It is the responsibility of any judge to set aside personal biases, which I strive to do in full during any round of debate.  When I state that I am a traditional lay judge from an area that debates slower, I do not mean to imply that particular cases will be immediately discounted for their criticality or theoretical examinations of the event.  Rather, it is the responsibility of the debaters within the round to convince me of the superiority of their argument.  In determining a round, it should be considered that the entirety of the argument must be coherent and open to discussion on both sides.  In other words: please do not spread in a round without disclosing your case to myself and your opponent.  Debate is not particularly educational at excessive speaking speeds.

For deliberation, I look toward the flow of the debate itself.  While I expect that debaters are capable of tracking arguments and defending their cases, personal remarks or excessively abusive language may have an impact on deliberation.

Email:

beckman@mtsd.org

For Speech events:

For informational type speeches, use basic structure of hook, intro, main points, conclusion. Stating what you are going to say, then say it helps me remember the speech.

For story-telling events, I like it when the introduction contains a hook that fills me with anticipation. The structure could be anything, but I find a main character overcoming a series of obstacles particularly engaging. Bonus points for tying the introduction to the conclusion. For example, story about a chance encounter in the introduction becomes very important in the conclusion.

Again, for story-telling type events: I expect range in all characters. I like a clear voice between characters and expect the emotion portrayed to match the meaning the author is trying to convey. Especially for DI, if you create a high bar for emotional range by picking a very dramatic scene, you are expected to deliver very intense acting. In other words, I expect congruency between non-verbal and verbal communication.

If you finish beyond 10:30 or 7:30, you will likely be sorted toward the bottom. Anything between 7-10 minutes is fine. If you can make your point in 7 minutes, that is acceptable.

Lastly, enthusiasm sells. Please put aside all the difficulties leading up to the event and be enthusiastic about your piece for a few minutes. It is expected to put on a good show every time.

Interp/Speech Events:

Interpretation and Speech events are judged on the criteria of engagement, character development, and fluency. An excellent performance engages the audience and brings them into the world that the speaker is creating; the speaker maintains the audience's attention through clear diction, eye contact, and gesticulations (etc.) when appropriate. The speaker's development of their characters should be distinct and crisp; it should not be difficult to identify when another character is speaking based on their voice and body language. The fluency with which a speaker performs is aided by great engagement and character development; a fluent performance helps the audience suspend their disbelief that the performance is not real and helps to immerse them into the world of the piece.

Original Oratory/Extemp:

Original Oratory and Extemporaneous events are judged on the criteria of organization, credibility, engagement, and fluency. Good organization in a speaker's performance includes a clear outline of the speaker's topic, position on the topic, and main speaking points. A speaker also uses their physical space effectively to further punctuate their point changes and transitions. A credible performance is constituted by the identification of at least one source per main speaking point. An engaging performance involves the speaker's use of diction, eye contact, gesticulations, and intonation to appropriately stress and emphasize different important aspects of their performance. A fluent performance is free from filler words and unintended pauses.

In all events:

Regardless of the event, the manner in which the speaker conveys their speech is the most important element. As long as the information and subjects of the speech are not overtly offensive or derogatory, they do not influence rankings.