Speech Events Paradigm

Extemp / OO / Informative

I am looking for confidence in my speaking competitors. If you don't believe it, how can you expect me to?

Extemp - make sure that you communicate the question and your answer! Everything in the middle should support that answer. Source citation at this level will be the difference between the ranks. You've all proven throughout the invitational season that you know how to do this, now we reward the best of the best.

OO - This is your chance to really shine. It is without a doubt my favorite event and I love hearing your stories. If you have a topic that has burned you in the past because of the level of sensitivity then I am definitely the judge that you want. These are subjects that are important to you, I am only here to judge your technical proficiency in delivering the message not the subject matter itself.

Informative - You've got the hardest job of all. How do you inform the audience about a subject that is important enough to speak on without getting passionate enough to slip into persuasiveness? Those that can sell me on the value of their topic while maintaining that balance of info/persuasion will be rewarded with the better ranks. Also, keep in mind that at this level of competition your visual aides can hurt you as much or even more than they can help you. A badly produced prop will hurt your ranking more that just going without will. Don't throw something in just for the sake of having it, the purpose of allowing visual aides is to enhance the message, not detract from it.

INTERP - I am probably not your guy here.

It isn't that I dislike the events, in fact I love watching a good interp round, the problem is that I am highly volatile in my rankings. What appeals to me one day might not on another. I hate that my mood of the moment has that kind of influence over my ballot but that's why I'm disclosing now. I am not well versed in the technical aspects of Oral Interp so I default to voting for the performer that best channels their characters, makes me believe in them, and the literature that connects with me emotionally.

TRIGGER ISSUES - Rape & Child Abuse

If your piece contains Rape scenes please do us both a favor and use a strike on me or at least a Pref level 4

Speech

• Extemporary Speech should have a clear introduction and conclusion. Speech should be easy to follow, usually three body paragraphs with at least 2-3 sources per paragraph are the easiest to follow.

• Making the speech easy to understand is important; remember that the audience may be completely unfamiliar with the topic, so assumptions should not be made. Be sure to explain unfamiliar terms, ideas, vocabulary, etc.

• Sources should be varied, current, pertinent and reliable.

• Sign posts to remind the judge where you are and where you are going are helpful.

• Appropriate pauses and hand motions can be useful in emphasizing a point. Avoid excessive motions that become repetitive or distracting.

• Oratory speeches should also be easy to follow and should be delivered almost as if the speaker is giving an impromptu speech.

• Engage with the audience. Make the speech natural, without appearance of script reading. Use at least two varied, reliable, current resources for each point.

• An introduction should directly relate to your presentation. Tell the judge why the topic is important. The message should be consise and clearly conveyed.

• Catchy, relevant, familiar, easy- to-relate-to-fun-teasers are usually appealing.

• Although movement may be limited in a virtual setting, blocking should be creative, using all the space that is given. Movements should be exaggerated.

• Regarding character work, each character should be clearly distinct from one another, and be portrayed in a coherent manner. Different voices, different accents, various pacing can be helpful in conveying the message, as well.

Congress

• Focus on 4-5 items on the docket. Student should be very well versed on those topics; able to offer many details that are supported with a variety of reliable, credible sources. Research should include multiple angles and perspectives that support the position.

• Supporting evidence is abundant, relevant, up-to-date.

• Evidence and resources should be quoted to give more credibility, then, extrapolated.

• Rate of delivery is appropriate to the point being expressed. Use of a wide vocabulary with engaging, compelling, descriptive language is helpful.

• Student should be able to move through items with ease, without spending too much time on a single item. Time should be used efficiently in order to thoroughly cover the items, yet maintain interest and maintain the audience’s attention.

• Debater shows good eye contact and confidence.

• P.O’s should include variability in stating the question, announcing the vote, etc. Presiding Officers should have a good command of parliamentary procedure. Presiding preferences should be clearly stated and adhered to in a fair, unbiased manner.

I normally do not disclose at the end of the rounds. This goes for paneled rounds and elimination rounds as well. I also try to let the contestants time themselves, but if a team absolutely wants me to time as well, then I can.

I've judge the TFA circuit for about 6 years now, and judge just about any event there is. Although I only participated in LD and Extemp in high school, I have a grasp of just about every event there is and talk to other judges on the circuit to gain insight on resolutions and paradigms.

I am OK with speed, but not at the expense of clarity, so I'd like it if you could slow down for main contentions, taglines, your values, criterion, voters, etc.. I will also say that it is important to highlight your voters at the end of a round, and to give no more than 3. Honestly, 2 voters is a fine number as well. 1 voter would probably be too little, and 4+ would be too many.

Please do NOT just flat-out spread the entire round. If you must spread, then please do so during a card. I have never had to yell out "CLEAR," and hope I never have to.

I would suggest using all of your prep time and to not yield any unused time unless absolutely necessary.

I really shouldn't have to say this, but based off of what I have seen in the past, I feel the need to remind you that you need to respect your opponents and should not sass them. Please do not be rude or condescending towards them. I have voted people/teams down just because they were super rude, and that's despite them winning on my flow. Also, please do not be rude or unprofessional towards your teammates or me.

I love unique arguments and cases, but don't push too hard just for the sake of being unique. However, ways to be unique include giving me observations, telling me who has the burden and for what, and using clever definitions, standards, and tests. A lot of great work can be done with your framework so do not neglect it.

I also love it when you tell me what the turns are. A lot of arguments do turn on themselves, so if you point that out to me, I'll give you a lot of credence and that will work to your advantage on the ballot.

I do look at how well you work with your partner too (for PD and Policy), so teamwork and chemistry are a part of the ballot for me. Also, I do look at pathos, ethos, and logos. Pathos does not mean you should just yell the entire time. Please do not do that. As for ethos and logos, I will say that I went to law school, so I know a good source when I hear one, and I know how arguments tend to be flawed and I know how they can become more logical. With that said, logic is different from intuition. Keep that in mind. Logical arguments are great, but intuitive arguments can be strong as well.

For policy debate, I'm a cross between stock issues and policy maker. I love a good K and I really enjoy it when you can set yourself up during Cross-Examination and such. I don't like it when people start talking about space, and I think that extinction is overplayed. I have also voted purely off of T before.

I try not to overthink it. I always ask myself "who do I think should go to the next round?" At the end of the day, I do not want to think I let someone down by not voting for them, so I try to find peace and resolution with my final decisions.

A lot of times, confidence goes a long way, so even if you are unsure of yourself, portraying a sense of confidence really helps on my flow. The way I see it, you all are still young, so you have time to acquire knowledge, so what you need above all else right now is confidence. But there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Please don't be arrogant or cocky either.

On the whole though, I would describe myself as a pretty laid back person and judge. I am a bit quirky though, so my apologies in advance if I type something out in the chat and it throws you off.

Honestly, I'm almost never swayed by abuse arguments. That doesn't mean you shouldn't present them, but if you are, then make sure they are legitimate. I've seen too many compulsory abuse arguments. Look at the other side's intent. Can you prove it? Was it just an accident? Is your abuse argument about a fundamental issue, or is it just merely procedural?

I'll generally allow anything, but I am a bit old school and think that LD should still be Value-Criterion centric, CX should be policy, and Public Forum should be more communal, values based, and domestic. PF shouldn't just be another way for policy debaters to compete, but I also see PF as more than just LD with teams. I think PF is kind of a blend of the two where evidence and cards can be read, with some actual policies pointed out as well. But please don't turn PF into mini-CX.

Drops happen, so don't fret over accidentally dropping something, and if the drop was major, then please extend it and give me impacts and its significance. Please don't just extend without any kind of elaboration on the matter. Just telling me to extend doesn't really help me out, but an elaboration, justification, explanation, etc. will go a long way.

Crystallization is super important. Please tell me what the 2-3 main areas of clash are in the debate and why you should win on those grounds. These are essentially what your voters should be, but they should also help guide you with your rebuttals and the other speeches you have before the round ends.

Please don't forget to make extensions. Drops happen, but at least extend your own arguments. At times I've voted down a team that had a winning argument mainly because they failed to recognize it as a winning argument, and therefore didn't extend it properly.

Don't overlook the power of sportsmanship and following ethical guidelines.

Please type in the chat box how much prep time you have left and/or how much you have used. That would be very helpful.

I've viewed all of NSDA's Judge Training videos on YouTube and would HIGHLY recommend that all competitors view them as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq8gnbXDO10&list=PLbRmCbS7bdKJn2GAhHcWe6xIRj2NWPpgk&index=1

Sometimes it helps to look at the videos for IEs and such too. Speaking style is a mode of persuasion, after all, and IEs can show deep reflection. Such deep reflection can be important in a debate round, but is likely more important when conducting your research and creating your cases and such.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLbRmCbS7bdKJLJUgov9kj8kGG1A75q5Nl&v=TEWolJf0F2g&feature=emb_title

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

Please include me on any email chains. My email address is kevin.kalra5@gmail.com

My background is in policy debate but I have a solid understanding of all other events (LD, PF).

CX Paradigms:

Stock Issue and Policy Maker.

Topicality: I will rarely vote on T unless the violation is clear and convincing.

CP's: Good with them

DA's: Good with them

K's: Not a fan but I will hear them. They will not be given any less weight than other arguments and will be equally valued. My knowledge of the philosophy and use of K's is limited though. Please do make sure such arguments are thorough.

Speed: My ability to judge is mainly dependent on your clarity. Speed preferred 2-3 (I can go up to and only to 4).

PF: Anything goes so long as such is not in conflict with what is stated above.

LD: Anything goes so long as such is not in conflict with what is stated above.

Overall: More so a traditional judge. I do take a prima facie non-interventionist approach. In other words, I would not connect dots or discredit things for you. That is your job. However, various arguments or claims carry different burdens of proof. Be sensical in your evaluations of such.

Policy Debate:

I tend to be traditional when it comes to debate but, I am open to other approaches. I would like to see why an argument is valid/justified-don't make assumptions. I also prefer the round to be an argument of the resolution. I expect there to be evidence to support your arguments. Make your arguments clear so I know where to place them on the flow.

Speech:

Extemp: Properly structure your speech, quality over quantity for evidence, and you must stay on topic.

Oratory/Info: Persuade me and leave me with some realistic solutions. Solutions should be researched and have merit that they can solve the problem. Structure and transitions are important.

CX Paradigm: I am a policymaker judge; I am most likely to decide the winner of any given round based on which team has most cogently and coherently argued that their position results in the best policy for the USFG. This means that the AFF must prove their case is better than the status quo and/or the NEG's counterplan. I am unlikely to look favorably on a perm/do both strategy. I will vote on a Kritik that proves substantially that it will enhance some given policy need of the USFG. I'm not likely to vote on a Kritik that enhances participation in Debate, or society as a whole, unless it links directly to the stated point of the round. Debate is a speaking event, and I don't hear as well as I once did, so if you're mumbling or slurring your speeches, I can't vote for your argument. I can understand you if you spread, but if you're sacrificing volume and clarity for speed, it could cost you the round. Rudeness can cost you speaker points

LD Paradigm: LD is not policy, LD is an argument on morality. You should establish a value and criterion for your side of the round. A round which has clash on these points makes a good debate. Clash is better than rehash. If you don't attack your opponent’s argument I will not make the connection for you. Explain warrants. Impact your arguments. Use comparative statements and weighing in last speeches.

Extemp Paradigm: ANSWER THE QUESTION! Answer the question you drew, not the one you wish you drew. Give a coherent, clear response that is definite. Use sources for each of the main points you are making in your speech. A canned, forced analogy that only vaguely ties into the topic annoys me. Movement is ok in the virtual realm, but don't get too far from mid screen. Make sure your lighting is good, that I can see your face.

Interp Paradigm: I'm always happy when interpers give me clear, compelling characters that pull me into the piece. HI's that are gimmicky and wildly overblown are NOT my cup of tea. You can be humorous WITHOUT being ridiculous. I like to see levels. If you start at 11 and stay there the entire time, it doesn't show versatility.

OO Paradigm: Give me a great opening that pulls me in. Lay out what your call to action is. Guide me through your points. Use solid sources for your evidence. BE PERSUASIVE! Movement is ok in the virtual realm, but don't get too far from mid screen. Make sure your lighting is good, that I can see your face.

INF Paradigm: Let me know why I should be listening to your topic. Give me that little pop that makes sit up and think "Wow, that's COOL!" Make sure your speech is well organized. If you are using props, make sure they ADD to the info, not distract from it. Try to use props seamlessly. Movement is ok in the virtual realm, but don't get too far from mid screen. Make sure your lighting is good, that I can see your face.

Do not exhibit racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic/ableist/discriminatory attitudes or behavior. You will be immediately dropped.

Be aggressive but do not be rude. If you are a toxic debater you will be dropped.

If you start lagging during your speaking time, I will try my best to judge you based on your performance given when your internet connection was stable.

Congress:

I value content over performance. Clearly structure your arguments so that they are understandable. Provide strong links and warrants to back up your contentions. Expand your impacts. I really do value the technicality of a bill, such as the bureaucracy behind it and the constitutionality of it. I try to be a blank-slate judge, but if you state something completely incorrect or extremely misleading, I will mark you down. If you are not the first speaker of the round, you should mention or respond to the other debaters in the round. Answer your questions clearly and ask good ones. Refrain from asking yes or no questions. Cut your competitors off if they are dodging the question. I really appreciate good cross-ex, let me see blood.

For performance, speak at a normal speed. Make your pronunciation and enunciation as clear and accurate as possible. Your body language should aid your performance, not distract from it. Be passionate. Try using different tones to create a better performance instead of just altering between aggressive and informative. I do value content over performance, but Congress still leans pretty heavily on the latter. If you present amazing arguments but stumble every two words and sound exactly like the rest of the chamber, I am not gonna give you a high rank.

A PO should be fast, fair, and efficient. You should make procedures understandable and maintain control of the chamber. If a debate becomes very repetitive, try to move the chamber onto the next piece of legislation. Make sure to know the procedures. If I notice that you continuously give speeches and questions to the competitors from your school, I will drop you.

Policy, LD, Public Forum, Parli:

Run whatever arguments you want. Theory, K, or anything that makes a compelling case for your side. I do not care about what kind of arguments you are running, because I judge based on flow. Provide solid warrants, tight links, and strong impacts and you will win. If you spread, you have to be extremely good at it. I expect clear enunciation and good fluency, or else just go at the normal talking pace, cause if I do not catch what you say, it will not be on my flow.

Speech:

Performances should match what is expected from the event. Be passionate about the issues you are talking about OO, and make me laugh if you are in DI. But in general, make sure you are varying between tones; do not just stay at one for 10 minutes, it will get boring and the lines you need to highlight will be lost. In your speech is argumentative/informative, then the content will be just as important. Make compelling arguments, use respectable sources and link them together well, and sprinkle in good rhetoric.

PS:

Just a pet peeve of mine, but if you are debating foreign policy, for the love of god do not cite examples from other regions as evidence that something will succeed/fail in this particular area. Respect the massive geopolitical and economic differences between each country and region, even if they are close together. Do not point to Libya and tell me a similar program is gonna succeed in West Africa, no no no, just no.

My paradigm is 100% influenced by the flow of the debate. If you convince me that value and criterion do not matter through solid logic & argumentation, they are no longer a voter. I am there to judge the overall debate of the students, not how I think the debate should run. Don't get me lost in my flow, tell me what the voters are, and overall, I'm basically weighing at the end - quality and quantity will both be applied, I'll look at the flow, and end up making a decision based on who I think won the most and most important arguments of the debate weighted accordingly.

Joshua Wimberley
Speech & Debate Coach
Midland Legacy High School

Address for the e-mail chain: joshua.wimberley@midlandisd.net

Debate is a game designed to build a specific set of communication skills. At the end of the day you are a salesman trying to get me to buy your idea. If you don't sell me on it you can't expect to win the round. That being said, if you think you can sell me anything more than a bus ticket at 250+ words per minute you are grossly mistaken... Leave that life to the auctioneers, we are here to communicate.

I will judge the debate you want to have to the best of my abilities. I would say you are better to debate what you are good at debating, than change for me in the back of the room. I do, however, have some predispositions and beliefs regarding debate that you should know. Absent a framework set-up during the debate, I will default policymaker. I prefer to watch debates with good evidence and oriented around a policy action. What makes evidence good is the analysis of the person putting it in action.

Theory Debates: I do not like to watch theory debates because they are generally just taglines with out of context sound bites and impossible to flow. Having said that, I understand the importance and strategy of engaging in a theory debate. I recognize that sometimes you just have to deal with what you're given. If you go for theory in the debate, go deep and slow to analyze the debate. Continuing to read front-lines with no depth of explanation will be bad for you. Try to make the debate about in-round implications and not centered around potential abuse or "how" debate should be in the future. In general, if you haven't caught on by the descriptions, I tend to find education arguments more persuasive than fairness arguments. But fairness is important.

Framework/Performance (or the like) debates: If the debate is a debate about framework or how I should evaluate the debate, please don't forget to talk about the other arguments in the debate. In other words, there should be something "productive" that comes with the way you want me to vote. Debates about how we should debate are interesting, but make sure you engage in some sort of debate as well. Reading scripted/blocked out front-lines is very unimpressive to me. Make it about the debate at hand.

Topicality: I do not vote for T very often but I do think it is a voting issue. If you read a T argument make sure to talk about "in-round" implications and not just potential abuse arguments. With the caselist, disclosure, and MPJ, I do not find potential abuse arguments very compelling. Linking the T to other arguments in the debate and showing the Aff is being abusive by avoiding core neg ground in the debate is what works best. Discussions about predictable literature outside of the in-round implications do not carry much weight because in most instances the Neg knew about the case and researched a good strategy. The exception is when an affirmative breaks a new 1AC, then the neg should be allowed to make potential abuse arguments--they didn't get disclosure and the caselist to prep. I generally prefer depth over breath education claims.

Disadvantages: I like them. The more specific the better. The Link is very important. Please make evidence comparisons during the debate. I dislike having to call for 20+ cards to access uniqueness on a Politics DA (etc) when they are highlighted down to one or two lines. Read the longer, more contextual cards than the fast irrelevant ones. I tend to not give a risk to the DA. You need to win the components to the DA to have me weigh it against the Aff.

Counterplans: I do not like Consult CPs, please choose another type of CP. PIC and Agent CPs are OK, but are better when you have contextual literature that justifies the the CP. Advantage CPs are cool. Affirmatives should not be able to advocate the permutation; however, theory abuse arguments can be used to justify this action. Condo is OK, but you shouldn't go for contradictory arguments in rebuttals.

Case Debates: I like case debates; however, these debates tend to turn into "blippy extensions" and force me to read cards to understand the arguments and/or nuances of the case debate. Debaters should make these explanations during the debate and not rely on me to read the cards and make it for you. I tend to try and let the debater arguments carry weight for the evidence. Saying extend Smith it answers this argument is not a compelling extension. Warrants are a necessity in all arguments.

Critiques: I generally consider these arguments to be linear DAs, with a plan meet need (PMN) and sometimes a CP (often abusive) attached at the end. Yes, I will vote for a K. When I was in college I read a lot of this literature and so I liked these debates. Now that I am almost 20 years removed from school, I tend to see bad debates that grotesquely mutate the authors intent. This is also true for Framework debates. Your K should have as specific literature as possible. Generic K's are the worst; as are bad generic aff answers. While I think condo is OK, I find Performative Contradiction arguments sometimes persuasive (especially if discourse is the K link)--so try not to engage in this Neg (or Aff).

General things you should know:
1. I like switch-side debating. While you are free to argue this is bad, it is a strong disposition I have to the game. **Read-Affirmatives should have a plan of action and defend it. However, because of this I usually give more "latitude" to affirmatives on Permutations for critical arguments when they can prove the core action of the aff is a good idea.
2. Potential abuse is not very persuasive. Instead, connect the abuse to in-round implications.
3. Engage in good impact analysis. The worst debates to judge are ones where I am expected to weigh the impacts without the debaters doing the work in the speeches. Sidenote: Don't expect me to weigh impacts you didn't analyze effectively.
4. Research: I am a big believer that what separates "policy debate" pedagogically from other forms of debate and makes it a better form to engage in is the research and argument construction that flows from it. Hence, I like good arguments that are well researched.
5. Don't steal prep-time! If you are paperless, prep stops when you hand the jump-drive to your opponents, not when you say I am ready.

Any questions, just ask.