email: mike.del.brown@gmail.com

Make your most compelling and coherent case. Less is more. Don't make a flurry of weak arguments just to suck time from your opponents and then drop them. Mostly this just sucks my motivation to vote for you.

Provide clear signposts, be articulate, and enunciate so I can easily flow your case. Pauses, emphasis, and eye contact on key points are powerful tools. I flow from your speech, not the email chain. Don't bet that I won't miss something; use your delivery to stack the odds in your favor.

I'm so old that I was around when spreading was spewing, and spewing was cool. I'm increasingly convinced that a monotone, hyperventilated list of bullet points and mumbled reading of evidence is the death of compelling, argumentation. Rather than throw out as many arguments as possible, find the weakest part of your opponent's argument, and put a big, persuasive hole in it.

Neg conditionality isn't a get out of jail free card. If you are making a bunch of arguments, I'll look at them together. For example, if you run a counterplan that violates your K, you are telling me not to vote for either.

Explain your arguments. Don't assume I understand the jargon or theory. Even if I do understand it, don't use jargon as a shorthand substitute for effectively explaining the substance your argument.

The starting point is a debate on the resolution. If you'd prefer to read poetry, discuss the pointlessness of existence, or posit that debating the topic is a bad idea, then you will have to be extra persuasive to win.

Frame the debate and justify your arguments. If you don't make it clear why an argument is worth voting for, then I probably won’t.

Respect your opponents and have fun - enjoy the experience, learn something new, and make friends!

Or, ignore all of this, and spend the next week complaining about your judge!

DEBATE EVENTS:

I am a practicing attorney who occasionally moonlights as a debate judge. Over the past 30 years I have watched competitive debate deteriorate from a program of teaching students effective communication to a program contrived to win debate rounds by any strategy, including so-called "progressive" tactics that are designed to confuse and overwhelm opponents with tangential and obscure minutia rather than inform and persuade judges with impactful, well-reasoned argumentation.

This is ironic because in real life, in a real courtroom, I will only win a trial if I win the hearts and minds of the jury---presenting artfully crafted arguments that accentuate my personal ethos, while balancing appropriate appeals to logic and passion. If I tried to "spew" or "spread" my arguments to a jury, I would lose the case. If I tried it in front of a judge, I would get kicked out of the courtroom! If I tried to win every case by overwhelming the judge, jury and counsel with every "card" I ever stumbled upon (even remotely related to the case), I would lose all my cases and my clients with them.

The same goes for nearly every other professional communicator. No teacher would teach that way. No news broadcaster would report that way. as far as I can tell, the only job opportunity available to a "progressively" trained debater is to deliver the annoying legal disclaimers at the end of radio commercials.

I realize that my views are hopelessly outdated. No one reading this paradigm statement will ever select me as "1" on a judge preference sheet. Nevertheless, if you have the bad luck of getting me in a round anyway, here are some tips on how to get my vote:

(1) Speak at a normal, conversational rate;

(2) Look me in the eye;

(3) Begin with a clear, real-life illustration of how the Affirmative or Negative case effects real people;

(4) Make me laugh;

(5) Make me cry;

(6) Make me care;

(7) Help me understand what the resolution means;

(8) Help me understand why your ideas are right;

(9) Help me understand why your opponent is wrong; and,

(10) Organize your ideas in a way that makes sense.

I realize that this rhetorical model is profoundly outdated (it is in fact about 2,500 years old). Nevertheless, in the spirit of learning something useful (rather than simply winning another piece of shiny plastic today for speed-reading), please give these ideas a try!

SPEECH EVENTS:

Many Debaters [and coaches] consider speech events to be "throw-away" events---something to do when debaters are not in a "real" debate round. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Speech events teach students about the power of pathos---of making human connections. They provide a wonderful balance to the logos-heavy debate events. To capture my vote [or the vote of most ordinary human beings], a student must be prepared to do the following:

(1) Speak at a normal, conversational rate;

(2) Make consistent eye contact (for interp. events hold a steady, consistent locus);

(3) Give a clear, real-life illustration of how your topic effects real people;

(4) Make me laugh;

(5) Make me cry;

(6) Make me care;

(7) Help me understand what you mean;

(8) Help me understand why your ideas are right;

(9) Help me understand why any competing viewpoints are wrong; and,

(10) Organize your ideas in a way that makes sense.

Don't treat Speech like it is another debate event; it is an altogether different animal that requires a somewhat different, more empathic skill set. Don't be intimidated by this [if you happen to be a hard-core, card-flipping, evidence-stacking debater]. Instead, embrace the opportunity to learn a new [and equally real] way of communicating.

Hello,

I'm Chris Davies. I'm an attorney and I was admitted to the Utah Bar in 1997. I work in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries.

Please present your issues clearly, concisely, respectfully and debate zealously. However, spewing, asking for disqualifications for minor infractions or using an out of left field racism argument (unless specifically part of the issue at hand) will lead me to believe you are not well prepared and reaching for any object or argument just to keep your head above water.

Good luck and have fun!

Chris

Add me to the email chain georgedrakos@rowlandhall.org

Strike me if you read Baudrillard

My pronouns are He/His. I am a senior at Rowland Hall. I have been debating policy since middle school. Do your best and have fun!

Tech > Truth

As a debater, I mainly debated policy arguments rather than Kritiks, however, I will listen to your Ks. If you choose to run them, I simply will need you to explain why the K matters most in the round/why I should be voting for you based on the K.

In order to convince me to vote for you please make sure you explain how I should evaluate the round, and why your team wins based off of this framing. I don't want to have to extrapolate what matters most from vague comments that are not well explained. If you have questions about my opinions on specific types of arguments please ask before the round, but I will generally evaluate any argument as long as they are well-argued.

If you want judge kick, say it in the 2NR.

+.5 speaks if you use the Roblox death sound in your speech.

Be civil. Debate beyond your case. As you debate, interact with and include all of the information brought up in the round. Speak clearly, and organize your arguments in a clear and concise manner.

Did policy debate throughout high school, and am pretty well versed in most literature out there. I'll just go over some general preferences I have, with the caveat that no matter what I like/dislike I will vote on anything if it's argued well enough.

Administrative stuff: Tag-teaming in cross is fine, yes I want to be on the email chain (camdenmead5562@gmail.com) I'm generally a believer that disclosure is good for debate, please time yourselves, and yes spreading is fine.

My judging style is truth>tech, but "truth" is rather ambiguous. Just don't try to convince me the sky is green or that Mexico is a part of the United States (yes, this did happen) and I shouldn't have a problem voting for the args you put in front of me

T/Theory: I do believe that there is a place for topicality and theory in debate and can make a round interesting, but make sure you do more analysis outside of repeating the 1NC shell over and over again.

K/K affs: I really enjoy a good K, but framing and link work here is crucial to me. Don't be lazy and run a one-off K with a super general link, because I'll be really bored. If you're running a K aff, just make sure you explain really well why the resolution is bad for debate, and I shouldn't have a problem following you.

Framework: I love framework debates, and am all for whatever you have here.

Impacts: make sure you do a good analysis throughout each speech you give. Don't wait until the rebuttals to remind me of why I'm voting for you.

feel free to ask me questions before/after the round! I have a significant research background on NATO and would love to help you in any way I can.

Well, I had a much more detailed paradigm here but it has somehow disappeared.

I´m tabula rosa and a policy maker. Competed in policy in HS and coach now. Make sure you have clear impact calc. and clash. I don't like tag teaming during cross. Some speed is ok but don´t try to spread the other team out of the round you will likely lose clarity in the process and some arguments may be missed on my flow. Remember to persuade me, analyze your evidence and explain its meaning within the round clearly do not assume your evidence speaks for itself.

I debated all four years of high school splitting my time between LD and Policy pretty evenly. I debated on the National Circuit in LD, so I have a good grasp of both traditional and progressive LD so feel free to debate in the debate style you're more comfortable with. That being said I love a good progressive LD round, but won't be upset if the round ends up being traditional. I'm good with speed but only if both you and your opponent are both good with it. Be respectful, be kind, and have a fun round!

email for the chain: 16annapage@gmail.com

I've been a debate coach for many years and have a good understanding of how each event should be done.

I believe that a good debate is one that focuses on the intention of the resolution. I'm not a big fan of definition-based debates that try to win based on how one team interprets the resolution over another.

Evidence is also key. All evidence should be properly cited and relevant. It should also be presented in a way that maintains the original positions of the author(s).

Respect is key. Debate is a civil event. There is never a need to shout or use foul language. You should treat your opponent with respect and remember that we can only hold debates if there are individuals willing to do the activity. Speaking poorly about someone, either in round or outside of a round is uncalled for.

In speech events, I respect originality. I'm not too much of a fan of speaking given solely to create shock and discomfort. I believe that serious issues can be discussed without having to focus on how negative everything is.

Jeff City 16-20

UWyo 20-24

rebound23sp@gmail.con

T/L

*Tech over truth with the exception that I will never vote on arguments that say the suffering of a group of people or animals is a good thing. If i believe that an argument is inappropriate for high schoolers i will stop the round and let tab/coaches know.

I enjoy all forms of debate that rely upon substance and are executed properly. I’m neutral about the form and content* presented in debate, my paradigm revolves around what I personally like about debate.

I like teams that condense early and cut the chaf and center the debate on issues quickly.All of your 1nc offensive positions should be able to be a 2NR.

My decision will be whatever is the easiest path to the ballot - nothing more, nothing less.

I will not fill in any gaps of explanation left at the end of the round. I don’t plan on constructing an argument for you make if it did not make sense to me.

I do not care if you post round me. Many times post rounds could’ve been solved by saying the argument you think I missed in the actual debate!

Please re/highlight in green/yellow - i cannot read blue.

I will clap after the round ends - debate is hard and u deserve recognition!

Topic 23-24

Ks

I like k debate. i get the gist of most Ks, but i am more deep in lit that is about: capitalism, security , critical debility studies, orientalism, animal studies, and Hawaiian sovereignty movements. My favorite authors are Jasbir Puar, Edward Said, and Haunani-Kay Trask.

I prefer fw as an alt as opposed to going for the alt. I think if a k team has won fw it becomes far easier for them win more parts of the flow.

I’ve become less opposed to a straight up alt debate. This might be more of an uphill battle with me but if it works it works.

I enjoy specific, well contextualized links to the AFF. Broad, overarching links are fairly hard to win, these links become more powerful when they are specifically applied to the AFF and teams show HOW the AFF makes the world worse.

I think for AFF teams debating the K, they should invest in a perm and link turn strategy. I have found greater success reading AFFs that attempted to resolve some facet of an oppressive system while also being able to solve a defensible extinction impact. I think that this strategy is

A. more fun to watch/judge

B. far less ethically bankrupt than defending heg or capitalism

C. shields you from offense that would sugget plan focused debate is bad.

Despite what i said above I am not opposed to AFFs that will defend the worst excesses of American capitalism or military power. However I will be very very unlikely to vote on some level of permutation or no link. I think in this scenario the 2AR should collapse to a defense of their model of debate (FW) and impact o/w the K.

CPs

I enjoy perm competition debates, cheating CPs, and internal net benefits.

Counterplan out of everything. This includes 2NC CPs out of thumpers and straight turns.

DAs
I enjoy politics debates which display a wealth of knowledge of both governmental function and debate technique.

Turns case is my tiebreaker and an easy way to raise your speaks. I think it can be one of the most creative aspects of debate.

T

The NEG team needs to provide me reasons as to why the AFF plan creates the worst model of debate. This looks like what AFFs are excluded vs included, what core negative ground is lost, and why I should default to competing interpretations.

The AFF needs to prove why the AFF is good for debate or why the NEG makes a worse model of debate. This looks like offensive reasons to why the NEG's interp is bad or offensive reasons as to why the AFF model is good.

FW

FW is not violent nor analagous to mass atrocities.

fairness is an impact but i think it is an uphill battle for the negative team. Impacts like clash or skills are far more persuasive to me.

I think that the AFF team should present a counter interp/model of what debate looks like with an offensive reason as to why that model is good. I also think the AFF should provide an offensive reason as to why the NEG's model of debate is bad.

I think the NEG should provide reasons as to why their model of debate is good such as clash and skills. The NEG should also provide defense like TVAs or SSD to absorb the AFF's offense. I am very interested in carded specific TVAs to the AFF.

Case

Get to case with 3:30 minutes or GET OUT.

2NRs on case will be rewarded with speaker boosts.

I 100 percent believe you can zero out a case, this is because solvency has become shambolic for affirmatives and negatives very rarely capitalize on this.

Circumvention is a powerful weapon that people often forget about.

I will vote on turns like spark, dedev, climate change good and the like.

Theory

Every argument except condo is a reason to reject the arg. i tend to not judge many theory debates. if a team goes for condo i will determine it very similar to how i view t debates. I will decide which team creates a better model of debate and vote for that team.

I will not judge kick unless instructed to do so, arguments regarding no judge kick should be set up in the 1AR at the latest.

Clipping requires a team to call out. i do not flow off the doc so i have no clue if clipping has occurred. A team will need to present some form of evidence to substantiate the clipping accusation. If i verify that clipping has occured the round will end and the team that has lost the challenge will receive an L + 25 speaks.

If there is a challenge regarding evidence ethics i will stop the round and evaluate the challenge, the round will not continue if an ethics violation challenge has been made. I will independently verify if a team has violated some level of evidence ethics (miscitations of authors, dates, removal/addition of evidentiary text). The team that loses the challenge will receive an L + 25 speaks.

CX

It is a speech!

With the state of case debating in 2023 i think that the NEG could disprove the AFF in 3 minutes of 1AC CX.

I will flow it and i believe it is binding.

Clarification questions signal to me that you do not flow.

Stop asking questions during prep.

Speaks

It is an arbitrary metric.

Ethos, ethos, ethos.

Online debate has encouraged prep stealing at another level, i will ask you if you are taking prep and if i continue to see you steal prep it will reflect in your speaks.

I will not yell clear - i think it is judge intervention.

LD

I did not do LD in high school nor was LD in my district similar to the national circuit, i will evaluate LD how i evaluate policy unless told otherwise by debaters.

I will make ratings towards my familiarity but i am open to all styles of LD that utilize substance over tricks.

I am more sympathetic to AFF claims that condo is bad in LD more than other debates..

K - 1

Policy - 1

Phil - 4

Trad - 2

unimportant theory arguments or “skep” - do not run.

PF

I will evaluate this as if it was a policy round.

Misc.

Pls call me e.c. (it's my intitials if that helps with pronouciation) my real name and judge are just too formal for me.

I care a lot abt animals, arguments that say animals suffering does not matter will not fly with me.

I dont care if your camera is off.

Locally record your speeches. if you get booted from whatever online medium we are using i will not allow you to redo a speech.

Not a fan of inserting rehighlights - you should read them.

References about the immortal and legendary Arsenal Football Club will be rewarded with speaker point boosts (tottenham fans be warned).

I am a coach of over 15 years for policy, pf, ld and all speech events at North Sanpete HS, Mission San Jose, Alta and Summit Academy, at Westlake High School and currently an Assistant Coach for Salem Hills High School.

In HS I competed in Speech events, LD and coached policy teams (there was no pf then).

I am the Chair for the NSDA Sundance District and former president for the UDCA. I have judged IE and debate events at the Nationals Level and have served on the pf wording committee. In other words, I know what I'm doing and know speech and debate very well!

I believe that you should give a well organized logical argument in any debate or speech. Topicality is imperative to a debate, and supporting and explaining your position on that topic is vital to a clear argument construct. If you don't say it, I didn't hear it. Don't assume I will know what your evidence means the same as you...

Policy debate should be relevant, and well understood by the competitors otherwise it will not be understood by the judges. I do not mind speed, but if it is so fast that I can no longer understand your words, then I can no longer understand your argument to judge it. K's and theory are fine as long as they go toward the overall value of the debate and topic. They should in no way demonize or devalue any individual or group of people asa part of the K. Analysis and connection of evidence/cards to the plan and solvency is imperative in making a good argument and being a good debater. Cards do not a case make, the debater does. Know your cards, know your plan, and know how they work to support and solve the inherency of the issues involved.

Public Forum should be a thoughtful discussion and not overly repeat questions and answers. Don't just read evidence and think it will make your argument for you. PF IS NOT just policy light....it is its own event with no plans and merits. Treat it well. Weighing and analysis of the topic, evidence, and oppositions arguments are imperative.

Lincoln Douglas should have a clear value and criterion from which to work from, and stay focused on topic and argument. Don't just read evidence and think it will make your argument for you. CARDS and EVIDENCE DO NOT A CASE MAKE...the debater does. Analysis, rebuttal, and connections to the value criterion are paramount in an LD round Plans are ok, as long as they are relevant, on topic, and are shown how they connect to the value criterion like any other argument in the case.

IEs should be unique, appropriate, and follow all structures outlined in their respective events. I look for organization, relevance, creativity and thoughtfulness as well as the presentation being engaging, and suitable for piece and audience. Remember when trying to engage an audience, one should want to help them understand, be brought into the conversation, and allowed to learn another perspective while still maintaining their own in the end. Try not to preach, demean, or ostracize your judge in your piece or presentation---even when controversial topic---they can be great, if done right.

I debated Public Forum for Bingham High School.

Paradigm

Flowing is probably the most important thing about debate, Winning on the flow is pretty much a guaranteed win for me. Keeping it organized, I like to see you flow the Final Speech. Defense on your own case is undervalued.

I like CX, anyone can read their cards from a laptop, it takes good understanding to be able to answer questions in the crossfire/cross ex

Clash is one thing that I see missing from most rounds, its like two ships passing in the night. I'm here to see good debate.

Being respectful is also a big thing for me, you can be aggressive in rounds without sounding condescending so if I hear you being a little snappy to your opponents you'll probably get docked a bit on speaker points

I'm fine with Speed if your opponents are.

Time yourselves, you're all young adults.

I'm cool with swapping evidence OT but if it takes longer than necessary it will cut into prep.

"This isn't Policy" isn't a good enough reason to not answer the opponents question in PF

I don't carry a copy of the events rules in my bag.

Speaker Points.

Don't talk to your laptop, Speak loud enough so that I can clearly hear you but don't yell. Once again, be respectful in and out of round, Banter between schools is fun but keep it civilized, nothing directly harmful. Respect pronouns.

I flow on my computer. I'll send you a copy if you ask for it but don't assume that I'm not paying attention.

(serranojoseph99@gmail.com)

Mike Shackelford
Head Coach of Rowland Hall

Do what you do best. I’m comfortable with all arguments. Practice what you preach and debate how you would teach. Strive to make it the best debate possible.

Key Preferences & Beliefs
Debate is a game.
Literature determines fairness.
It’s better to engage than exclude.
Critique is a verb.
Defense is undervalued.

Judging Style
I flow on my computer. If you want a copy of my flow, just ask.
I think CX is very important.
I reward self-awareness, clash, good research, humor, and bold decisions.
Add me to the email chain: mikeshackelford(at)rowlandhall(dot)org

Feel free to ask.

Want something more specific? More absurd?

Debate in front of me as if this was your 9 judge panel:

Andre Washington, Ian Beier, Shunta Jordan, Maggie Berthiaume, Daryl Burch, Yao Yao Chen, Nicholas Miller, Christina Philips, jon sharp

If both teams agree, I will adopt the philosophy and personally impersonate any of my former students:

Ben Amiel, Andrew Arsht, David Bernstein, Madeline Brague, Julia Goldman, Emily Gordon, Adrian Gushin, Elliot Kovnick, Will Matheson, Ben McGraw, Corinne Sugino, Caitlin Walrath, Sydney Young (these are the former debaters with paradigms... you can also throw it back to any of my old school students).

LD Paradigm

Most of what is above will apply here below in terms of my expectations and preferences. I spend most of my time at tournaments judging policy debate rounds, however I do teach LD and judge practice debates in class. I try to keep on top of the arguments and developments in LD and likely am familiar with your arguments to some extent.

Theory: I'm unlikely to vote here. Most theory debates aren't impacted well and often put out on the silliest of points and used as a way to avoid substantive discussion of the topic. It has a time and a place. That time and place is the rare instance where your opponent has done something that makes it literally impossible for you to win. I would strongly prefer you go for substance over theory. Speaker points will reflect this preference.

Speed: Clarity > Speed. That should be a no-brainer. That being said, I'm sure I can flow you at whatever speed you feel is appropriate to convey your arguments.

Disclosure: I think it's uniformly good for large and small schools. I think it makes debate better. If you feel you have done a particularly good job disclosing arguments (for example, full case citations, tags, parameters, changes) and you point that out during the round I will likely give you an extra half of a point if I agree.

I like a strong V/C debate where the competitor can explain how the criterion upholds the value. I also like the framework to be the outline for the case where the contentions relate to the V/C.

I notice evidence sources and tag-lines so please mention them.

I appreciate a brief voter speech at the end of the round to summarize the key ballot issues.

I don't flow CX but use the time wisely and ask relevant questions.

If you run theory, please make sure to have interp, violations, and standards. If you run a K, have a link, impact, and alt.

Although I judge LD, I like impact calc. Show me why in your specific framework world, your impact would be the worst possible outcome.

I like when debaters label their CP (ex: actor, delay, conditionality) and declare the status (if they can kick the advocacy or not).

I think debate is a great space to have civilized discussions about important topics so let's keep it respectful and analytical!

I am a professional debater at work (or so it seems). I am a Bank Examiner for the FDIC. I have worked there for almost 22 years. Much of my work involves getting bankers to understand our point of view as a regulatory agency and convince them to make changes. I have lots of experience presenting at Board meetings and to management teams at banks. Many of the topics I present on are technical in nature and complex, which can be challenging to communicate. Having the ability to communicate will take you far in life! I love that students are learning, through debate, to develop these skills now. Awesome job for being involved in debate! Creativity in speeches and talks is something I look for and stands out to me.

Misti Spencer

Tabula Rasa, for the most part. I will reject on my own truly absurd arguments, and I highly value analysis over just card-spewing.

Spread is fine; I did policy in high school and parliamentary debate in college. BUT if your tags are unclear and I don’t get them on the flow, they essentially don’t matter. I don’t share in the email chain of cards. It only matters what is delivered in the speech; I should not have to rely on an email chain to get some clarity about what you are talking about.

If you can’t spread clearly, don’t do it at all.

I flow and consider values and criterium. I also flow cross and will consider the overall value of the evidence, and voters would be appreciated on final speaks. I have done Public Forum debates for three years at Bingham High and know my way around an argument. I will not be biased toward a topic; instead, I will consider all arguments regardless of my beliefs.

Aaron Tanuvasa

I'm looking forward to listening to your argument. I appreciate it when definitions are used to help everyone be clear on what is being debated. Strong evidence with sources are important. Eye contact and confidence.

I do not like spreading. Slow it down and make your points matter.

You got this! Good luck! Smile!