Hello, thank you for reading my paradigm.  I have four years of PF debate experience and qualified for Nationals twice. I will be flowing your arguments and deciding who wins based off of well cited evidence that is constantly referenced throughout every speech since its brought up (cleanly extending arguments). How should I weigh your arguments? Please tell me in speech using impact calculation.

Be clear and concise. Please no new arguments during final focus.

Name: Courtney Bassett

School Affiliation: Seaholm HS

Number of Years Judging Public Forum: 5

Number of Years Competing in Public Forum: 0

Number of Years Judging Other Forensic Activities: 20

Number of Years Competing in Other Forensic Activities: 10

If you are a coach, what events do you coach? Public Forum, All Individual Events

What is your current occupation? Community Engagement Coordinator at a school, Online Magazine Editor, Membership Coordinator for a nonprofit

Please share your opinions or beliefs about how the following play into a debate round:

Speed of Delivery – prefer slower

Format of Summary Speeches (line by line? big picture?) Big picture

Role of the Final Focus – narrowed argument, impact

Extension of Arguments into later speeches

Topicality - neutral

Plans - no

Kritiks - neutral

Flowing/note-taking – flowing contentions

Do you value argument over style?  Style over argument?  Argument and style equally? Argument over style

If a team plans to win the debate on an argument, in your opinion does that argument have to be extended in the rebuttal or summary speeches? Yes

If a team is second speaking, do you require that the team cover the opponents’ case as well as answers to its opponents’ rebuttal in the rebuttal speech? Preferred

Do you vote for arguments that are first raised in the grand crossfire or final focus? Not necessarily or usually

If you have anything else you'd like to add to better inform students of your expectations and/or experience, please do so here. No

Hey everyone,

My name is Owen Carlson (he/him) and I was a pf debater in MI for 6 years for Dexter. I currently am at MSU.

When debating please make sure to speak clearly and enunciate as a former debater I can follow fast speaking but I cant follow muddled speaking. If I cannot understand what you are saying then I won't judge it. Make sure to fully extend arguments if you do not extend them through the round then I will assume that you have dropped them. If you use a framework also extend that through the round as well. You should be weighing throughout the round as well and especially in the Final Focus. Generally, if you can quantify your impact that has a stronger impact than one that is not quantified. Also, make sure you state why your impact is important. For example, why should I care if emissions increase by 2% make sure to spell out why that would be an important impact.

Please make sure to have cut cards in case either I or your opponent asks for them it just makes it easier for everyone. If your evidence is in any way misconstrued then I will drop that whole argument no questions asked.

While I will time you please keep your own time as well. You can finish up a sentence if you run over time but if you start to go longer than that I will cut you off. Use crossfire well and ask questions. I pay attention to crossfire but I will not flow it. If anything important happens in cross bring it up in your next speech so it makes it on the flow. Do not be rude. It will weigh heavily in my decision and in your speaker points. If you are sexist/racist/homophobic or anything of the sort I will not vote for you period. There is no place for that whatsoever in any debate round.

If you have any email chains my email is owencarlson6@gmail.com please go ahead and add me to them.

If you have any questions to ask me before or after the round go ahead and ask!

I did PF debate for Dexter for 3 years so I am pretty experienced in PF.

I'm not super picky about style, just make well-supported arguments!

Please be sure we are always respectful, especially during crossfire. Make sure you follow the proper format for crossfire as well. Team 1 asks and team 2 answers. Then team 2 asks and team 1 answers. Notice there is NOT a time for either team to give a rebuttal to the other team's answer. You must do that during a later round. Being rude or not following this format will be the quickest way for me to dock speaker points.

While I have PF experience, I'm not very familiar with this topic, so be sure you explain your ideas and arguments in a way anyone can understand, as is the point of PF.

Have fun and make good arguments!

*******Holt HS 10/22/22 - Public Forum ***************************************************************************************************************

Read below for background on me. I have never judged Public Forum. My background is in Policy Debate which probably means a few things for you:

1) In the absence of an alternative framework, I will default to judging the round in terms of a cost benefit analysis. On balance, weighing the plusses and minuses, does it makes sense to do what the resolution says or no?

2) I am a tabula rasa judge. Whatever framework is argued most compellingly and backed by well-reasoned and clearly articulated analysis will win my ballot. I prefer to let the debaters decide the framework for my decision through their own good argumentation.

3) I pay close attention to the line-by-line. Unanswered arguments are given full weight, BUT their implications still need to be explained by the team that wins them. So in other words, you still have to do the weighing. To me, a good debate is one with direct clash on line-by-line arguments in the early speeches and rebuttals/final focus speeches where two good teams tell me why given what they said versus what the other team said, this why their arguments are better. Don't be two ships passing in the night. Engage with one another's arguments. 

4) Performance is for speaker points. You can have superior oratorical skills and and lose the round. This is Debate. Not Oratory in forensics where you just read your speech. Answer your opponents arguments on the flow and frame the round in rebuttals to win my ballot.

5) I do not mind a somewhat faster pace, and can handle flowing it, but I'd strongly prefer a more focused round with direct clash on the most salient arguments in the literature on the topic over anything that resembles a Policy Debate-style spread strategy in Public Forum. That is not what PF, in my mind, is supposed to be about. So you can probably go a little faster with me, but don't go nuts, ok?

*******PAPAS Invitational 10/8/22 - Policy *************************************************************************************************************

I was a Policy Debate coach and judge for almost a decade in the 1990’s. I haven’t judged a round in 20 years, so I’m a little rusty and more recent innovations or conventions in the activity may be new to me and require some extra explanation. As a debate judge, I was basically cryogenically frozen in the year 2000, was thawed out this weekend and handed a ballot. Your coach may have some idea what that means as far as how you should adapt to me and may have even known me back then.

If you tag your arguments with a brief tag (e.g. a sentence or two), and speak somewhat clearly, I should be able to follow you. If you don’t, and I get lost, that’s bad for you. I have zero familiarity with the policy topic this year or common affirmatives or disads or kritiks from camps etc.. Err on the side of over-explaining to me. 

Philosophically, I am a Tabula Rasa, non-interventionist judge. To the extent that I can still flow well enough, I will judge based on the line by line. By default, I am a policymaker and will decide the round based on a cost benefit analysis of aff case/plan versus status quo or counterplan, but if I am given compelling arguments to vote on a pre-fiat kritik, an abuse argument (e.g. topicality) or whatever other decision criteria the debaters can construct and successfully defend, I will.

Any questions, ask. I’ll try to clarify as best as I can. 

Hi,

Here are my expectations/paradigm for the round. 

- Running obscure arguments on your opponents might seem super cool, but showing probability and a clear link chain will probably have a better chance of winning.

- Second rebuttal needs to address turns from first rebuttal, otherwise your rebuttal is a little too late. 

- First summary doesn't need to extend defense unless you think its absolutely necessary for whatever reason. 

- You need to extend BOTH the warrant AND impact of your argument(s) in later speeches if you're serious about finessing my ballot.

- I'm all for taking control of CX/the round but if you are abusive/disrespectful in doing so it will reflect poorly on the ballot. Treat you opponents like human beings and we'll all have a good time. 

-In terms of speed if your flow and delivery is hot and clear I'm writing it down. If you wanna be Speed Racer go ahead as long as you feel a reasonable person can still understand you. 

-Use author qualifications when first citing a piece of evidence (for extensions later on last name will suffice).

-Tate 

Hi, my name is Nate; I'm currently a student at the University of Michigan. I debated Public Form on the local and national circuit in High School. 

The most important thing I ask of you in round is to please avoid rude behavior; if you fail to do this and are malicious in round, I will tank your speaks and may give your opponent the win. So please please please be nice in round.

Feel free to use debate lingo in round but assume I know nothing about the topic. I will take most information as given unless you refute it. 

Time yourselves, I won't cut you off, but if you go over, I will stop flowing, and if you repeatedly go over, I will deduct speaks.

I'm okay with medium to fast speed, do not spread PF is not the place for that. 

Don't waste cross time (I can tell when you are purposefully wasting time); I won't flow cross, but I will pay attention, so if you gain an essential piece of information from cross, make sure to bring it up in your other speeches.

When talking about evidence, don't just say the "Rider 11 Card" make sure to say the "Rider 11 card which shows X."

Make sure to extend your arguments and response into the later parts of the round. If your opponent has responded to one of your arguments, make sure to respond to that response and explain how your impact still stands. If you fail to flow your arguments through, I will drop them. 

Special Section, NSDA Nationals

Welcome! If you’re reading this, then we are definitely going to be meeting each other. I wish you all the best: congratulations on being at Nationals. Below are the Public Forum paradigm, and an expansion of my normal National paradigm (building on the NSDA document you already have).

Public Forum

A lot of what I have in my Policy paradigm (below) applies here. Here’s what to keep in mind:

Audience. Unlike the more technical Policy, I understand Public Forum as Outward Facing whose intended audience is someone reasonably informed. Terms and ideas are expected to be accessible. Rhetoric (diction, vocal presentation) are important factors.

Spread. Keep it rapid and conversational (roughly 150 w.p.m.). Excessive speed violates Outward Facing. Further, with spread, clarity about tags and structure is critical, as is enunciation.

Comparative Advantage. I will compare the two sides relative to advantages and how they meet their Framework (below). I expect both sides to make affirmative cases as to why I should prefer their reasoning. You will not win by solely attacking the other side; your case matters. Be clear about your impacts.

Framework. Show how your case fulfills or meets your framework (this is the core of Comparative Advantage for me). If given time you should explain why your framework is to be preferred.

Policy

In formal terms I follow an open policy paradigm. I'm a realist; I come from politics and extemp. For me, debate deals with the questions and discussions we (community/society) deal with in the public, decision-making space. Of course, all discussions have social locations and thus can be profitably interrogated by critical theory or explored through CPs; just show me why it matters or how it connects to our decision-making.

Leave academic or debate theory arguments outside. I will find them interesting, even entertaining, but not decisive.

Some practical details:

• Impacts do not have to go to catastrophe to be persuasive (especially the N-war move). Plausibility counts.

• I pay attention to how links are made, how the internal logic works. If you call attention to a dropped argument, show me why it matters, otherwise, I will defer to the points of clash.

• Where the argument turns on a key piece of evidence, I may examine to determine how much weight to give it (i.e. reliable, authoritative etc.) I am open to voting on T.

• And last, as a practical matter, I have old ears, so make tags clear. Preferred delivery rate tops out at 180 wpm.

Now for some additional Nationals Specifics/extensions

Off-case: Kritiks
As noted above I am open to arguments that illumine where an argument is (culturally) situated. I tend to treat Ks as a relative of the DA or perhaps a CP

Ks that I am comfortable with:
structural racism, Afro-pessimism
Neo-liberalism , colonialisms
the Foucaldian suite of approaches, including biopower

Other critical theory approaches: be cautious. I will not be able to track you as fast. Practically this means I will lean into the card re: authority.

Meta theory, debate theory — no. I find these involve a host of tacit assumptions that I may or may not be willing to accede to.

Off-Case: CPs
On a continuum of the very focused or limited to the very broad, I lean to the focused side.

as CPs expand, I tend to defer to the Aff

Extensive CPs carry similar burden as the 1AC.

Conditionality — there are strategic reasons to drop a CP, I will accept this within reason. (NOTE on the NSDA paradigm I’m a bit more conservative)

PICs — Use with caution. I hear these as a stepping stone, a way to interrogate the AFF case. The idea of testing the case with a “what about” that isolates an issue… good. When it is a broader form, I want to know how you avoid the DAs of the AFF case

Bright Lines or what’s out of bounds

Abusive behavior in the round (language; overly aggressive CX).

Refuse polarization. Extending abusive behavior to culture. I realize this is a challenge in our polarized culture; stay clear of the easy ad hom attack on “them”.

Cases that advocate violence in order to work.

Arguments that advocate non-democratic solutions. This can crop up in Ks: how does Power not end up in oppressing the many?

Hello, I’m a former debater that has competed in UIL, TFA, and NSDA tournaments at both the state and national levels. I’m ok with any arguments as long as they make sense and are warranted.

Participated in PF Debate and IX in 2 years at Richardson HS, and 2 years at the Richland College HS program.

Ive graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2021

General Paradigm: Honestly as long as you explain your arguments well and tell me why they matter (I'm big on impact calc.), I'll flow any case. This means clear warrants and links. I like to have my job be easier so tell me right from the start what I need to vote on and what stuff is important in the context of the round. If you don't do that I'll be forced to become a policymaker which means I may default to impacts that you may not have focused on. Summary and final focus speeches should be mirrored. This means the arguments that you flesh out and extend are the same ones you should be speaking about in the FF. Don't bother bringing up dropped/dead arguments near the end of the round. You are just gonna be wasting my time. When extending args, include the (warrants, links, and impacts). There is no excuse to not do this considering summary speeches are 3 minutes now. Again for me focus on Impact Calc. Make sure you give me voters on why your args matter, and why you win.

Speed: I can deal with moderately fast speed as long as you are clear. Slow down on taglines and for warrants that are crucial to your case. I will say clear once if I cannot understand/keep up. (Do not try and policy spread. I will not flow.)

Keep your own time. I will be keeping time as well.

I may ask for evidence at the end of the round

During CX , feel free to go all out. The more clash the better , and be well mannered during CX. Do not be afraid to go at it , but do it respectfully

Feel free to ask me about anything I may not have covered.

Hi, my name is Karsten; I'm currently a student at the University of Michigan. I debated Public Form on the local and national circuit in High School.

The most important thing I ask of you in round is to please avoid rude behavior; if you fail to do this and are malicious in round, I will tank your speaks and may give your opponent the win. So please please please be nice in round.

Feel free to use debate lingo in round but assume I know nothing about the topic. I will take most information as given unless you refute it.

Time yourselves, I won't cut you off, but if you go over, I will stop flowing, and if you repeatedly go over, I will deduct speaks.

I'm okay with medium to fast speed, do not spread PF is not the place for that.

Don't waste cross time (I can tell when you are purposefully wasting time); I won't flow cross, but I will pay attention, so if you gain an essential piece of information from cross, make sure to bring it up in your other speeches.

When talking about evidence, don't just say the "Rider 11 Card" make sure to say the "Rider 11 card which shows X."

Make sure to extend your arguments and response into the later parts of the round. If your opponent has responded to one of your arguments, make sure to respond to that response and explain how your impact still stands. If you fail to flow your arguments through, I will drop them.

In your Final Focus, give me clear reasonings as to why you have won the debate, I prefer it when you collapse onto one argument in the end, but it's not necessary to do so.

I have been judging debate and forensics tournaments for 5+ years.

With a long career in business, my judging in debate tournaments is based on the quality and delivery of information to support your position - solid evidence with an outstanding presentation.

For forensics competitions, the selection of the piece or product combined with your your creative interpretation are the key winning factors.

I have been coaching debate since 1983. I was a policy debate coach and judge for 30+ years. In 2012, I started coaching Public Forum debate. I vote on clear impact calculus, politeness, clarity in speaking style and well cited sources. One of the reasons I left policy is because it became a ridiculous spewing of words much too fast for anyone who was not familiar with the evidence to understand.I prefer debaters who tell a "good story" rather than give me a bunch of numbers and blippy arguments. I am looking for real debate in conversational speeches in the round.

I believe crossfire should be where debaters clarify and explain. Answering questions so that we can look at the arguments and evidence honestly is important. Any kind of rude behavior in crossfire could very well lose you the round if I am the judge. I'm looking for an exchange of information in crossfire.

I try to go into each round without preconceived opinions, and I try hard not to intervene. I will look for the easiest place to vote in the round, especially if there is not clear impact calculus in the final two speeches.

My email is marshd@dexterschools.org

As an old school judge I tend to make my decisions on the clash in the round and how well/clearly the arguments are developed/responded to. A dropped argument does not mean an automatic win for the team if it is not key to the main argument being presented. Evidence is important to me and arguments based on quality of sources, analysis on importance of post dates info, etc are acceptable but should not be the main focus of the debate. I also consider how well the teams treat each other, and rudeness can impact how I view the round. Finally, the last two speeches should be narrowed to winning arguments and articulated in such a way to be convincing. I will make my judgments based on what you say in the final speech, not what I think you meant.

Public Forum Debate:

I competed all 4 years of high school in Public Forum at Dexter High School, and have been coaching/judging since 2018. I mainly judge on use of impact weighing, cohesive arguments and responses, and unique/compelling arguments.

I judge on a mix of tech/truth. I won't necessarily drop a rebuttal or response with theory and no evidence as long as it makes sense, but for larger arguments that your case relies on, evidence is necessary. Decorum during the round (rudeness, interrupting repeatedly during crossfire, et cetera) will affect your score, more on this below. I don't flow crossfire and I don't judge on it, but I will be paying attention for contradictions or lack of knowledge/an answer. I'm not a fan of offtime roadmaps, considering they waste time during the round and serve very little purpose. If you signpost your speech properly, you won't need an offtime roadmap.

At the end of the day, I'll judge mostly on voter issues mentioned in the summary/FF, in terms of what arguments have been dropped, responded to, or are still standing, so make sure to collapse and/or mention your strongest points during the round at the end.

If any of the students in the round are having decorum issues, it will greatly affect my decision. I've noticed that most of these issues happen during crossfire, due to how easy it is to get frustrated with your opponent. While I was competing, I was definitely quick to make a crossfire heated - there's a pretty easy fix for this. Your speeches and your arguments should be addressed to me, and not your opponent. Your job is not to wear down your opponent until they concede, your job is to convince me that your arguments are more important. I hope this reframing of the debate can help some of you, even if crossfire isn't something you initially struggle with. Remember, we're here to learn and have fun, not to get angry at each other over arguments that really don't even matter in reality.

Forensics:

Now that forensics is slowly moving to Tabroom, I'll add a little blurb here about it. I competed in both interp and PA events, but found the most success later on in my forensics career in Broadcasting. I am more inclined towards the PA events and will probably be far more helpful as a judge in those events. If you're in interp and you've gotten a basically blank critique sheet from me, I sincerely apologize (if I have nothing to say it means I had nothing bad to say and didn't really notice you doing anything wrong).

That being said, in interp, there are a few things that I do not appreciate. First, adding too much emotion to lines that don't need that much emotion. If the only way you can come across as upset is by screaming your lines, try something else, like using facial expressions. I know a lot of you have pieces that require you to make loud noises, which is fine, but remember that there are usually people competing right next door. Screaming your entire piece is going to give me a headache and it's going to interrupt the round next door. Secondly, adding in incredibly dramatic scenes that make no sense with the cutting/story you're trying to convey. If you're conveying a character arc that has nothing to do with mental illness or suicide and then out of nowhere your character commits suicide, I will find it in bad taste unless there's a reason for it to be there. I don't take lightly to specifically issues of suicide and it won't give you extra points for having a more "emotional" program. Third, if you can do a cartwheel or a back handspring or whatever sort of gymnastic feat, please do not put it in your piece unless your piece calls for your character to do a gymnastic feat. I once judged a round where three people randomly did cartwheels and I had to decide who had the best cartwheel - please don't make me do that again. Thank you.

Experience:

Competitive:

-PF Debate for 4 years for Brother Rice (2010-2014)

-Extemporaneous Speaking: 5 years (3 years for Brother Rice, 2 years for the University of Michigan)

-Rhetorical Criticism: 1 year (University of Michigan)

Judging:

-PF Debate (2015 – present) for Brother Rice

Professional:

-Programmer in the defense industry (2018 - present)

I typically flow on paper with colored pens in a notebook so there will be a lot of pen clicking.

I judge based on what I hear in the round, but also making way overgeneralized arguments and statements makes me sad inside.

I weigh what I hear talked about more than I weigh stuff that gets dropped by both teams.

Preferences:

Asking to See the Evidence: Don’t use it to steal prep, have a good reason for doing so.

Signposting: Please. Make it easy for me to follow and flow your arguments and responses.

Speed: Talk as fast as you’d like.

Summary and Final Focus: They’re not rebuttals, please don’t ramble. Being clear and concise about why you are winning goes as long way to helping me flow the round.

Timing: You’re more than welcome to time yourself, but my phone’s timer is the authoritative one.

Email: jaclynn.weber@plymouthchristian.org

HB Class of 1999

HCC Class of 2002

I am pulling for each of you and will keep an open mind in all aspects. Speed is okay as long as you can be understood. If you have to choose between speed or clarity, please choose clarity. It's not always easy to listen as quickly as you can speak, so keep that in consideration while debating.

Kritiks are good but must use a framework. Connect the philosophy to the contention.

I usually tend to lean towards truth over tech, but both are acceptable.

Give reliable sources (links are great!), and be passionate about what you are saying! I want to see that you really believe what you are debating, so stand firm on what you think while being professional and classy. No interrupting or attacking the person; stick to what you know and have researched.

Good luck!

Intro

My name is Charly Ying, I was a PF debater (4 years), This is my third year judging, and I appreciate debate for the art form that it is. Show me you do as well and this becomes an excellent round.

I attend Michigan State University and I study International Relations (IR) with sub-areas in environmental and economic policy.

BE ON TIME! This applies in round, time yourself, yes you can have some grace before you get up there but If I see you daddling I will move you along.

Argumentation Style

Unlike previous years I am more open to theory if you can back why you are using it over the actual topic.

Extend Arguments into later speeches!!! While it's challenging, in my opinion, to extend arguments, it makes debate easier to judge when the dust settles.

Use framework for the entire round if you decide to bring it up. Show me why it is a valid framework, how the clash occurs in round, and why I again should be looking to yours over the opponents.

(Varsity) Omission = Admission

Evidence (Truth > Technical)

This section should not have to be here, but as I read more and more into it, I want debaters to be more conscientious of the evidence used in rounds and promote ethics across the field. The procedural norm for this should be to call out an opponent's evidence and then refute that or use a counterfactual process such as postdating.

It is your job as a debater not to merely be good at performing in PF debate but to make arguments that are the most truthful.

"That does not mean science can and should be used to support any position what-
soever. Scientific evidence places limits on what is empirically plausible, and if we
are to care about evidence, those limits must be respected. (Douglas 2014)"

More examples can be found here "Scientific expertise and political accountability: paradoxes of science in politics" Weingart 1999.

Also, start an email chain or card doc to make sure I get the important information! HAVE CUT CARDS I WILL CALL EVIDENCE IN ROUND it's best we both use our time effectively

Time Management

I will keep your time, but you should also keep your time to synchronize. If you go over time, I'm not flowing it, I will cross my arms and watch.

Crossfires should be utilized accordingly, don't go too far over but also don't have zero questions.

Usually, I'm fine with medium to fast speed but Do Not policy spread, we created PF to break away, not mirror policy.

Outro

Please don't hesitate to ask questions before round!

If you have read all the way through ask me before round what are the only colors for extra points.

I’ve been coaching for West Bloomfield High School and judging for 7 years. I do not like to intervene and put my personal opinions into the debate. It is up to the debaters to decide how the round will go and to back up their claims through sufficient evidence and reasoning.

DECORUM

Above all else, you are learning and growing as debaters. Any abusive or overly competing behavior does nothing for the educational activity that debate is intended to be.

I do not like when debaters cut each other off during CX. This is a time to understand your opponents case, how are you going to do that if you won’t let them finish their response to the question YOU asked? Keep it down to questions, this is not time to argue. I prefer you address your opponents'caseinstead of addressing them directly.

SPEED

When I'm judging, I don't get to ask you clarification questions in the round like your opponents do, so -- above all else -- prioritize being understood by ME and not just trying to read fast so you have more on the flow. Remember, for me to flow it, I have to be able to listen to and understand what you're going for; prioritize clarity over speed.

Do NOT spread (speed-read). Anything over 300 wpm (look up a video for reference) is "speeding". It's not like I can stop you from speed-reading, but I only flow the things I can listen to AND understand, not just the remnants of things you vaguely enunciated at 10000mph. I don't care if you've disclosed your entire speech verbatim; if you can't read that speech in a way that I can understand without me looking at your disclosed speech doc, you'll have a tough time with the flow.

SPEECHES

Please signpost your arguments! "Signposting" is stating what argument you're responding to before you start responding to it. It helps to organize and understand what you say for both your opponents and the judge.

Cross-examinations: I have always thought CXs were the most important part of any debate round, so listen closely. If you or your opponent say something in VERY stark contrast to your case, that goes on my ballot. Essentially, anything that raises a big red flag goes on the flow. This, however, does not happen often and can be arbitrary since there's no definitive scale for what's considered "in stark contrast" to a case. Thus, your best bet is to mention anything from CX that's of importance in a speech as soon as possible to ensure it gets on my flow.If you ask good questions & are polite here, I typically give high speaks.

STYLE

I'm a mix of Tech and Truth judging. Tech means judging exclusively on what's said in the round; Truth means judging based on how true your args are to the real world. I think any good judge should consider both -- it can prevent debaters from substantiating args that are exceedingly unrealistic but also holds debaters accountable for making realistic args (or at the very least, bringing them up at the appropriate time).

I fact-check any and all "Truths" before I use them in a decision. If it's highly controversial, out of date, or not concrete enough, I just don't use it in voting and default to whatever you told me in the round. In other words, unless you literally have me trembling in utter fear about being nuked to extinction/pandemic'd to oblivion/whatever, I'm probably going to factor in the more realistic impact.

THEORY & Kritiks

Preferably not in PF... Theory/Ks maybe, but it should be topical and relevant by the time you bring it up. I would vote for theories/kritiks if they're outstandingly clear, but I should be shaking in my boots at the mere thought of not voting for your theory/K.No tricks whatsoever-- they're super abusive and I'm not voting on that.

PET PEEVES

Please do not say "Judge, we've won this debate," because you don't know that.

When you are done with your speech, let me know by saying some variation of "we urge a (pro/con) ballot" or some indicator that you are done. Otherwise I might just think you are taking a long pause.

TLDR

Don’t be an abusive jerk and you’ll be fine.