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

Experience/Background: Former PF debater for four years. Big Question debate qualifier and top 13 in BQ debate nationals. Political science, history, and emergency management/homeland security background. Currently a law student.

Style Preferences: I can flow quickly so I am not opposed to fast paces. I typically flow on my laptop. However, please enunciate and be clear to project every word.

Please make the argument for me and convince ME. Please do not leave me to piece together the argument--tell me the why and the how. I like it if you directly tell me the impact of the evidence and claim. Bring the argument back to the resolution and make connections. If you have to, restate the resolution and tell me your argument's relevance.

Background:

I did Public Forum debate for 3 years and Extemporaneous Speaking and Impromptu Speaking for 2 years at Mandan High School. I have qualified for World Schools Debate 2 years in a row at the National Competition. This will be my third year judging so I make sure I am fair and honest regarding my decisions in the round.

Public Forum:

As someone who loves PF-style debating, I am looking for good, solid connections between your points and the evidence you presented to me during the round. I also want to see rebuttals made about any arguments against your case. DON'T LET THE CONTENTIONS FALL!!! Use cross-examination for questions not to debate, and also answer the questions coherently and meaningfully. Don't just ask or answer a question to waste time.

Lincoln Douglas:

I am not very familiar with LD debate however, as long as you are concise with your arguments as well as with your value and criterion with solid coherent flows throughout the debate, then everything will go smoothly. I must be able to understand the flow of the debate in order for me to make an accurate judgment.

Debate Conduct:

Decorum matters to me, so be polite to your opponents. Some opponents aren't as strong as you are or aren't as skilled. I want an honest and fair debate. Make flowing easy for me; don't rush through your contentions otherwise, I won't know what you are talking about therefore, I won't know how the arguments should play out. If you speak fast, I won't be able to understand you either, and thus I might miss a valuable part of your case/argument against your opponent. I also expect a good amount of evidence to support your claims, whether that is in your main speech or in your rebuttals.

Speech:

Everything that was mentioned for debate can be applied to speech as well. I want to understand your flow of arguments in any of the categories that call for it. If you get me as a judge in one of the other categories bring the piece to life, and give it character, I want to feel as if I am in the piece itself. Facial expressions are everything in speech use them to your advantage to bring emotions to the surface.

FLOWING:

I flow the entire round in the RFD so that teams and coaches can see how the round went. I also add my thoughts in italics, so that you can see how different arguments went. I'll put my biggest RFD (and the value clash) at the top of my notes.

DECISION:

1 - I sometimes find that debaters say something brilliant but quick in a round and never touch on it again. These little moments can and do swing close rounds. For this reason, it is important to balance both offense and defense and listen carefully all through the round.

2 - Debaters should carefully consider what evidence they use. Try to present ample, credible, and unbiased sources. Logic can only take you so far on its own. Evidence can only do so much on its own. The two need to balance.

3 - Impacts really matter. If one side is better able to explain their impacts and prove that they weigh more heavily than the opposition's, that side may take the lead.

PREFERENCES:

1 - Please do not spread. Spreading isn't good for anyone. I understand that students do it to fit as much information in as possible, but you risk opponents and judges not being able to track everything you say. Spreading could very easily backfire when judges and competitors are not able to take notes fast enough retain everything you say, anyway. You might as well reduce your argument so that everyone can track the whole thing and you can take more time to focus on the impacts. A good argument will be about argument quality, not necessarily quantity.

2 - I recognize that I do have a bias against disrespectful debaters. It is very important to me that debaters maintain their composure and professionalism through the entire round. Competitors are future leaders and need to be able to set a good example for those around them. It would have to be extreme for me to actively and intentionally weigh that in the round, but I recognize that my biases make it difficult to NOT let rude behavior get to me. Basically, remain poised and professional.

3 - Meld values into your contentions and come back to that! Please balance the value clash with the contentions. I'll use the wining value to weigh both teams' contentions, so it is possible to win the value clash but then have your opponents uphold that value better with their arguments. You need to be ready to explain not only why your value is superior, but how you uphold it better.