Speech & Interp Coach at Carroll High School in Corpus Christi, TX

SPEECH: My stylistic preferences for speakers lean towards a more personal and conversational delivery as opposed to the overly formal and stilted. Formal delivery is great and can be effective, but as a judge I don't care for speaker styles that make me feel like I am being "talked at." as opposed to being "talked to." In terms of the amount of evidence, I prefer at least one cited article per main point in the speech; more would be best. Cited articles should help support the points made. I prefer speakers to incorporate movement to help highlight the points of the speech and create a flow. This goes for most, if not all speech events.

INTERP: As far as interpretation events, I am HUGE on storytelling. The teasers should grab the audience's attention and establish clear characters and setting. I like an intro to be conversational and explain how the themes of the piece relate to us a society. I also like for some sort of personal connection to the piece to be stated. Blocking should supplement the storytelling effectively and not be distracting. Prose & Poetry performers specifically should not use binders as props and only move from the waist up to stay grounded; other interp events are free to move and explore creativity in their movement!

Characters should be carefully crafted and explored in interpretation events. I prefer characters to be well established in the teaser, but still grow and evolve throughout up until the conclusion of the piece. Clear and distinct characters are also essential in storytelling like interp events. I believe the author's intent should be clear and pieces should be appropriate for the performer. I have no issue with cursing in pieces as long as it is tasteful in delivery and not excessive. As long as mature content is handled gracefully in performance, I do not mind.

Content warnings are appreciated when appropriate.

Teasers should set the mood for the piece and not be too lengthy.

Intros need to continue to prepare the audience for the piece by setting the appropriate tone as well as to give important exposition. A sharp or clever intro that is well constructed can be the determining factor in scoring among two equally done pieces.

Blocking and movement should be clear, well defined, and motivated. Clever or creative staging is appreciated. Unclear or unspecific pantomime, upstaging, or weird angles that prevent seeing the actor's faces should be avoided.

Characterization should be consistent and easy to follow if performing multiple characters. Pops should be clean. Vocal characterization should be suggestive of the character and not an opportunity to showcase cartoon voices/cliche characters (the surfer, the New Yorker, the Brit, the Aussie, etc.) unless warranted by the script/story.

The binder is NOT a prop other than in POI. Movement below the waist (steps) should be clear and motivated as well as minimal.

Author's Intent and/or Appropriateness of Literature- How do I feel about an HI of Miracle Worker (author's intent) or a student performing mature material (appropriateness)? That's a big NO for me if it's offensive more than it is creative. (Miracle Worker as an HI, or The Lovely Bones, or anything like that is offensive to me. The topics in those pieces aren't meant to be funny and do go against the author's intent.) Mature content if it's handled well and suits the piece doesn't bother me- if it's excessive or for shock value, then I may not like it. It really depends on the piece and the performer; I'm not really conservative but I've seen some material that I definitely wouldn't coach or have ranked down because I felt like it was too much.

For Speech Events OO/INFO– I love that Orator’s Triangle! It helps me follow the structure of your speech. I weigh the written speech (construction/logic/novelty/grammar/humor) equally with the presentation of the speech. I personally don’t like laminated stuff on Info boards (because of the glare.) I loooove creative/inventive Info props!

In speaking events, it is extremely important that you always keep the interest of your audience with relatability, organization and good vehicle. Delivery should feel conversational with a good pace and easy to understand. Speeches should have good organizational structure that makes it easy for the audience to follow along and sources that help build credibility. Lastly, speaking events should include motivated gestures, facial expressions and a variety of vocal expression.

In interpretation I appreciate natural acting and blocking with a purpose and feeling the real emotion. The audience should feel the emotions of the characters. I also look for believability of the characters.

In debate, I should be able to follow along with the story created which means you should have clear explanations. I do not appreciate being rude or aggressive towards your opponent and I do not appreciate excessvie spreading. If I cannot understand what you are saying, it makes it hard for me to take in your arguments. It is not how many arguments you can get in, it is who has the strongest case.

If you plan on emailing the case to your opponent, please include me in email: cassy_molina@yahoo.com

INTERPRETATION

I am a traditional judge. I normally judge speaking events and interpretation.

In interpretation, I appreciate natural acting in most events with the exception of Humorous. I believe you can be fully animated in Humorous Interpretation. ALWAYS have purpose for your blocking. If you have blocking just for the sake of blocking or tech, I will rank you down. It is better to have real emotion than "fake crying" or a "crying voice." Always be true to your character(s).

In Duo and Duet, I also want to see motivated blocking. Duet Acting is one of the last events left that should stay genuine to actual acting and not just incorporate movements with chairs that are unnecessary to the piece.

IN POI, I am looking for an anchor piece within your program that guides me throughout. Again, I'm NOT a fan of blocking that has absolutely nothing to do with the dialogue. I do appreciate motivated blocking with the binder that actually enhances the performance and doesn't take away from it.

SPEAKING

In speaking, speeches should be delivered at a pace that is easily understandable. Organization is key as well as keeping the audience interested with a great vehicle. It is vital to use inflection in your speech, and try to avoid falling into a pattern of speaking.

DEBATE

I am not experienced in debate, so I do not flow spreading. I believe debate is a communication event, not who can get the most arguments in the least amount of time

I will vote you down if you are rude or aggressive towards your opponent. It is one thing to debate and clash against an argument, it's another to attack your opponent.

If you plan on emailing the case to your opponent, please include me in email: lyn_esquivel@yahoo.com

I am a traditional judge. I normally judge speaking events and interpretation. I have also judged LD.

In interpretation, I appreciate natural acting in most events with the exception of Humorous. I believe you can be fully animated in Humorous Interpretation. ALWAYS have purpose for your blocking. If you have blocking just for the sake of blocking, I will rank you down. It is better to have real emotion than "fake crying" or a "crying voice." Always be true to your character(s).

In speaking, speeches should be delivered at a pace that is easily understandable. Organization is key as well as keeping the audience interested with a great vehicle.

I do not flow spreading. I believe debate is a communication event, not who can get the most arguments in the least amount of time (there is not a difference in "fast speaking" and "spreading"). If you spread, you'll get low speaks and have a hard time winning my ballot.

Debate was created to communicate and compare your points against your opponent's points. If you don't create a clear story and explanation, I will not vote you up.

I will immediately vote you down if you are rude or aggressive towards your opponent. It is one thing to debate and clash against an argument, it's another to attack your opponent.

If you plan on emailing the case to your opponent, please include me in email: molina_kody@yahoo.com

Extemp Speeches: I feel that you should be able to fully support your position and analysis with specific and detailed sources. I think that your delivery should be emphatic and well supported.

Interp Events: Teasers, transitions, and such should be completely motivated and with specific reason. Choices should help round out or build the character and support the story/plot line.

-Extemporaneous Events:

I personally did not compete in these events so I'm not as well-versed in them however, I think a clear and concise speech is the best route. By plainly pointing out each of your points and then tying them all together to a clear conclusion would be best for me to understand and critique properly. Evidence is also very important, I think the best is having 1-2 sources tied to your points for a valid speech. Virtual delivery the same, just make sure to not move around too much as you maybe would in an in-person speech delivery.

-Original Oration/Informative:

Please make sure there's a distinct difference between an OO and an Info. How I was told is that Original Oration should have more persuasive and argumentative points in your speech versus Informative is just informing your audience on a specific topic of your choosing. Similar to extemp, it's best to have a clear and organized speech. If the speech is confusing and disoragnized then the topic can get a diffiult to follow.

-Intepretation Events:

I think introductions should be simple and short, if you have a personal connection to the piece that you are comfortable sharing then share it. For the virtual speeches, it can be challenging because not everyone has the same resources or space as others and that's okay! Just try to engage as much as you can with the audience, the more simple the blocking the better sometimes. Character work is very important to interp events, if trying to convey multiple characters and I, as a judge, cannot differentiate between each character then it can be confusing. If you are just conveying one character then really work out the details and mannerisms of this character. As far as appropriateness goes, I really don't mind swearing or mature content as long as it has a point (especially for cursing, do not curse just to curse.) All in all, tell a story that is what interp to me is about. If you have a story that you want other people to hear and a story that you are passionate about then that should be enough for me as a judge to see and understand.