamentarian/ Judge in Congressional Debate:

- I am a sucker for a well-executed authorship/ sponsorship, so please don't be afraid to give the first speech! Just because you don't have refutation doesn't mean it isn't a good speech. I will be more inclined to give you a better speech score if you stand up and give the speech when no one is willing to do so because it shows preparedness.

- Bouncing off of the above bullet point, two things I really dislike while at national circuit tournaments are having no one stand up to give the earlier speeches (particularly in out rounds) and one-sided debate. You should be prepared to speak on either side of the legislation. You're there to debate, so debate. I'm much more inclined to rank you higher if you flip and have fluency breaks than if you're the fourth aff in a row.

- Asking the same question over and over to different speakers isn't particularly impressive to me (only in extreme circumstances should this ever be done). Make sure that you are catering the questions to the actual arguments from the speech and not asking generic questions that could be asked of anyone.

- Make my job easy as the judge. I will not make any links for you; you need to make the links yourself.

- Warrants are so important! Don't forget them!

- If you are giving one of the final speeches on a piece of legislation, I expect you to weigh the arguments and impacts that we have heard throughout the debate. Unless there has been a gross negligence in not bringing up a particular argument that you think is revolutionary and changes the debate entirely, you shouldn't really be bringing up new arguments at this point. There are, of course, situations where this may be necessary, but this is the general rule of thumb. Use your best judgment :).

- Please do your best to not read off of your pad. Engage with the audience/ judges, and don't feel as though you have to have something written down verbatim. I'm not expecting a speech to be completely flawless when you are delivering it extemporaneously. I historically score speeches higher if delivered extemporaneously and have a couple of minor fluency lapses than a speech read off of a sheet of paper with perfect fluency.

- Be active in the chamber! Remember, the judges are not ranking students based upon who is giving the best speeches, but who are the best legislators overall. This combines a myriad of factors, including speeches, questioning, overall activity, leadership in the chamber, decorum, and active listening (i.e. not practicing your speech while others are speaking, paying attention, etc.) Keep this in mind before going into a session.

- Please please please don't speak over the top of one another. This being said, that doesn't mean you have a right to monopolize the questioning time, but there is a nice way to cut someone off if they're going too long. Use your best judgment. Don't cut someone off two seconds after they start answering your question.

- I rank based on who I think are the overall best legislators in the chamber. This is a combination of the quality of speeches, questioning, command of parliamentary procedure, preparedness, and overall leadership and decorum in the chamber.

Let me know if you have any questions! :)

Here are some things to consider if I'm your judge in Public Forum:

- Please add me to the email chain if you have one: jordybarry@gmail.com

- I am really open to hearing almost any type of argument (except K's, please don't run K's in PF), but I wouldn’t consider myself a super techy judge. Do your thing, be clear, and enjoy yourselves!

- Please debate the resolution. It was written for a reason.

- It's important to me that you maintain clarity throughout the round. In addition, please don’t spread. I don’t have policy/ LD judging experience and probably won’t catch everything. If you get too fast/ to spreading speed I’ll say clear once, and if it’s still too fast/ you start spreading again, I’ll stop typing to indicate that I’m not getting what you’re saying on my flow.

- Take advantage of your final focus. Tell me why I should vote for you, don't solely focus on defensive arguments.

- Maintain organization throughout the round - your speeches should tell me what exact argument you are referring to in the round. Signposting is key! A messy debate is a poorly executed debate.

- I don't weigh one particular type of argument over another. I vote solely based on the flow, and will not impose my pre-existing beliefs and convictions on you (unless you're being racist, sexist, homophobic, antisemitic, or xenophobic). It's your show, not mine!

- Please please please don't speak over the top of one another. This being said, that doesn't mean you have a right to monopolize the questioning time, but there is a nice way to cut someone off if they're going too long. Use your best judgment. Don't cut someone off two seconds after they start answering your question.

- Be polite!

- Make my job easy. I should not have to (and will not) make any links for you. You have to make the link yourselves. There should be a clear connection to your impacts.

- Weighing impacts is critical to your success, so please do it!

Any questions, please feel free to ask! Have fun and good luck!

--Congressional Debate--

- I value both presentation and content, be respectful to one another as well

- Make sure to reference others if you're speaking later in the round

--Debate Events--

- Warrant all of your claims. I am willing to buy strange arguments that remain well warranted (however no K's, CPs, etc. in PF).

- You do most of the deciding. If what you say matches my flow by the end of the round you'll probably win my ballot.

- Weigh impacts

- Pls don't spread

- Be nice. If you are excessively rude it's an automatic loss for your team.

FULL PARADIGM CAN BE FOUND HERE! This page is meant to be something you can read right before round and get a general idea of what's up

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Bullies get dropped

If your argument needs a trigger warning, either ask before the round S T A R T S or don’t read it. Don't say mid speech "trigger warning!" because judges cannot just up and leave a round the same way you can, and you're not actually giving any students time to react. I think like 90% of tw are super performative and framed as “imma read this, deal w it”

www.ImpactInstituteDebate.com

@Impact.Institute_ on Instagram for 100% free, high quality, virtual Congressional Debate resources.

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Any pronouns work, but do not call me mister

Congress 2016-2019 for Eagan High School in MN, traveled a little bit but certainly wasn't a circuit kid

Congress coach 2019-present at Armstrong and Cooper High Schools in MN

Parli (NPDA) for the University of Minnesota 19-20, 20-21 (I read topical affs and cap/ableism on neg)

PNW CARD Debate for 1 semester (closed research packet, but I loved sliding in Marxist lenses)

Congress judge first, but pls don’t assume I'm not a "debate" judge :)

Overall, I prefer chess over checkers. But both are valuable games!

Email chain or questions/critiques/whatever AFTER the round: Davi3736@umn.edu

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LD:

-Ask before you spread. I probs can't understand your spreading, I'll clear/slow you until I can, but 70% is a decent starting point

-Not flowing off a speech doc but pls share it w me

-Tech>everything: I used to say “except for xyz” but instead, just be a good debater. I’ll vote for stupidity idc. However, “get good” is probably an able normative response to “speed bad” so b careful w ur language. Wipeout, war good, dedev, truth>tech, idc just say it w your chest and let it rip.

-Judge instruction is my fav part abt this activity, followed by conceding fwk, followed by turns of any kind

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Congress:

#AbolishPOs (don’t worry I still rank y’all)

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Experienced Judge who competed in Public Forum and LD in High School as well as Congress and Extemp.

I am also the Assistant Forensic Coach and Congress coach at a local HS.

I was the captain of National Extemp at our school. At the time I was in high school our district sent 20+ people to nationals and our school sent many debaters to nationals annually.

I keep track of flow and expect debaters to have a debate and not just read cases.

I do appreciate K's if done well

really like good cross examination and cross fire!

Have judged at many tournaments in Colorado, WI and TOC

In Congress I expect you to make this a debate with qualified information and knowledge of the bill. I expect you to be an engaged member of congress and ask questions. I prefer congress participants to reference the specifics in the bill instead of general discussion.

I highly emphasize the speeches and conversation to be delivered in an extemporaneous type style, you should be prepared, but if you are clearly just reading a speech with no discussion or debate I will ding you for that.

As a former Presiding Officer, I do value a very well-organized session. PO's are critical to a smooth-running session, and I do consider PO to be a leadership role in session and that is reflective in my rankings, if you are a good PO you are appreciated by all and allow the highest number of student speeches which is hopefully the goal for all.

I coach speech and perviously coached debate at Eagan High School and am the librarian/media specialist there.

I enjoy debate, so I look forward to hearing your round!

In general you may want to know this about me:
I want to hear you debate about the resolution/legislation at hand. Theory is very rarely needed. I like to hear real world impacts, and I want to understand how your arguments will impact the lives of people. I have little interest in unique/trick/squirrel/non-topical arguments. Weighing is important...so give me a clear way to weigh a round. Delivery is important, so speak well and avoid speed at all costs. Speaking of speaking, there have been five times when I've given a 30 in my life, and the lowest end I've given was 10. In all situations the speaker points were earned. My typical range is 26-29. I rarely disclose and there will be no orals after the round. Finally and most importantly, have fun and debate with class.

Specifically, in terms of congressional debate: I'm probably going to vote for the best legislator. You should speak well...but not have canned speeches. You should show me you can speak in a variety of positions (author legislation, introduce arguments, refute arguments, and weigh/crystalize the round). You should advance your arguments through questions. You should use motions to advance/end debate when appropriate. You should play the role of a congressperson with the decorum it deserves. You are always on...even during recess. You should be a good person (don't be a jerk).

In terms of public forum: I'm probably going to vote for the team that does the best job of explaining the big picture of what happens in the pro and/or con world. Real world impacts are important. Weighing is important.

In terms of LD: I'm old school. I would gladly judge a value debate. I would gladly judge a round in which the criterions are debated.

In terms of policy: Good luck. Use everything written here to adapt your approach to me. I might not be the best judge for your typical approach. I do not want to have to vote on presumption.

Good luck!

Debate should be an educational and communicative activity. I look for debaters that can discuss the topic with intelligence and honesty. Any attempts to play games with my emotions or my sentiments will get very low marks on the ballot. Debate the topic and do so with integrity, this is my expectation.

Brian Geffre

Shanley High School

Fargo ND

Hi!

I did Congress, Extemp, and Impromptu in high school. A few things I look for:

1. Clear warranting. I would like you to fully explain the "why" behind your arguments and how you get to point A from point B. You must make it clear to me why your version of the world is the most plausible/likely.

2. Good use of credible sources. Please don't just make assertions; I would like to see where you are pulling arguments from. Also please apply these arguments

3. Strong weighing.

Most importantly, I expect all members of the debate to treat each other respectfully! Good luck and have fun :)

I am a "truth over tech" judge, and please do not spread. I cannot flow everything if you spread and some arguments/evidence will most likely get lost.

About me: I'm a First-Year attending Colby College in Maine majoring in International Relations and Human Rights. I competed for Bronx Science all four years, where I was TOC-qualified twice and Novice Director my senior year.

I am looking for content before anything else. Strong arguments backed by solid logic and well-developed evidence will get you well-ranked. That combined with fluency and round presence will help you greatly.

The best legislators get the best ranks: Know where you are in the round and adapt accordingly (early- constructives, mid- refs, etc.). Demonstrating a mastery of parliamentary procedure is also highly-favored but not needed for good ranks.

If you are disrespectful towards other competitors, the PO or judges, you will be ranked down.

Most importantly, have fun with it. A great debater allows their personality to bleed through and makes watching the rounds both informative and enjoyable.

he/him

Things I look for in Congress:

1. Clear, confident speaking with few fluency breaks.

2. Consistent presence in the round through asking questions and staying engaged.

3. Strong use of evidence from scholarly sources.

4. Simple, easy-to-understand arguments.

5. Clash and interaction with other arguments.

6. Humor is always appreciated, although I may not understand your pop culture references.

In a presiding officer:

Speed is your utmost priority. Go fast and don't make errors.

Email- JKaminskii34@gmail.com

TLDR (updated 11/4/22)

1. Speed is fine, you won't go too fast
2. Win the flow=win the round
3. Presumption =neg
4. Theory is cool, run it well (Interp, violation, standards and voters. RVI's have higher burden)
5. K debate is even better
6. Defense needs to be extended
7. I default to magnitude/strength of link weighing
8. You can run any and all args you want, but they cannot be problematic/discriminatory/ attack your opponents. This will be an auto 20 speaks and L.

My debate experience:

Current assistant PF coach at Trinity Prep

3 Years of NFA-LD Debate

4 Years of Public Forum debate

Paradigm-

It should be pretty easy to win my ballot. In my opinion, debate is a game, and you should play to win. Here are the specific things most debaters would want to know.

PF

- I am cool with speed, so long as you don't use it to push your opponents out of a round. I will call clear if you become hard to understand, so keep that in mind.

- I will evaluate all types of arguments equally unless told otherwise.

- I am willing to listen to things like K's and theory arguments, so long as they are impacted out in the round.

- I really enjoy framework debates as well. I think these can be particularly beneficial for limiting the ground your opponents have in the round.

- I am tech over truth, which means so long as it is on my flow, I will evaluate the argument regardless of my own feelings on it. I will also not flow arguments through ink on the flow, so be sure to engage with your opponents answers in order to win the link level of your argument.

- Summary and FF should be somewhat consistent in terms of the direction they are going. Inconsistencies between these speeches will be harmful, especially when it comes to evaluating the strengths of your links and impacts

- On that same note, I want to see some sort of collapse in the second half of the debate- going for everything is typically a bad strategy, and I want to reward smart strategic choices that you make.

- I default to a net benefits impact calc, unless given a competing way to view the round. I am cool viewing the round through any lens that you give me, so long as you explain why its the best way for me to evaluate the round. If absent, I have to intervene with my own, which is something I hate to do.

- If you want me to call for cards, you need to ask me to do so. In that same regard, I wont intervene unless you leave me no other option.

- I dont flow CX, so if you want me to hold something that was said as binding, you need to bring it up in all of the subsequent speeches.

-Speaker points, in my opinion, are less about your speaking performance and more about your ability to present and explain compelling arguments, interact with the opposition, and provide meaningful analysis as to why you are necessarily more important. Content above style

-On a more personal note, I want the rounds that I judge to be educational and allow debaters to articulate arguments about real world issues, all of which deserve respect regardless of your own personal opinions. I have seen my partners and teammates experience sexism, racism, and other types of discrimination, and I have absolutely zero tolerance for it when I am judging.

-If you have any other questions about my paradigm, please feel free to ask me. I also will give feedback after rounds, you just have to find me and ask.

LD

- All of the above applies here as well. There are a few extra points that may be helpful.

- I will always evaluate framing first, so long as there are competing positions. If values are the same, just collapse and move on. These can be either traditional or more progressive/kritical frameworks.

- For the NR/2AR, don't go for everything- there simply is not enough time and debates are not lost by making strategic decisions to go for one or two arguments instead of extending the entire case.

- I dont need voter issues- just go top down the AC and NC and win your offense/extend defense.

- Impact calc is necessary- PLEASE weigh your impacts. I default to a net benefits impact calc, unless given a competing way to view the round.

I did PF, LD, and Congress for 4 years at Liberty North High School in Liberty, Missouri. I graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2021 and competed in NFA-LD (one person policy), impromptu, and extemp. I was also a Debate Coach at Ridge High School during while at WKU.

Add me on the email chain - isaackeller7@gmail.com.

If you use speechdrop.net, send me the code.

Also, please disclose aff and neg on the WIKI.

I will vote on the flow every round. It's your job to execute the line by line just as it is my job to evaluate it fairly. The paradigm below should tell you just about everything you need to know, but feel free to ask me anything before the round.

Overview:

College LD has converted me into a tech over truth debater. I'll evaluate just about any argument that isn't blatantly offensive (sexist, racist, etc.). That includes impact turns. However, if it is a little harder to believe, or a little more out there, then there's a higher threshold on supporting warrants and evidence. I give a lot of weight to conceded arguments, even if they suck. If it's a back and forth wash, I'll prioritize the debater with deeper analysis and higher quality arguments - just win truth and tech to be safe.

Good debate requires extensive research, preparation, organization, and good communication skills. I appreciate successful in-round execution and strategy. I will reward newer and better quality evidence, organized citations, and clear speakers with high speaks and a tie-breaker. Evidence should always include the date published, author, author quals, and source - you should treat evidence in debate like you would a research paper. However, all you need to do is say the author last name and year in round.

Extend warrants and give a detailed explanation/analysis of the argument. Extending through ink is pretty much only good if the argument extended is conceded; however, I'll give more credence/vote on it if you spend some time on it.

I'm very unlikely to vote on defense. You need offense in the round to be a winner.

Speed: You can go as fast as you want, but don't sacrifice clarity for speed. I'll clear you as many times as needed until I can understand you. If I need to do it more than 3 times in a speech, I'lll be annoyed, and your speaks may be in danger. I'll reward proper enunciation, slowing on tags, and slowing on author/publication.

If you aren't spreading, I'll likely flow on my computer. If you are, I'll flow on paper. Never worry about me not looking up, it's just because I'm focused on the flow. I'll pay attention to CX, but you need to keep all arguments that you want me to flow and evaluate within speeches as well. Perceptional dominance in CX will only get you so far. However, I am paying attention and won't tolerate flip flopping as CX is binding.

RFD: Debate is an educational activity. I will give an RFD after the round and welcome any questions you may have to try and clear up confusion or defend my decision.

To be straight with you, you're in charge of whether you receive my ballot or not. I really don't want to intervene, that's more work for me, I prefer to judge a debate where I can be as hands off as possible. Weigh arguments and use ballot directing language - you can do this with an overview in the last speech that tells me how you win or with voters, I really don't care. Don't leave me with a ton of different unresolved impacts on each side where I have to decide whether I want extinction from nuclear war or extinction from pandemics. I'll always default to the team that maps a clear route to the ballot over the team with a shotgun strat.

Please debate the topic. It's both a question of fairness and a question of education. I have voted for performative arguments that ignore the topic before but will give a lot of leeway to framework. Critical arguments are fine as long as they clearly have something to do with the resolution and are explained well.

Speaks are determined by efficiency, smart choices, and persuasive/clean delivery.

Policy:

Read the overview above for general questions about my paradigm.

Knowledge: I never did policy in HS and rarely judge/coach it now. My flaw as a judge is my lack of knowledge on particular strategies and details within the event (what speech to stop reading cards, what a nicely executed block looks like, dividing the flow in speeches, etc.). I've got a decent understanding of the event from following the NDT/CEDA in college. In terms of argumentation, college LD isn't much different.

Pref: I prefer judging traditional policy debate. Specifically, CP/DA/Case debate. Big fan of policy affs and neg positions with big impacts. It's not that I'll drop you if you run critical arguments or theory, I just rarely go for those positions in college and thus have a worse understanding of how to evaluate those positions compared to traditional policy. I also just enjoy judging/watching policy oriented debates more.

Kritk Aff: Please in some way adhere to the resolution. There are some persuasive fairness and education arguments I can vote on if you don't.

Case: I love well researched, in-depth rounds, and that requires deep case debate. Specifically, less debaters are focusing on method/solvency spec take outs, which is a bummer because that's where a lot of education/research comes to play. Offense on case is strategic, especially with strats lacking a CP.

Kritik: If you choose to go the K route, I'll evaluate it to the best of my ability. I'm comfortable/familiar with Set Col and Cap, anything else will require you to explain it super well to get my ballot. This means devoting enough time to overviews and framing claims than you would otherwise. There are a lot of reasons that I think K debaters have the burden of explaining the K well - just know that I expect to be able to understand the position by the end of the debate. I can't vote for something if I don't know what it does/what I am endorsing.

DA: I understand, as any policy judge should. Love myself a Tix DA (agenda and elections) - pretty much all I go for in college. I appreciate topic DAs, econ DAs, and fism. Please collapse, whether that be Case/DA or Case/DA/CP. The DA should blow up in the 2N - I want a thorough line by line with an overview, extensions, and impact calc. If aff only puts defense on the DA, and it serves as a net-benefit to a CP or there's risk of offense on case, probably not good for the aff.

CP: It only needs to sufficiently solve the affs offense with a net-benefit to get my vote. I'm a big fan of states and clever, well researched, adv counterplans. The counterplan should have a similar evidence burden as the aff; it needs to at least say the method proposed through the counterplan solves. Aff should always perm, but I do debate, so I understand that the CP is competitive if it has a net-benefit (states with agenda tix, conceded perm on states means nothing without terminal D or offense on agenda). Make sure you explain the perm well if you go for it. As for consult CPs and other non-competitive CPs, - they are trash and I am easily persuaded by the perm.

AR Theory: I prefer to avoid AR theory, but tbh, I become sympathetic to the aff if neg reads more than 2 CPs. However, this changes if the aff has an illogical amount of advantages. I'll vote on condo/pics bad if it's all aff goes for in the 2A, but it's definitely an uphill battle for you if it isn't conceded and neg reads less than 3 CPs.

Imp turns: Talked about this in the overview above. I'll vote on it. Pref not seeing back files though.

T: I default to competing interps but will let you debate out standards and education/fairness. Go all in, otherwise I probably won't vote on it unless aff really messed up. Procedurals are strategic - you'll never be punished for reading one without going for it. Won't listen to RVIs.

Theory: Positions like vagueness, minor repair, etc. are not reasons for me to drop the debater. I don't want to see weird blipy theoretical arguments and am 99% sure I won't vote on them.

Congress:

Although not directly applicable, you can read the overview above for general questions about my paradigm. To a degree, I will evaluate your speech with some of the perceptions/preferences I have listed in the overview.

Knowledge: I did congress all 4 years of HS and have coached/judged it for the last 3 years. Just like any other form of debate, I think congress judges should reward students that have clearly worked hard and have thoroughly researched the legislation. That being said, beyond outstanding communication skills and argumentation, I look for unique, well researched points when evaluating the content within a congress speech. Congress can become repetitive very quickly, so it's important to avoid stock debate if you're not giving the authorship or the first couple of aff/neg speeches.

PO: Go for it if you think you can do it well. I'll reward the PO if they do a good job and keep the room running effectively. I can assure you I will not forget to rank the PO.

Delivery: Congress is more performative than the other debate events. It should include the following:

A clean/funny/entertaining/relevant attention getting device

A speech outline/road map (pass/fail this for reason 1, 2 and 3)

References to sections or purposes of the bill

Data/evidence to support your arguments/claims

Transitions in-between points

A conclusion that is linked to your introduction

Time: Congress functions a lot like extemp in the field of time. You should not go over or under and should aim to end your speech at 2:55-3:05.

Evidence/Data: I pay a lot of attention to evidence/data when deciding how to rank speakers. You should list the author/organization, qualifications, and publication date when referring/paraphrasing evidence. I will reward the use of academic papers, more recent publications, and high quality evidence (where it can be directly quoted not paraphrased). Empirical/quantitate evidence with stats, polling, etc. has a stronger backing than qualitative evidence. Just like any other debate, I would like to hear good explanations from both the evidence and the debater. Don't get caught up in 3 mins of reading someone else's work.

Debate/Questioning: Okay, this is how you achieve my 1st ranking. Ask incredible, gotchya questions in questioning or strategic preemptive questions for your speech. This is some of the only debate in the event, so you really need to exploit it to impress judges who usually judge PF/LD/CX. While I will obviously evaluate your speech, I will also evaluate the questions you ask and the answers you give when deciding your score. Furthermore, if you're not giving the first speech, you need to make refs to previous speakers to get my 1. This is congressional debate, you are not suppose to read off a pre-written flow pad - there needs to be analysis generated in the round that you present as well.

Authorship: If you give the authorship, you are giving up the ability to refute in speech. It is your job to prempt arguments from the negative and address those arguments within your speech. You should also describe the problem the bill addresses and why your bill is uniquely important.

Please don't role play. It won't effect my voting, but it quickly turns congressional debate into mock government, and I think the time in your speech can be better spent.

Hello! I'm Peri (she/her) and I debated for Mount Vernon HS in Washington doing LD for 3 years in high school. I am also a part-time, de-facto assistant coach for the Mount Vernon team, and I'm starting my own at the school I currently teach at-- I've never really left the debate community, so I know a bit of the norms and I know what's going on. I have my Bachelor's in International Studies focused on Peace and Conflict Resolution in the Middle East and North Africa, and my Master's in International Relations (meaning I know more about the Middle East than the average person) Here is my email if you need it... periannakb@gmail.com

Congress:

A huge pet peeve of mine is 3...2..1 and my time starts on my first word. I wont start your timer until you start speaking. I promise.

Substance > Style

Don't rehash, bring up new points prevalent to the debate. I love to see refutation particularly after the first two speeches. Please, lets move on if we are just going to say the same thing over and over.

Every time you speak in a session, it gives me more reasons to rank you at the end of the round. Fight to give those speeches and use questions! Don't let any of that direct questioning time go to waste!!!

LD:

A huge pet peeve of mine is 3...2..1 and my time starts on my first word. I wont start your timer until you start speaking. I promise.

I did traditional LD in high school. I am a traditional LD judge. You can run some arguments but disguise them as more traditional and focus on that style to keep me a happy judge. Take that into account. Don't spread I won't understand. Explain your arguments clearly and you'll be fine. No Meta-Ethics or trix.

Side note: Please make sure you are educated on the 2024 Jan/Feb LD topic... I don't want to hear arguments that are factually untrue, and I'm excited for well-informed debates that get into the depths of this subject! I've written articles on this topic that you could use as a card-- I know it well.

PF:

A huge pet peeve of mine is 3...2..1 and my time starts on my first word. I wont start your timer until you start speaking. I promise.

I'm judging more and more pufo these days. I like clear, well organized constructives. Don't just read everything one note. I appreciate that public forum is supposed to be different than LD and Policy. Keep it that way.

Random framework arguments about the intent of the topic aren't going to work for me. If things change in the status quo, you need to be prepared to discuss them.

Public Forum:

- While speaking fast in Public Forum is uncommon, I am fine with any speed that an individual wishes to speak at as long as they are articulate and comprehensible. However, do not speak to the point that neither I nor your opponents can understand you.

- I am for all types of arguments as long as there is evidence backing up claims and contentions. If there is no evidence to back up the claim and your opponent has evidence proving their claim, I will be inclined to lean towards the side that presents evidence backing up their claims. However, if a team makes a claim that is supported by flawed or outrageous evidence, it will not be necessary to offer evidence to counter their claim. This only applies if an argument is very obviously false or supported by faulty evidence.

- I flow the entire round except cross-fire. If there is a point or argument that comes to light during cross-fire that you believe benefits your case/argument, bring it up in your speech. It is very important that you state it in your speech and explain why it favors your side, otherwise if it is not brought up in your speech, it will not be accounted for in the final disclosure.

- I am able to understand most/all jargon, so terminology should not be a limiting factor when creating arguments and refutations.

- When making an argument, you must show its impact/the magnitude of its impact. I do not blindly flow every argument that is presented and then never refuted if it is not part of the main debate. If you wish for an argument/contention to benefit your side, make sure to continually reference/support it throughout the debate and argue its impact. However, do not bring up non-refuted contentions/arguments, which not even your own side brought up since the first speech, in the Final Focus as I will not flow these arguments. The reason for this is that these arguments did not receive any debate nor were they even considered a substantial enough piece of the argument for any side to bring up. Thus, I will only flow contentions that receive debate and are referenced throughout the round.

- There must be clash. If two teams go through a round without ever addressing the other team's arguments/contentions, then I will have basically nothing to evaluate the round on. While I doubt this will happen often, I do wish to make a point that each team must address their opponent's arguments. The best way to win my vote is to outweigh your opponent in the magnitude of your impacts. If you can prove that your impacts have a greater benefit/magnitude than your opponents, then you will most likely win the round.

A former coach of mine, Chase Williams, has developed a paradigm that he uses that I have always used for PF as well. It is as follows:

Paradigm

You can ask me specific questions if you have them...but my paradigm is pretty simple - answer these three questions in the round - and answer them better than your opponent, and you're going to win my ballot:

1. Where am I voting?

2. How can I vote for you there?

3. Why am I voting there and not somewhere else?

I'm not going to do work for you. Don't try to go for everything. Make sure you weigh. Both sides are going to be winning some sort of argument - you're going to need to tell me why what you're winning is more important and enough to win my ballot.

If you are racist, homophobic, nativist, sexist, or pretty much any version of "ist" in the round - I will drop you. There's no place for any of that in debate.

I won't vote for theory. Don't try it - it has no place in PF. Also, I am skeptical of critical arguments. If they link to the resolution, I'll listen - but I don't think pre-fiat is something that belongs in PF. If you plan on running arguments like that, it might be worth asking me more about my belief first - or striking me.

ABOUT ME -

I have been judging in Speech Events (HI, DI, DUO, EXT, OO), Debate Events (LD, PF, Policy) and Congressional Debate since 2018.

I enjoy judging Congressional Debates where I can see many debaters debate on numerous topics in the student chamber.

I favor to give points and rank high upon following skills even though congressional leaders need to be successful in passing legislation.

- Assertiveness – Standing up for one’s beliefs and being able to confidently take charge of difficult situations, making tough decisions despite opposition. In a politically charged environment where everyone is vying for their opinion to be heard, being assertive is key.

- Building Alliances – Earning trust and respect from others and taking the time to build effective working relationships with individuals.

- Commitment - Passionately and enthusiastically demonstrating a dedication to the causes and beliefs you espouse.

- Conflict Resolution - Effectively resolving misunderstandings, disagreements, and disputes with other individuals. Directly addressing issues with others in a non-threatening manner. Being willing to compromise in order to maintain effective working relationships.

- Influence - Using a variety of persuasion tactics, interpersonal skills, and communication and presentation strategies to convince others to make decisions that are mutually beneficial to all parties involved.

- Presentation Skills - Using effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills to clearly deliver information to a variety of audiences. Being confident and comfortable when speaking in front of groups. Making presentations that are clear, engaging and impactful.

JUDGING HISTORY-

- Barkley Forum for High Schools 1/29 - 1/31/2021

- Sunvite 2021

- Cavalier Invitational at Durham Academy 1/16 - 1/18/2021

- Florida Sunshine District Tournament 12/5

- FGCCFL December Tournament

- Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament 11/21 - 11/23/2020

- FGCCFL November Tournament

- Florida Blue Key 2020 10/30 -11/1 Congress Debate

- Duke Invitational 2020 9/19 -9/20 Congressional Debate

- National Speech and Debate Season Opener Hosted by UK 2020 9/12 -9/14 Congressional Debate

- FGCCFL Grand Finals 2020 2/28 -2/29 Congress Debate

- FGCCFL February All Events 2020 2/8 IE & Congress Debate

- FGCCFL January All Events 2020 1/18 -1/18 IE & Congress Debate

- Florida Sunshine District Tournament 2019 12/14 -3/28 Congress Debate

- The Sunvitational 2020 1/10 -1/12 Congress Debate

- FGCCFL December All Events 2019 12/7 IE & Congress Debate

- Barkley Forum for High Schools 2020 1/24 -1/26

- Congressional Debate FGCCFL September All Events 2019 9/28 -9/28 IE & Congress Debate

- Florida Blue Key 2019 11/1 -11/3 Congress Debate

- Yale Invitational 2019 9/13 -9/15 Speech

- FGCCFL Grand Finals 2019 2/22 -2/23 Lincoln-Douglas

- Barkley Forum for High Schools 2019 1/25 -1/27

- Congressional Debate Florida Sunshine District Tournament 2018 12/8 -3/9

- Congressional Debate FGCCFL November All Events 2018 11/17 -11/17 IE and Congress Debate

- FGCCFL October All Events 2018 10/13 -10/13 Lincoln-Douglas

- FGCCFL September All Events 2018 9/22 -9/22 Public Forum Yale Invitational 2018 9/14 -9/16 Varsity Public Forum

BACKGROUND

Undergraduate:

- MBBS, University of Medicine, Yangon, Myanmar.

Post graduate:

- MPH, London School of Hyigene and Tropical Medicine, University London, UK

- MSc. Computer Science, Western Illinois University

- Post Doc Medical Informatics Fellowship, Health Science Technology, Harvard-MIT

I am a former competitor in Public Forum as well as Congressional Debate. I look for clear impacts that I can weigh at the end of rounds. Additionally, I am looking for strong citations when it comes to claims being made.

I am looking for a balance between quality of the speech itself and your delivery.

For the speech:

-Creativity- please bring your own personality into these speeches--begin with an interesting hook, use metaphors, and make your argument engaging

- Clear reasoning and argumentation--show Claim Vs Warrant Vs Impact

-Organization-sign post when possible and with your conclusion, highlight your key contentions

- Demonstrate research! Show that you have investigated this topic so that you can speak authoritatively and show clear evidence

- Be polite and demonstrate respect when addressesing the other competitors--don't be rude or condescending

-Context--I like to see that you are listening to other speakers, so you gain points with me by referencing previous arguments to build your case as well as rebutting previous arguments to strengthen your case

On Delivery:

- Speed for the sake of speed is big no. If your audience can't follow what you're saying, the impact of your speech is lost.

- Speak with energy and passion that shows your engagement with the topic.

-Show good eye-contact

- Speak clearly with a confident volume and avoid filler words

Have fun! Enjoy the process and really engage as a creative participant.

Presumption

I am one of the most naturally neutral individuals I know. I will NOT favor a side because I SHOULD. I will favor a side because you convinced me to... hence the purpose of effective argumentation. Don't assume -- just explain.

Speed

Be understood. Be clear. If I don't flow it... IT NEVER HAPPENED. Remember this during warrants / impacts / extensions. I rarely call for cards, so if I need to hear it, make sure you set the scene for optimal results.

Theory/ K

Debating about debate is fun and engaging -- if it makes sense. Silly theories are just silly, but go back to my section on presumption - I will favor a side because you convinced me to... hence the purpose of effective argumentation. If you convince me that the theory is valid, then it is for the round. I will not assume how it functions or the reasonability of it. Prove that it does or doesn't. A good K with clear explinations, links and impacts are refreshing to me. Neg must explain why aff can't perm the day away -- why is the alt superior? Aff, why is the perm better than the alt and case solo? This is where speed choices are important.

Evidence

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself: Do you understand the card? Does it link to the argumentation presented? Is it topical to the context you're using it in? Do the warrants exist in the text? Is it qualified? Is it dated? ....is clipping truly worth it?

T's, DA's, CPs

Policy was my niche back in the day. That being said -- I'll buy it if its clear, all conditions are met, it makes sense, and if it actually does something / proves a point. I will follow the flow, and the flow alone. Keep it clean!

Finally... most importantly... tell me WHY I should be voting for you. Yes. I want voters. Explain why a drop is catastrophic. Tell me why case outweighs. You know what happens when you assume... don't assume that I'm rolling with you. Explain why I should be.

Spkr Point Breakdown

30 Likely to take the tournament

29.5 Contender to the crown

29 Excited to see how deep you go!

28.5 Highly likely to clear

28 Clearing is possible

27.5 On the bubble, keep pushing

27 Congrats on earning entry into the tournament!!

*email chain: - use file sharing software if available instead of email chain pls

Competed in Congress for six years, won NSDA Senate in 2020 and won TOC on the PO track in 2020, competed in World Schools debate with the NSDA USA Dev Team. Competing in the style you're most comfortable in is what will win over any judge - all parts of the debate have value, its a matter of how you execute your speeches based on the context of the round. POs also do well as long as they're confident, accurate, and fair.

A debate round should be like a cake. Facts, sources and clear logic should be the cake, style, rhetoric and other elements are frosting. Good frosting will not disguise a bad cake, it will just make the whole thing taste unpleasant. Persuade, don't grandstand, or moralize. If you use a quote, absolutely make sure you correctly attribute it.

Be kind. Unkindness to your opponents will prejudice me against you personally even if every other aspect of your performance is stellar. It does not make you look smarter, it makes you look like you lack confidence. Also this world is hard enough and kindness is a gift we owe to one another.

Good luck!

[February 23, 2024] Quick update, more later: I have primarily judged Congress and World Schools for the past 8 years. I was preparing for a Congress event tomorrow. I will return after that to update my CX/Policy Paradigm and add paradigms for other formats.

Relatively speaking, I am a old school Policy judge-Stock Issues, Slower Presentation (if you are gulping for air, especially the double gulp, you are speaking far too fast) and most importantly Topicality (PLEASE debate the Resolution in its entirety, don't pick one of 2 words and head off to left field). CPs are welcome, Ks not so much (always interesting but MUST relate to the topic and ultimately result in a policy/solution. Closed CX please.

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!

As a long-time judge, coach, and competitor in Congress, one of the things I love seeing most is Congress run as a debate, since that is its true form... Please include clash in each of your arguments (with the exception of the first authorship, obviously), and clearly and concisely bring up the points of previous senators, either adding to or contesting them. In the event that you give an authorship, make sure to include the reason you are introducing the bill (clearly state the problem), and the context behind the bill/resolution so that the other judges understand it. Each one of your arguments should be supported with evidence from credible sources--not news channels like Fox News or CNN. Sources such as government reports, think tanks, and university studies are most preferable. Your arguments should flow logically from your first claim, to your supporting evidence, and finally to your impact with logical links. The impacts of each argument should be clearly stated and compelling, so as to convince me to weigh your argument more throughout the round. Ask as many relevant questions as you can, and remain professional. Looking forward to a great debate! :)

• About me: 2018 NSDA National Champion: Congressional Debate - Senate. 2019 USA Debate Team Member. Currently the Assistant Coach of Congressional Debate at Taipei American School. he/him

  Congress Paradigm:

  • Tl;dr don’t try to “adapt” to me as a judge because I see value in all styles of Congress. The best part about Congress is that there are a myriad of ways to be successful in the event. I can appreciate all speaking and argumentation styles - just give the best speech in the round. I do not care if you speak early, mid-round, or late.

  • You have to give the speech that is appropriate for when you are speaking in order to get me to rank you. By this, I mean that if you give a constructive speech when you should be crystallizing or give an authorship that doesn't sufficiently explain the legislation and the main impetus for the legislation's creation, then I will not rank you. Adaptation is the name of the game in Congress.

  • PLEASE weigh! Weighing (to varying extents) should happen at every stage of the debate.

  • Name-dropping a bunch of people and half-way refuting their claim is not nearly as impressive to me as picking the most strategic argument and thoroughly refuting it (i.e. show why the warrant is untrue instead of just saying "X said this bill decreases jobs. Well, here's a statistic that says it increases jobs!)

  • Presentation vs. argumentation balance: Congress is a debate event. This means that I will prefer competitors with the best arguments. Speaking/rhetoric is a tie-breaker between students with arguments of equal quality. Obviously, if your presentation is so poor that it detracts from your argumentation then I cannot credit you for that argumentation. This means that at high-level debates (e.g. semis-bid final rounds) odds are that argumentation will be the most important thing because almost everyone will meet my bar for being a solid speaker. Rhetoric/speaking then will likely be the tie-breaker between first and second between the competitors with the smartest/most strategic arguments.

  • My biggest pet peeve is having a one-sided debate. I’d prefer you just call for the previous question and move to the next item on the agenda.

  • I’ve been in the game for awhile now, so I know all the canned intros and impacts. You should avoid using them when I’m judging you because I will notice that your content is not original. And please have the decency to not use rhetoric/intros that I came-up with. You’d be surprised how often this happens, and it is a good way for me to drop you.

  • The struggle of historically marginalized groups is not a tool for you to weaponize to win a debate trophy. If you slap on "also this helps *insert historically marginalized group here*" as an impact at the end of your point without sufficiently explaining the context and warrant, then you are guaranteed to be at the bottom of my ballot. Just be tactful and respectful and you will be fine.

  • I don’t mind if you have an untraditional speech structure as long as it is easy to follow.

  • If you’re rude I will not rank you.

  • POs: I see the value in presiding, as I know it is necessary for the event to function. Thus, if the PO does a solid job, then I am likely to rank them.

Hello debaters:)

Please don’t use theory, K, and definitely no tricks. I value hard core traditional weighing like magnitude, timeframe, probability and etc. You need to show weighing in all parts of the debate. If you weigh very well, I will give you high speaks.

In addition, please don't speed read. If I say "clear", you have to slow down. I will say clear a max of 2 times and if you continue to spread I will deduct -2 on speaks.

Lastly, treat me like a traditional judge.

Thank you.

I’m currently a first-year student at Duke and I competed mainly in Congressional Debate during high school and have had experience in Public Forum.

In Congress - I will be looking at strong link chains in your argument. Everything has to make sense if you want to be scored well. Argumentation will be valued over presentation (probably around 75% argumentation 25% presentation). Make sure you are respectful to your fellow competitors. I want to see a lot of clash and no rehashed arguments. If you can pull off a strong refutation/crystalization speech that will be scored better than bringing up two new points towards the end of the debate. Make sure you ask lots of good questions and are attentive throughout the debate. POs should be fair, respectful, and efficient. If I consider your behavior or your arguments as anything remotely sexist, racist, homophobic, or along the same lines of offensive will be immediately dropped.

In PF - Please no spreading or talking obnoxiously loud just to talk over your competitors. Make sure your link chains are strong and everything is as clear as possible. I'll want to see you cite from strong sources and are well prepared. If you want me to vote on your side I'll have to see a humanized impact (human reason). Presentation doesn't really matter to me I'll look at your argumentation and how you respond to your opponents mainly. If I consider your behavior or your arguments as anything remotely sexist, racist, homophobic, or along the same lines of offensive will be immediately dropped.