I am a returning parent judge. I will provide constructive notes for students.

Here are a few notes for students:

1. Speak as clearly as possible.

2. Please signpost and frame your arguments in a logical flow.

3. Be courteous, polite and respectful to your opponents.

I am a parent judge with experience judging most Speech Events. I also participated in Speech and Debate as student.

In the Interpretation events I prefer that you introduce your piece and author prior to speaking (I wont start the clock until we agree) not just in your intro.

I can't wait to see what you've been working on!

For debate:

I prefer that you don't talk too fast or spread - I need to be able to understand what you're saying in order to judge its merits. I take a lot of notes and will try to judge on the flow.

For PF, please clearly articulate your contentions, back them up with warrants and support with strong evidence. I don't fully flow Crossfire or Cross-Ex, so anything important that you want noted, please extend in your next speech, and make it clear why it's important to your case or detracts from your opponent's. Please don’t run progressive debate unless something extreme has happened in the round, I will not know how to evaluate it.

By your final focus or last speech, you should have made a convincing case why your impacts or value out-weigh your opponent's. And in keeping with the rules of debate, do not bring up any new arguments in the second half of a round, or they will be disregarded. Good luck and have fun!

Greetings, Debaters/Speakers!

I look forward to adjudicating today's session.

Please speak at a moderate pace and use appropriate vocal control. Make your arguments clear so I can understand you, and PLEASE demonstrate civility.

Josh Lowe

Hello Debaters and Public Speakers!

I look forward to judging your performance today.

Please speak at an appropriate volume and make your arguments/performance clear and civil.

Have fun!

-Ashley Lowe

I have over twenty years experience working for the NC Department of Public Safety. I teach a Law and Justice elective at Cuthbertson HS. I enjoyed working in the criminal court system and appreciate those of you that have the skills to make good oral arguments. I place a value on respecting other opinions and proper decorum. It is much harder to make a good point about an unpopular opinion, therefore I take notice the level of difficulty. Lastly, I feel it is very important to be able to adapt to the current debate.

I am a former High School and College competitor in both speech events and congress. I have 4+ years of judging experience and love being a part of this process.  I appreciate thoughtful, respectful competitors.   I do not appreciate competitors that speak too quickly or who are dismissive of other competitor's questions or comments.  I appreciate creativity and generally don't reward formulaic or overly choreographed presentations.

Competed personally while in HS, Primarily in Duo Interpretation. Have been Judging since completing HS and have judged multiple tournaments and many various events. Prefer judging Duo, HI, DI, POI, or impromptu.

Wish everyone the best of luck in any event!

Hi! I'm Carolyn Stone and I've been judging speech since 2017. I'm well-versed in all IEs. I really enjoy speeches that teach me something new, make me view a situation in a new light, are well organized, and delivered with clarity.

Second year parent judge.

Congress: First year judging Congress, patience appreciated.

My Congress comments should have speech/PO criteria ratings based on National Forensic League training guidance between 3-6, entered as you're speaking so you have some minimal feedback on how I decided on final score for individual speech and eventual ranking. 3=Mediocre, 4=Proficient, 5=Excellent, 6=Superior

Examples: Originality of Thought, Organization and Unity, Evidence and Logic, Delivery.

I also attempt to score (in comments) how you handle questioning of your speech.

If time allows, I attempt to give constructive written feedback in the comments as well. Overall rankings take into account your entire performance in the round.

Speech Events: Second year judging speech. The most polished student in a round with an easy to follow and interesting presentation (while also satisfying rules/objective of particular event) generally rises to the top of the rankings in my rounds. Please don't rush your introductions/teasers as it really helps me follow the rest of the piece.

I've also decided to assign speaker points to three main categories in your feedback this year. This is to hopefully give you some minimal feedback indicating the elements of your piece that may have room for improvement. I always attempt to give detailed comments as well, but time doesn't always allow for this. Points listed in comments do not necessarily average or add up to your final speaker point score. 27=Average, 28=Above Average, 29=Excellent, 30=Superior

From the National Forensic League:

Characterization

Is each character well-developed?Is each character relatable? Does a character’s response seem believable given the situation being portrayed?

Blocking

Can you tell what the performer is doing in the scene? Is it clear what character(s) they are playing? Is the movement motivated?

Cutting

Do you understand what is happening? Is the story line easy to follow? Does the sequence of events make sense?