A little bit about me: I coach for Millburn High School in New Jersey. I completed 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 judges 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:

- I am really open to hearing almost any type of argument (except K's, please don't run K's in PF)). 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.

- 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!

Last Updated: 04/29/2023

Pronouns: They/Them

Background:

• Competed for 6 years: 4 in LD and 2 in Congress. Have been judging LD and Congress for 3 years now.

Overview:

• Debate should be inclusive and available to all people. If your goal is to speak as fast as possible and run the most obscure arguments to exclude people, then this isn't a winning strategy for you. My suggestion would be to run topical arguments at a pace that is inclusive to all students. The more obscure the argument the more time you should spend on explaining it. Don't just throw out random words and assume I'll fill in the blanks for you.
• If you say any hateful speeches/arguments or ones that are just plain disrespectful, expect a low ranking/bad ballot if not a report to TAB.

Congress:

• This is a debate event. If you are too worried about making sure speeches are given and are going to only do a couple of cycles of debate on each bill so you can get through everything, I would love to introduce you to this great event called Speech! But sadly that is not what you are in right now so let's debate.
• There should be NO reason for you to have to put a trigger warning in your speech. What in the world are you saying that could give someone a trauma response in round?! We as the Parli and Judges are not able to leave the room like everyone else if you are saying stuff that could be triggering so please do not put us in that uncomfortable position. I PROMISE you that you can make that same exact meaningful point without saying triggering things and if you cannot, that speaks more for your lack of skills as a debater above anything else.
• Congress is a debate event. If we are past the second cycle of debate, I honestly don't care how pretty you speak or how well-prepared and versed your speech is, I expect some sort of clash, name-dropping, and refuting of the arguments said (better with evidence). If you are giving a prepped speech with no clash in the 4th cycle, I can guarantee your rank will not be high.
• I can promise you that you will not be dropped because your speaking isn't "pretty enough" in my round :)
• If you are able to read the room and see it is heavy on one side and you flip sides, not only do I love that but there is a high chance your rank is going to be better because I can tell you came prepared and have been paying attention.
• No Base 1/Base 2 stuff. It is honestly dumb and I don't care for it.
• I track precedence/recency in all sessions and flow.
• Remember all of your opponents, judges, and Parli are all human. I don't care if you just gave the most groundbreaking impressive speech that blessed every eardrum that heard it, if you are rude and disrespectful, you're rank is going straight to the bottom.

Notes for PO's:

• You will always start at being ranked 5 and will move up or down based on how well you perform. The reasoning for this is there are some POs with computer programs that will auto-order and PO for you which takes the entire skill out of the position. And on that note, if you have a program that does all the work for you and you are still making mistakes, expect a low rank.
• Please to god do not tell us to rank you. We are told to in judging meetings and TAB reminds us every round. It is unneeded and we already know.
• The point of a PO is to disappear from the round. I should forget that you are next to me with how well you are running the room. Comments like "and the chair thanks you", "and we will never know the answer to that question" or any other sentence that is unneeded ESPECIALLY if it's a smart-ass comment, it will just reflect poorly on you. You should be moving so efficiently that you can move speech to questioning to speech within seconds. In addition, the chair does not have emotions.
• I know this Paradigm is long and seems like a lot but please do not be scared to ask me questions! I have POed more times than I can count and it's nerve-racking. Let me help you succeed and grow so we can have a fun fast round.

LD:

• If you start running a K, I will just want to run back to my congo land, please I beg don't make me suffer listening to one

Overall I just want you kids to have fun. Let's work together to create a safe space in this round where everyone feels comfortable and enjoy the round! :D

Speak at a pace that people can understand. In order to cover too many thing in your time limit don't speak so fast that i cannot understand anything .

Be authoritative in what you say. if you are not convinced what you are saying, i am not convinced either.

Enjoy speech and debate!!!!

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

Competed in 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.

PNW CARD Debate for 1 semester.

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>truth UNLESS YOU RUN: anything bigoted (duh), "get good"/"not my fault you're slow", Malthus, and friv theory. I just, quite simply, will not vote for these things. Otherwise, you do you.

-Judge instruction is my fav part abt this activity

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Congress:

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

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Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

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Congress is a debate event you silly goose

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Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

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Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

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Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Congress is a debate event you silly goose

Public Forum:

As far as experience is concerned, I competed in Public Forum for two years on the national circuit, but have limited experience judging at a high level. Consider me truth > tech.

I believe PF is a conversational debate. If I can't understand what you're saying, it's difficult to flow arguments effectively. I prefer the round to go at a normal to moderate pace. Do not spread. I do not like K's in Public Forum. I would very much prefer if participants stick to the resolved topic. I will only call for cards at the end of a round if you explicitly ask me to do so in a speech.

Be respectful to your opponents.

Competitive History: I competed for four years in speech and debate, specializing in congressional debate. I am not new to debate and have a general idea about how the events should function. However, I will not put it past myself to get a “senior moment” when it comes to the individual idiosyncrasies of other events.

General Philosophy

Argumentation:

I have no problem with the usual debate jargon. I am not, however, an expert in all events and want to see clear signposting as a general rule of thumb. Also, I will try to be as objective as possible- #tabularasa- but that does not mean I will take unwarranted arguments on the face. An argument needs a claim in order for me to buy it and THEN I will take it as true.

When warranting your arguments, providing evidence to prove that something happens is not enough to qualify as a “warrant”, you need to construct, to at least a minor degree, some form of narrative storytelling to prove why a phenomenon is occurring for the reasons you provide. However, non-evidenced, properly warranted, arguments are no more legitimate than those that are not warranted and sourced.

For weighing, my philosophy is quite simple: do it. The standard calculus- magnitude, scope etc…- should be used but just throwing out the term does not qualify as weighing.

In terms of arguments that can be qualified as “offensive”/triggering/discriminatory, I will try to be as uninvolved in this as I can. Arguments should not just simply be called “offensive” and thus ignored in the round; the other team/debater has to prove that the argument is offensive. However, since ignorant arguments- by virtue of being ignorant- are quite easy to refute, you should not have a lot of problem doing so. There is a caveat to this, which are arguments that advocate for violence or portray a group as entirely evil and violent. Those kinds of arguments will be ignored.

Finally, this is really just for Congress kids, when establishing an argument as important, you need to explain what it’s like to be a member of the population you are talking about. While I probably know a bit about the topic, I want you to describe why life is so good or so bad for the group as a rationale for action.

Speaking: For PF/LD/CX rounds, speaking is only a detractor if it is impossible to properly discern what you are saying. Otherwise, your speaking- or lack thereof- will just harm efficiency and word economy, which will reflect in my argumentation comments.

Sources: I have no real source preference but there are exceptions. News sources are fine but don’t cite news sources with known bias or an insane amount of editorialization and op-ed writing. I won’t discount the source but an idicit is more digestible when you use these kinds of sources. I also want at least last name, year, publication when citing; you do not need to provide qualifications but they are a bonus if you use them.

Congress Specific

Speaking: I am a real big fan of the whole “role-playing” and your speaking should reflect that. Referencing people as rep./sen. Is not only respectful but is also part of the event. In addition, I really expect that you should have little to no fluency breaks, which I believe is more important than speed. If you have to speak slower to not trip up, do it. Also, really try to avoid the “Congress voice”, it just takes all the emotion and impact out of the debate.

Rhetoric: I like the usage. It is not required but benefits your arguments. The one detractor is using canned rhetoric- generalized statements that have really nothing to do with the debate but sound nice- or rhetoric from a google doc or, and this is probably the worst, using rhetoric from me, or any other competitors. Just please don’t.

P.O.-ing: Follow Roberts rules, make no mistakes, and go fast, you’ll get top three.

I've been around the debate world for about 20 years, competing, coaching and judging, middle school, high school, and college tournaments. I have seen everything and can accommodate your style accordingly. My paradigm is pretty simple: have proper decorum to be respectful of everyone in the room.

About Me:

I am a dad of 2 kids. One of my kids does congress

How I Judge:

I like respectfulness and professionalism between all competitors. I prefer slower speaking and can understand technical terms.

I give points based on many things and prioritize respect.

I am a lay judge so treat me like that.

She/her

Background: 3x nats senate 1x toc congress, 1x toc info 2x nietoc various events, decent amount of experience in PF, I understand LD and progressive debate but I've never done it done it and so better to err on the side of caution if you are going to get funky, if I'm judging policy then we all better put our big brain hats and cross our fingers

add me: alexandrakallaher@gmail.com

Some things to consider if I'm judging you no matter event + a note on online judging:

1. Signpost. You could have the best refutation ever but if you don't signpost I might miss it.

2. don't be rude, debate is supposed to be accessible and fun for everyone, so respect your opponents! Debaters who look like they're having a good time are way more fun to judge.

3. If for some personal or act of god reason you need to step away from the computer please just say something. I will do my absolute best to accommodate you within timely reason.

4. Speed isn't an issue for me but online there might be some lag problems so just know your wifi.

5. I enjoy niche arguments in every event as long as they aren't unfairly specific

Some things to consider if I'm judging you in Congressional Debate:

1. Key word up there is debate. I highly value refutation in congress speeches. No worries if you give an authorship, but try to show me different facets of your argumentation skills and speaking styles. I'm judging on a holistic model of who is the best legislator in the round- not necessarily who has the best argument or speech.

2. I'm not a fan of when no one is prepared to give speeches. If you get up to give a speech because there is a lull, even if you are not perfectly prepared, I will mentally award you brownie points and it will contribute to the "best legislator" notion.

3. I do pay more attention to CX in congress than other debates because of how few times you get to speak. But it won't make or break you. That being said, if you ask the same question again and again to different speakers I will probably find you annoying and not contributing to the debate.

4. I love crystallizations and later round speeches in congress. If you are giving the last speech do not give a constructive. Congress is about engagement and adaption. If you give a constructive 13 speeches in the debate I am going to wonder what you have been doing. The later the cycle goes the more weighing should be done.

5. I value argument>speaking 99% of the time. But, congress does have speaking elements to it. As long as you are loud and clear we should not have a problem. It is nice if you don't look at your flow pad too much.

Some things to Consider I'm judging you in PF/LD:

1. Voters. I will vote off of what you tell me to. If a team doesn't give me voters I default to the other teams. Be clear and do the work for me and I won't care

2. Weigh

3. I'm tech can be over truth but I do like hearing warrants and am responsive to teams calling out logical gaps/ inconsistencies in link chains

4. If you want me to read a card than tell me to call for the card otherwise sry bud

5. Don't flow cross so if something happens than you better bring it up in a speech

A note on Theory and K's:

1. Theory is necc. to keep debaters in check but I'm not a fan of tricks, time wasters or other trivial nonsense. Please explain it clearly like you are talking to your well educated but slightly demented grandma

2. running theory just to be strategic kinda makes me queasy and I will have more leniency for your opponent if it's silly

3. Running theory against clearly inexperienced debaters is a form of abuse in itself

Policy: I am tabula rasa in the sense that I believe my judging paradigm is an issue to be debated in the round. I default to a policymaker paradigm if the issue isn't debated. I don't prejudge arguments; I'm open to listening to any kind of argument you care to make. Be kind and respectful of others. I prefer quality of evidence to quantity. Warrants, impacts and clash are important. I don't like time to be wasted.

LD: I tend to be somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to theory, though I can be persuaded. I consider the standards debate (value, criterion -- and please don't refer to a "value criterion") to be very important. Big picture is as important as line-by-line. Warrants and impacts are crucial.

PF: I adhere to the NSDA rule that prohibits plans and counterplans. My primary background is policy debate, so I tend to look for impacts to arguments. The appropriate paradigm I should use to judge the round is an issue to be debated in the round. I'm not a fan of paraphrased evidence.

Email: debate@inboxeen.com

**Be kind. Have fun. Don’t be afraid of me! I was once you and I know what it’s like! When I award speaks, they are heavily influenced by the level of kindness and congeniality shown in round. I am judging because I love the activity as much as you, and I want to help you do better if I can!**

School Affiliation(s)

Current Affiliation: East Chapel Hill HS

Current Role at Institution: I'm currently the Associate Director for Digital Communications at the Yale School of Management, but dedicate my off-time to S&D!

Previous Affiliation(s) and Role(s)

The Bronx High School of Science (Bronx, NY)

I coached primarily Public Forum Debate and Legislative Debate (Congressional Debate) at the Bronx High School of Science from roughly 2011-2015. I judged across all events – speech included. I began my coaching career at Bronx as an extemp coach.

River Valley High School (Mohave Valley, AZ)

I have judged and coached (primarily Public Forum) throughout the years since graduating from this school.

Debate Experience

River Valley High School (Mohave Valley, AZ)

I competed primarily in policy debate at River Valley High School in Mohave Valley, AZ. I also competed in other speech and debate events.

Columbia University in the City of New York (New York, NY)

I was a member of the Columbia Policy Debate team and competed for one year during my time in college.

Other

Tell me what to do – i.e. ‘tabula rasa’ insofar as one might even exist, and insofar as it might be helpful to roughly describe my ‘paradigm’.

Please ask specific questions at the beginning of the round for further clarification. E.g. my threshold for buying a reasonability standard has significantly heightened with age.

Run whatever you’d like – hypotesting, retro theory, nothing at all! I can handle it!

Most importantly, this is an educational activity and I believe in Debater/Debate -- i.e. you are more important than the round, so please speak up if you feel uncomfortable and tell me/your coach/tab immediately if something bothers you. I believe in the platinum rule - treat others as they'd like to be treated. Be kind to each other and have fun!

Hello! My name is Yaseen (he/him) and I'm a sophomore at GW, majoring in finance and economics. I specialize in Congressional Debate, Public Forum Debate, Extemporaneous Speaking, and Original Oratory. I've also competed at a multitude of nat-circuit tournaments in high school (notably Nats, TOC, ASU, etc). Below are my paradigms for PF + Congress.

PF:

-I flow

-I care about both speaking and content, but I weigh content more

-Good constructives should have clear claims, warrants, and impacts

-For rebuttals, I care most about making sure you're responsive to the argument. I appreciate args that interact with what your opponent's advocacy is

-Summaries should break down to me what matters in the round, any flaws your opponents have made, and why I should sign your ballot for your side

-Similar to summaries, I expect more weighing and impacting in final focus. Don't just tell me that your opponent is wrong. Show me and explain to me why that's the case.

-I do evaluate cross-ex. This time should be used to precisely point out flaws in your opponents' cases, clarify any misconceptions, or ask an important question that'll be important later. Please answer the question that's asked of you and don't try to squirm around it (I can tell haha).

-Be respectful. I'm totally cool with being aggressive, but there's a fine line between assertiveness and belligerence. I don't tolerate disrespect.

If y'all have any questions, please reach out and I'm more than happy to provide in-depth feedback! Best of luck! :)

Congress:

-I'm a sucker for good introductions. An intro and outro is wonderful for Congress speeches

-Please have warrants and impacts for your claims. They should be explicit and they should be articulated in a manner that forces me to care about x arg

-I don't care when you present your speech. You should be contributing to the round and your speech shouldn't be a regurgitation of something I heard earlier. I value a great constructive, but I also value a crystal that succinctly breaks down the round for me

-Congress is a blend of speech and debate. Both your content and presentation matters; however, I weigh content more purely because I believe logos is so important in a Congress round

-Please clash. If you're speaking after the first cycle and I don't hear a lot of clash, I'll be very disappointed and sad.

-I rank presiding officers. If you value brevity and equity, you're a superstar.

-Cross-ex is really important to me. If you point out clear flaws in your peers' argumentation, you'll receive bonus points and a higher ranking from me.

-Be respectful. I'm totally cool with being aggressive, but there's a fine line between assertiveness and belligerence. I don't tolerate disrespect.

email: yaseennaveedshah@gmail.com