I value quality over quantity. Make sure I clearly understand your arguments.

I have a history in Lincoln Douglas, Congress, Spar and Impromptu styles of debate. I am Clinical Mental Health Counselor and my debate skills were invaluable in developing listening skills. The best debaters in my view are the ones that actually engage each other and the topic. Mutual respect and cogent arguments are paramount.

Since I have very little experience judging, my assessments will focus mostly on the communication skills of the participants.  I will rely on the speakers to provide clear explanations of the terms and topics they present.  I will appreciate the speaker making their points clear and easy to understand and not speaking so rapidly that I can't keep up.  I believe that they have put a great deal of effort into their performances and I want to be able to understand their ideas fully, which means that they may have to slow down, use pauses, use voice cues, etc. to give me, the listener, time to comprehend what they are saying.  I know that they may be trying to squeeze in a great deal of information into a small amount of time, but I hope they understand that the better they are at explaining and teaching me through the use of good communication skills, the better I'll be able to understand their arguments and the better I'll be able to compare and contrast the sides and judge fairly.

In debate events, I have four expectations:

1. Respect. If either team/debater shows disrespect to the other's argument, it will reflect badly. Great debates can happen politely. I also expect a level of respect for debate protocols--please don't go over time, don't make statements while questioning, and remember to thank your opponents after the debate is over.
2. Logic. A case needs to make logical sense. If your arguments stay strong on their own, that's best. If you have to defend them, I expect you to think about the topic in new ways. Repeating your contentions is not an adequate defense. My perception of each team's position should change as the debate goes on and they formulate new ways to argue for their sides.
3. Counters. No matter how strong a team's case is, they'll still need to address the case of their opponents. For me, this part of debate determines who wins or loses. If either team/debater has a contention that goes through the debate uncontested, that team is winning in my eyes, so make sure to prepare counters for each of your opponents' contentions. In making counterarguments, refer to expectations 1 and 2.
4. Clarity. It is crucial that I am able to understand each debater's arguments. This includes speaking well (loud enough, with diction, etc.) and thinking well. If you make a point that makes no sense to me, it's not a good point. As debaters, your job is to inform me about the topic and present well-thought-out, clear arguments to me. If I don't understand something, that's on you.

In speech events, I have three expectations:

1. Organization. Especially in impromptu events, make an effort to keep your thoughts and speech orderly. Conjuring thoughts off the top of your head, pausing to think of what to say next, and random interjections that change the topic or flow are discouraged. Remember to speak circularly--rehash everything you've said at the end of your speech, just like in an essay.
2. Speaking Skills. These are speech events, which means you should be comfortable speaking publicly. It's ok to be nervous, but your words themselves should be as solid as you can make them. Have sufficient diction, volume, and inflections. Be mindful of your physical movements and how quickly or slowly you are speaking.
3. Content. Whatever the event, your topic should be clear, thought through, and specific. I want to have a takeaway from your speech. Interpretive events should follow this mold as well--there should be a reason you are giving the speech. If you said a lot of things well but I'm confused about what your speech was about, that's not great.

Overall, I hope you guys have fun and enjoy yourselves! Speech and Debate is one of the most enjoyable activities you can participate in at this age. Good luck!

I competed in policy/CX debate in high school, in CEDA debate in college, and have coached high school and collegiate forensics. I'm also a communication professor, so you can expect pretty standard evaluation procedures when it comes to individual events in terms of speech structure, delivery, and well-supported content. For policy debate, I'm definitely more concerned about the substance of arguments than delivery and a quicker pace doesn't bother me at all if there is clarity. I look for debaters to support their positions with strong and credible evidence and to compare their evidence and positions with their opponents. There aren't any particular negative strategies that I'm averse to, so feel free to run whatever you want.

I am okay with any kind of debate, as long as you can explain it well. I did two years of high school LD, one year of policy in college, and I have coached more or less 4 years. If I can't understand you then I can't flow your arguments. If I can't flow your arguments I can't vote for them.