I am a parent judge (not a technical judge) and appreciate well organized evidence supported argumentation. I appreciate pleasant, non aggressive presentations. Please show respect to your judges and other debaters.

Please speak slowly, restrain from jargon as possible (or explain) and summarize your main points briefly (only once) at end of your time slot.

I am a parent judge whose son competes in Congressional debate. I have judged a few tournaments, specifically in congress.

Below are some things I want to see:

1. confidence and clarity when speaking

2. do not be rude to your fellow competitors

3. make your argument as clear and easy to understand as possible

I am a judge reasonably experienced at judging tournaments. I have 2 kids and both are in debate and speech each.

Here are few insights on how I judge:

1. Speak at whatever pace you feel most comfortable. I can keep up with your pace.

2. I do take notes. Let me know where you are in your arguments. I appreciate the source citation. I like clear, clean lines of logical thinking.

3. Engage with the round, have refutations and ask questions

4. Be respectful to everyone and have fun

Stop spreading plz :) It more important that I understand your stream of thought, than how fast you can speak. I am a volunteer parent judge with no debate experience. 

I am a parent judge with relatively little judging experience. Please try to avoid technical terms and complicated technical arguments, as they will likely be lost on me.

Please signpost clearly so that I know where you are in the flow.

I strive to maintain an inclusive and safe space, so if you say something that I believe to be harmful or problematic, I will pause your time and address the issue to give you a chance to repair it.

Please be courteous, kind, and respectful to each other.

I'm a previous policy debater. I mainly ran K affs in high school. I appreciate a good K argument but please be specific (i.e. include solid links). Policy arguments are perfectly fine though! Don't feel pressured to run a K if you don't feel comfortable, because I do expect K's to be fully developed.

For parli:

Spreading is okay but please either enunciate very well and slow down while saying your assertion titles. This isn't needed if you share a copy of your speech to both the judge and the opposing team.

I think it's best to present a plan for the topic.

I don't think there needs to be a plan to present a counter plan or counter plan type argument.

I like theory arguments such as topicality and framework and think that fairness is a good impact for this type of debate.

Make sure you provide solid impacts for all your points and assess which impacts are the most important and why. I highly value impact analysis so be careful how you frame the debate, if you win the framing argument I will use it to evaluate the debate (even if that hurts your argument).

Kailey (she/her)

Email address: mmfrank@pugetsound.edu

I am a debate coach for the University of Puget Sound where I competed in Policy Debate for four years. I also did two years of LD in High School so I have some familiarity with that style of debate as well. I was a K debater but will evaluate any style of debate that is put in front of me, and do not have any qualms with any sort of argument. I am fine with speed and I like performative arguments. If you are going for Framework or Topicality I need to see good impact calculus to be persuaded, but this is true of any argument you may go for. It is very important to me that debaters are respectful towards each other and to anyone else in the room, including myself. I am willing to vote a team down if something they do in round is isolated by another team as problematic and impacted out. I think what you do in a debate round is just as important as the argument you have prepared prior to the debate. That being said, have fun, be nice to each other, and debate well and all we will have a good time :).

Former political candidate. Campaign worker, director of outreach. Advocate. Leader. Reporter. Former debate student.

I place a high priority on speech delivery - eye contact, poise, etc.

Stock issues matter.

Evidence is the key.

Make me believe what your facts are.

Speaker Points:

I will most likely give you a 28-30 if you:

- Speak loudly and clearly, no "spreading" please, the slower you speak the easier it will be for me to comprehend your arguments so please do not speak too fast

- Be polite to your opponent, if you mock/insult/rudely interrupt your opponent, you will lost speaker points. During cross-ex please try to be as polite as possible and do not get too aggressive

- Explain arguments properly, when explaining your arguments to clearly tell me where you are on the flow and explain terms such as "turn" and "non-unique"

Appearance: While it will not influence my decision, please respect the tournaments dress code and wear appropriate clothing.

Decisions: I will most likely vote for the team that best explains and extends their warrants and impacts. Please throughly explain why your impact matters and why we should solve for it as it makes my decision much easier.

Use of evidence: I highly value evidence and believe most of not all of your claims should have evidence to back it up. If you believe your opponents evidence is not credible please throughly explain why.

Debate skill and truthful argument: While a value a truthful argument over debate skill, presentation will impact my decision. If you do not seem confident in your argument it will make me feel the same way.

Hi I am an experienced parent judge. I have a pretty good understanding of the world and economic systems. I value probability over magnitude for the most part but can be convinced otherwise. I do not want every debate to be about mass extinction or how one economic policy leads to nuclear war. I can understand theory but am not likely to vote on it unless clear abuse in round. No Ks. No speaking fast. I prefer logic over straight facts. Repeating your point does not mean that you responded to their point. Do not say that a team conceded an argument when they clearly did not. POIs are fine but do not ask more than 2 and do not be obnoxious while doing it will drop your speaks. It is fine if you choose to decline a POI but between the two partners, you have to accept at least one. CPs are fine even PICs but if you are running CP you have to prove that your CP solves better. I do buy mutually exclusive arguments through net benefits but you have a harder job to me proving that the aff does not just do the same by perming the CP. If you want to perm do it as a test of advocacy as that is easier to understand as a judge. All advocacy/rhetoric is binding do not try to kick anything. Try not to run new contentions in the second speech. I do not protect the flow. Try to use less jargon while actually debating. I can understand some of it but not all. Have fun.

Hi I'm a parent judge who has been judging Speech for 4 years. Here is what I generally look for:

For Prepared Speech: I'm generally delivery heavy. Are you connecting with the audience? Are you effectively using your body gestures, voice, and command of stage to get your points through? For content, storytelling goes a long way. Weave 1 or 2 into your speech. If you raise an issue, I look for good solutions, and how you allocate time on your points.

For Limited Prep (eg Extemp/Impromptu), I'm generally delivery heavy (eye contact, command of stage, connection with the audience). For content, I judge based on logic of your supporting reasons, clear articulation and smooth transition.

For Interp Events: I look at vocal variety, facial expression, and contrast of characters.

This is my fourth year judging parliamentary debate. I'm a flay judge, and I'm tab so I'll probably vote on anything if it's explained well enough. I've been judging for a hot minute so I know my way around structure. Slow down (especially during online tournaments) and let me write the arguments down on my flow, and don't use debate jargon that a regular person wouldn't know. It's your job to explain things to me, so if I don't catch something that's on you. Please give me background about topics and explain your link chain arguments. I will evaluate t shells but I don't know the jargon/structure so please explain fairness arguments well. Do not run kritiks, I do not know what they are and I am not familiar with the philosophy, so you will probably lose if you run them. Perms are fine, I think everything's fine just explain everything. Make my job easy as a judge, don't be rude, and have a fun debate!

Here Is A Link To My Parli Paradigm

TLDR: I am a standard pervious parli debater / flow judge. Run what you want, explain it, weigh everything and give me impacts.

Alt Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vT2VJ0znd2fZ5pxNmNAkm-h5HvJfQgAw7cfm083e1hbKeow2PiSxEN6G6g0oYTaUzhm7JxrNLoAmO_V/pub

If I am judging any other debate event you should still read my parli paradigm, but it might not be as applicable (my high school and college debate background is in parli so that is what my paradigm is about).

If I am judging IE then who knows, its all subjective anyway, but be funny and don't exploit other's sob stories to gain my pity.

I am a parent judge who has been judging in Parliamentary for the past 3 years. I appreciate clarity and logic above everything. Make sure that you thoroughly address your opponent's points. Don't speak too fast, I find that debaters often lose out on content and emphasis from "spreading."

I prefer case debate, but if you must run more technical arguments, make sure to explain them thoroughly. I will require more explanation and convincing for arguments that are further away from the topic.

I have a basic understanding of topicalities. Not too familiar with theory (dislike frivolous theory) or kritiks.

Have fun and good luck!

Hey there, I’m a former 7 year competitor at the high school and university levels from John Swett HS, Diablo Valley College, and Sacramento State. I am a former national champion in Extemporaneous Speaking at the university level, and have a strong background of LD, Parli, IPDA, Imp, and a functioning knowledge of everything else.

In the debate realm, I allow all theory arguments to be made, however you will have to show me how your shell is tied into the current resolution very clearly if you want to win. I don’t want to hear a Capitalism or Climate Catastrophe K when you don’t actually know how it ties into the res, it’s vague and your opponent has an automatic leg up if you don’t do that work. One thing to keep in mind, is that I will almost never vote on a criterion of "morality". Everyone in the world has their own subjective morality, and for you to impart your own as a voting issue is not convincing. Of course, if your opponent is being clearly racist or something like that, call it out and we'll deal with it, but I would refrain from using it as a voting issue. I can keep up with moderately fast spreading, but i may ask you to slow down. If i do, please do so, I’m a kindergarten teacher now and my spreading ears are a bit rusty, haha. For the 2AR, 1NR, PMR, and all applicable ending speeches, I love collapse and am well persuaded by a snipe shot of 1 or 2 voting issues rather than a shotgun approach, but I am particularly hawkish on dropped arguments, especially if your opponent puts significant work into them. Do your best to link it into your turns or inherency at the end without breaking the new argument rules. Use cross-X wisely, I don’t respond well to sarcasm or arrogance in cross, be respectful and ask relevant questions. I’m not afraid to give out under 25 speaks if you’re going to act out of turn. In general, be clear, concise, and respectful.

In the speech realm, much less to go over. In LP I’ll give 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 30 second, and countdown from 10 seconds hand signals. If you need to time yourself, please ask me first. I like short intros and conclusions, your time should be spent in the main points, and the more relevant sources, the better.

Please remember to have fun. This is an incredible activity, and I’m not handling out college scholarships. Do your best, I’ll give you relevant feedback, and we’ll all hopefully have a great time.

I am a lay judge.

I am affiliated with Dougherty Valley High School. I usually judge parliamentary debate and am familiar with the event. This is my fourth year judging. I will award speaker points by looking for clarity of thinking and cogent delivery.

I will base my decision at the end of the debate on strong arguments and good responses. If you run a counterplan, make sure you effectively argue why it's better than affirming the resolution, or going for the status quo. If you run a PIC, you have to make it very clear why the PIC is more net beneficial than the AFF's plan.

I will take a lot of notes and pay thorough attention throughout the debate. Don't overuse statistics and evidence. Evidence is there to support your argument, so use it when necessary.

Real world impacts are important. Talk about real-life scenarios as much as possible.

I value truthful arguments over debate skills. Debate skills should help you extend and defend truthful arguments. Don't try to win on technicalities, use logic and strong argumentation to win the round. If your opponents concede your argument, I will acknowledge it, but don't use that concession to win the entire round. If your arguments are better and you defend them well, you will win.

School Affiliations:

Dougherty Valley Lay Judge

How many years have you been judging?

I've been judging for 2 years.

How will you award speaker points to the debaters?

I award speaker points based on fluency and ability to maintain the overall structure of their case throughout the debate.

What sorts of things help you to make a decision at the end of the debate?

I examine what points were made from each side and which ones may have been conceded or dropped. I also think about which points I bought more in terms of plausibility and magnitude.

Do you take a lot of notes or flow the debate?

I do take notes during the debate, but it is definitely not flow. I mostly just take notes to help myself follow each side's arguments and rebuttals.

Preferences on the use of evidence?

I do find arguments more compelling if they are backed by reputable and up-to-date evidence. However, depending on the resolution, it could hold the same value as an argument based on reasoning.

How do you value debate skill over truthful arguments?

I find truthful, credible, and comprehensive arguments more valuable than mere debate skill. It is definitely helpful when a competitor is good at explaining concepts in a way that's easy to follow as a lay judge, but at the end of the day, truthful arguments are what provide the substance in the debate.

Thank you for your participation and good luck. I am a non-practicing lawyer — I am a businessperson in a highly-regulated industry. I am not a former (or current) debater. This is my second year judging parliament format debate. Few things to keep in mind:

1) I am primarily focused on the strength of the argument. Please focus on your core arguments. Make sure that the logic works.

2) This is a communication exercise. Please focus on clarity. Speaking quickly and providing a lot of facts is typically not an effective strategy with me. A slower, clearer, and focused approach is the way to go. You are leading me through your arguments and the limitations of your opponents arguments. Making one or two points really well is a lot better than trying to “machine gun” multiple points.

3) I care a lot about tone and demeanor. Again, this is a communications exercise. You are “selling” a position. Please be respectful of your opponents. No personal attacks. Watch your comportment when the other team is speaking. Think about the most effective communicators that you know or have seen. How do they engage the person or audience.

4) I am focused on the arguments. I find arguments about theory or process distracting. I also find interrupting the other side to ask a question or make a process point — other than time — to be distracting and not helpful. Please consider logging the points you would like to make, or the lack of clarity of the opponents argument/factual assertion, in your rebuttal.

Thank you and good luck. For what it is worth, while I am not a former debater, I wish I were. This is a tremendous program to build effective communications skills. Have fun.

I'm honored to be a judge and so impressed with the quality of teams that I have the pleasure to judge:

- I find roadmaps helpful, either off-time or on-time is fine

- Please speak at a pace that is understandable. If you are speaking too fast, I won't be able to hear your key points

- Please be respectful to me, your teammate, and your opponents

Good luck and make your school proud!

I am a parent of the student. I encourage debating with logical thinking, reliable facts, clear voice, steady pace, and respectful manner.

I am former parliamentary debater and I competed in GGSA for three years.

I value presentation and speaking style, so a clear, concise, and logical case is always appreciated! Please sign post your contentions, as I will be flowing. I am not a huge fan of overly technical debates, especially in Parli, so please try to avoid kritiks unless you find it necessary. That said, if you are going to run one, make it good!

I don't have a strong preference on POIs. It is nice if you take one, but I won't look poorly on a team that doesn't (I have seen some team try to abuse them to waste other teams time, so I totally understand if you don't take them). Also, please try to refrain from asking your parter POIs. I want everyone to have a chance to speak.

Once your time is done, please finish your thought/sentence, but do not start a new argument after time, as I will ignore it. I am fine with phones being used as timers. I will be timing with my phone.

I do know the rules of debate quite well, so please don't make up imaginary rules.

School Affiliation: Dougherty Valley High School

Event Type: Congress

Hi everyone! This is my first year judging so I'm still relatively new to the concept.

The main things I look for are to establish an active presence in the chamber and continue participating throughout the entirety of the round.

I appreciate humorous, conversational-style speeches that can hold my attention alongside strong impacts to understand why your argument is relevant to me.

For late-round speeches, I look for engagement with other speakers as well as strong refutations with minimal rehash.

During questioning, I value respect, which involves letting others respond without cutting them.

Since I won't be taking any notes, but rather listening in on the debate, it's on you to distinguish yourself so that I can remember you as I submit my rankings afterward.

Good luck!

I am a parent or lay judge with a few years of experience. I come with an open mind, eager to learn and be impressed by your knowledge, oratory skills, and respect for your team mate and opponents. POI's are OK, abusive heckling - not ok. I look forward to an educational experience.

1. Refutations are key to a good debate

2. Try to limit rehash

3. Memorize your speech — don't read off of a screen

4. Speak clearly and confidently

I have been a parent judge for two years. I relish good writing and argumentation, and have enormous respect for debaters who can craft their arguments well.

I will take copious notes and flow the debate, and I strive not to let my own politics or views cloud my judgment of the debaters' arguments.

What I like: Courtesy; clarity of thought; a strong, compact argument back up by good evidence and stats; and above all, explaining why your evidence matters to your argument.

What I dislike: Side conversations at a volume that is distracting to any speaker; too much jargon or too many undefined acronyms; unnecessary references to history or other topics that aren't really relevant to your argument.

Thank you for debating and giving me the opportunity to learn from all of you. Good luck!

I am a lay judge.

I am affiliated with Dougherty Valley High School. I usually judge parliamentary debate and am familiar with the event. This is my third year judging. I will award speaker points by looking for clarity of thinking and cogent delivery.

I will base my decision at the end of the debate on strong arguments and good responses. I'm fine with CP's as long as it has solvency. PIC's are a great strat. Don't run conditional cps. TALK SLOW. If you are going too fast, I will say slow once. Don't read K's. Not a big fan of theory either but I default to reasonability. On framework, I enjoy util.

I will take a lot of notes and pay thorough attention throughout the debate. Don't overuse statistics and evidence. Evidence is there to support your argument, so use it when necessary.

Real-world impacts are important. Talk about real-life scenarios as much as possible.

I value truthful arguments over debate skills. Debate skills should help you extend and defend truthful arguments. Don't try to win on technicalities, use logic, and strong argumentation to win the round. If your opponents concede your argument, I will acknowledge it, but don't use that concession to win the entire round. If your arguments are better and you defend them well, you will win. Please weigh in your last speeches.

I am a parent judge and lack a little bit of the technical lingo that goes along with the event.

I believe that an argument should be well thought out, well structured, and cogent. I like to see debaters who challenge their opponents on their points with crafty and well-timed rebuttals.

Speaking : I can handle reasonably fast speed in talking as long as it is clear and if I find it too fast, it becomes hard for me to understand. Try to focus on clarity over speed.

I am looking for a good understanding of the matter at issue and content that promotes healthy debate. I value well-structured and cogent arguments with relevant evidence. I prefer quality over quantity! So please lean towards clarity of delivery rather than the number of words you can get out. I am a lay judge, so if your content is not clear to me you will hurt your ranking. Feel free to do a roadmap for me (off time if allowed in the event rules).

Claim uniqueness is important and entering new evidence and unique perspectives always make for a more interesting debate, and scores points with me. How well you defend your arguments or how relevant and incisive your questions/refutations are will rank you higher in my book.

Overall, I am looking for erudite content as well as an effective speaking style. The speakers with an optimal combination of both will get the highest ranks in my judging.

I am a parent judge (not a technical judge) and appreciate well organized, thoughtful arguments. Please speak slowly, restrain from using jargon if possible (or explain), and summarize your main points briefly at end of your time slot. I appreciate respectful, non-aggressive presentations.

I'm a parent judge for Dougherty Valley High School. This is my first time judging.

Please speak slowly and clearly. If I don't understand your points I won't use them to evaluate the round.

Don't run any K's, I will drop you. If you run theory, make sure to completely explain it so I understand.

I award speaker points on clarity, persuasiveness, good rhetoric, etc.

If you present a clear path to the ballot, that helps me make a decision for your side.

I will take notes.

I look for good use of statistics, empirical examples, etc.

I also look for real world impacts.

I value debate skill over truth.

I did 4 years of high school parli and I'm currently a senior at UC Berkeley.

Parli: Generally, I value case over theory (Kritiks, T-shells, etc.) Theory is founded off of pre-prepped arguments, which inherently goes against the intended impromptu nature of parli. I don't have many other preferences—I'm fine with just about everything else, aside from tag teaming. Please also try to be very clear and organized with structure (roadmaps, taglines) so that I can follow along on my flow. Good luck!

I have 3 years of experience in high school parliamentary debate. I strongly dislike kritiks and don’t recommend running them. Please only run legitimate theory arguments. Illegitimate ones that are only run to waste time will count against your team. I will only consider arguments made in round, regardless of personal opinions. I prefer explanations of a few strong pieces of evidence to lists of statistics and don’t recommend spreading too quickly.

I don't have much experience with IE, but judged some rounds at a previous tournament and am familiar with the format and judging criteria.

Good luck!

I'm a parent judge with about two years of experience. With a PhD in English and a career at a policy institute (PPIC), I'm very familiar with analyzing arguments, weighing evidence, and maintaining an objective outlook. I will flow the debate, and I won't insert my own views or knowledge into my decisions.

I'm not that swayed by piles of statistics, especially if you can't explain why they matter. I'll consider any well articulated argument or point of view, but do your best to be sensitive -- and please don't weaponize the suffering of others to make a point. Trigger warnings are a good habit.

Peeves: spreading, unexplained jargon, and unnecessary use of theory. Also ploys like, "Their argument is clearly absurd!" Don't tell me something is wrong -- show me.

Be clear, courteous, and have fun!

Hello, I am a parent judge. I want to see as little theory as possible. I don’t want to see any K’s or spreading. If you feel that you must run theory, please explain every step to me and put it into understandable terms.

I will be judging the round based on strength of arguments and their delivery. I’m looking forward to your round. Have fun!

As a parent judge, I prefer for debaters to have structure in speeches (ie. roadmaps/order, signposting, etc.) so that I can clearly flow down contentions. It is preferred that debaters time themselves and not rely on the judge to time speeches or give time signal. 

I am a parent judge and have only judged a few prior debate tournaments. I value well-reasoned logic more than the presentation style, although both count. Speaking slow will help me follow your arguments. Correspondingly, speaking too fast could be to your detriment. I expect the debaters to stitch together their rationale and not leave it to me to connect the points. Roadmaps are helpful. None of the debates I judged used theory, so I'm unfamiliar with it.

Greetings, debaters!

Since my entry into middle/high school debate in 2018, I've cultivated a profound appreciation for the art of argumentation. Here's a brief overview of my judging paradigm:

1. Debate Style:

• I am comfortable with various debate styles, including Parliamentary, Lincoln-Douglas, and Public Forum. I hold a particular regard for well-structured and organized arguments.

2. Speed and Clarity:

• I can navigate a debate at a brisk pace, but clarity is paramount. Fast speech is acceptable, provided it doesn't compromise the clarity of your arguments.

3. Framework and Resolution:

• A robust framework is crucial to guide the debate. In Parliamentary debates, I value a clear plan with well-supported advantages. In Public Forum, a sturdy value criterion and well-linked contentions are essential.

4. Evidence Quality:

• I prioritize well-researched and credible evidence. Clear citations and the ability to explain the significance of evidence are of utmost importance.

5. Creativity and Innovation:

• I actively encourage creative arguments and unique approaches to cases. Thinking outside the box can be a valuable asset in securing my ballot.

6. Cross-Examination:

• I value effective cross-examination that seeks to clarify and challenge key points. Be respectful and focused during the crossfire.

7. Adjudication Approach:

• Debates are approached with an open mind. Convince me with the strength of your arguments, clarity, and strategic thinking.

8. Topicality and Fairness:

• I expect debaters to engage with the topic and uphold fairness. Avoid strategies that compromise the integrity of the debate.

9. Speaker Points:

• Speaker points are awarded based on clarity, persuasiveness, and strategic acumen. Being well-prepared and engaging is pivotal.

10. Flexibility:

• I am open to different debate styles and arguments. Adaptability is key, and I appreciate debaters who can adjust their strategies based on the flow of the round.

Remember, my goal is to fairly evaluate the round, and I look forward to witnessing your skills in action. Best of luck!

I’ve been a parent judge since 2019 with experiences in Congress, Public Forum, and Lincoln Douglas.

In my judging, I weigh more on how the debaters make their argumentation clear and understandable to the audience than how much information they cover. Appreciate a complete argument with definitions, claim, reasoning, and impact.

In addition, real-world impacts matter. I value a strong and convincing rebuttal focusing on key points/facts that can materialize.

Very importantly, follow the tournament code of conduct and respect your competitors and partner.

Enjoy debate and have fun!