I am a lay judge. I typically look for classic argument.

Some tips for success:

1) Speak clearly. If I do not understand your argument, I cannot vote positively.

2) Be sure to support your position with facts. I will be looking for facts.

3) Use credible sources.

3) Be attentive and respectful to your colleagues and judges.

4) Remember to keep track your own time.

My name is Sydney, and the October 2022 speech and debate tournament is the second tournament I have judged. While judging PF, I enjoy a clear delivery that stays on topic. I'm still fairly new to speech and debate and judging as a whole, so please keep this in mind. I look forward to judging debates based on their key points along with how well the points are delivered.

Email chain please: columbus.debate.team@gmail.com

PF:

PLEASE DO NOT PARAPHRASE YOUR CASE OR MISCUT EVIDENCE

PF/LD

1. CLARITY IS KEY!! That applies to speech, organization, signposting, etc.

2. Please warrant your claims and evidence once brought up, not later in the round or next speech (see point 1)

3. Speed is fine, I only judge what I can flow however, so I cannot say I am going to get everything down if you are spreading. I definitely prefer slower more traditional rounds. With that said, if you want to spread make sure your opponent is okay with it. You shouldn't spread/speed in PF, it's in the rules and norms of the event. It is called PUBLIC forum for a reason.

4. I studied philosophy during my time in university. Please do not throw out theory or K's without having done the necessary background research to really know what you are talking about. The round will be messy because of it, which takes us back to point 1 on clarity.

WORLD SCHOOLS:

1. Slow down, this isn't policy. You not only need to argue effectively, you need to persuade.

2. Principled arguments > specific examples and evidence. Not to say you shouldn't have specific evidence, but often the more philosophical grounds of reasoning get left out in favor of, basically, carded evidence

3. New arguments in the back half of the debate are unadvisable and don't allow the other side enough time to have a developed response.

4. Keep your eye aware for POI's, if you see one but are choosing to ignore it, indicate verbally or with a hand motion.

I expect a respectful and cordial debate from all of the sides and look forward to hearing your presentation. My preferred debate rate of delivery is lower than eight.

I am first year LD debate coach with a history of policy debate in high school. I have a degree in chemistry and teach science at our school as well as coach debate. Please make sure you are clear and well cited. I prefer a clear voter/impact analysis at the end of the final speeches to help explain to me why I should vote aff or neg. Good luck and looking forward to hearing your debate!

To all competitors

About me: I have an engineering background with a bachelor's degree from FIU and a master's degree in Engineering Management from FIU. I pay attention to flow and supporting data behind each contention and rebuttals

Please speak clearly. I prefer not to have off the clock road mapping.  I am not trained in spreading. If you choose to use this technique and I cannot understand you, I will not be able to judge appropriately.  Do your best, maintain good eye contact and be respectful throughout the debate.  Most importantly, enjoy the debate

Most important is to follow decorum (no ad hominem fallacies) and follow the simple flow of argumentation.  We are here to debate so debate and convince me that your position is the stronger argument.  Your personal opinions do not matter once you enter the room.  

1.  Key arguments of quality with sufficient and ideal sources of evidence that provide relevant support.
2. Clarity and organization with proper flow from one argument to another.  If I cannot follow you or you do not counter an argument presented, you have conceded your position.
3. Decorum!  You are here to debate on the argument, NOT the debater.
4. Please do not introduce a new argument, however tempting, in the final rebuttal! 
   
   

Let’s have fun debating!

I am a parent Judge. I have three years judging LD, PF, most speech events and congressional debate. I have judged both locally and at NSDA nationals.

I want to be persuaded by arguments and moved by speeches. Please limit rehash by listening to each other. I will look for creative arguments and strong sources. Did you do your homework on the topic? I will also look at the way you are addressing and using the space. I will look for passion, logic and creativity - but most importantly a lively back and forth debate. Fundamentals of pathos, logos, and ethos are critical. Good sources and linkage should support the argument.

For debate spreading is acceptable, and while I am happy to have materials provided before debate, I will not dock for disclosure.

For dramatic and humorous interpretation, I will be looking at character and use of space. In general there should be a dramatic arc and I look for detail in the characters. I find the better you can stick to Aristotle's unities the more effective you will be - unity of action, time, character, place, etc.

In Congress - these should be shovel ready bills that will make a difference. Is your bill funded properly? Can the government do what the bill is suggesting? - is it within the powers provided by the Constitution? Philosophy matters, but in Congress you are designing bills that could be implemented. Details matter more.

Let me know how you want time indicated and I will be happy to give you the appropriate signals.

Debate is communication and it should hit me in both the head and the heart.

• i did pf for 5 years at lake highland prep
• dont be racist, homophobic, sexist, etc
• i don't really pay attention to cross/times
• be respectful and have fun!

pf

• please treat me like a lay/flay judge
• always signpost, collapse, and weigh
• i won't evaluate theory, if there's an abuse then mention it

• rebuttal: frontline offense if you're second
• summary: dont bring up new evidence/offense
• final: tell me why you won the round

ld

• please treat me as a lay judge
• don't spread, be clear, tell me where you are on the flow

Equity and Fairness

• This is my number one priority. Please notify me (if you feel comfortable doing so) if you feel discriminated against, uncomfortable with someone or something, or need help.

Speech/Interp

- I am okay with you timing yourself and will not penalize you for glancing at your clock from time to time (as long as it does not heavily impede your performance) if you are an online competitor.

- Depending on the event, I would like a cohesive story that compels me to feel a certain way (sad, mad, caring, aware of an issue, happy, etc.)

- Hand gestures and walking appropriately are a must (walking between points, appropriate hand gestures during scenes/arguments, etc.)

- Extemp: refer to my congress paradigm for how I like argumentation in this context, I appreciate humorous/informative introductions and conclusions that wrap around to it. Walking from point to point is very important in exempt, same with recent sources.

- Interp/OO: I want to feel motivated after hearing your speech (do so with passion in your tone, dramatic/overemphasized facial expression and gestures, etc.)

- If your speech includes an argument, see my congress paradigm and the constructive portion of my debate paradigm.

- I understand and will work through technical difficulties with you! I am committed to upholding equity in rounds, and if there is a way I can help with that, please let me know!

World Schools, Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas

- I want to see warrant level refutation in the majority of refutation points you have (claim level will be discarded on the flow and data level refutation should clearly explain why their data is flawed/not representative of the analysis they are attaching to it).

- Don't spread :)

- LD and PF: you can use technical jargon with me. I ask that you don't if you know you have a lay judge on a panel with me (again, for accessibility). WSD: this is a more relaxed debate format and tech isn't as important for me when I vote.

- Cross: I judge using cross (and POIs for WSD). I won't ignore this and I want to see really thought-provoking and challenging questions. I will follow your question in terms of noticing when you set traps. Don't use this as an opportunity for extra speaking time though, make sure the questioning gets to the point. Also, be polite!

- Constructive material: Little pre-refutation on the aff, please. Neg is okay to have refutation in the first constructive speech, but I still want the vast majority of the speech to be constructive. Please try and connect your constructive material to your opponents (blend your arguments with refutation of theirs- I LOVE when debaters cross apply).

- I flow everything, so please be organized in every speech and make it clear where you are (roadmap and taglines please). I expect clear voters for the final speech in around for both sides and a clear understanding of what you are doing in a speech. (Ex: "I'm going to do a line-by-line, first addressing my opponent's constructive, then their refutation of my own arguments, followed by the round's voters"; then during the speech, you can say, "moving on to their rebuttals of my first constructive"). Make sure you give a quick summary of your opponents' argument before you refute it though.

- Impacts/Impact Calculus: I'm fair game for all impact jargon. Make sure when you are weighing you bring in quantification (if applicable) for magnitude/severity and you clearly explain based on a weighing mechanism (probability, severity, magnitude, etc.) why your argument wins.

- Argument format: Claim, Warrant, Data, Impact. If you miss any of those, I will likely drop your argument.

- Data: I prefer quantification when they are applicable. Please state at least the month and year of cards (if you can) and the institution they are from. I treat evidence challenges seriously, so don't hesitate to call an opponent out if you can't find their card or think it is faked/unfairly misrepresented. I also can smell when sources are bad (especially if it's a topic I have debated before), so please do not make up or misquote sources for your own sake.

- There is so much more I can say, but the TLDR is that I'm down for advanced debate stuff (speed, jargon) and that I value good and thorough refutation above most things.

Congress

- Most importantly, I VALUE REFUTATION SPEECHES. Judges in congress too easily disregard late-round ref/crystal speeches. For this reason (and because it takes major skill to do this) I emphasize ref/crystal speeches. If you give a good one, you will be rewarded heavily in my rankings.

- I want to see all of your skills, so don't just fill one role during the round(don't only give ref speeches or only constructive).

-Quality is better than quantity for questions(I listen to them)

- POs: I will be keeping recency and precedence for questioning (if it's direct) and speeches. I like good POs. If you are considering POing, make sure you know how to run an amendment properly.

- Organization: Constructive speeches should usually have this format: Introduction, 2 points (claim, warrant, data, analysis, data, impact), and conclusion. Make sure I can understandably follow your arguments.

- Refutation: Same as in my debate paradigm, but if this is ref being added to a constructive speech, make sure you integrate this into your points. If you give a point similar to someone on the other side, I expect you to refute them in order for your point to have validity.

- Half-refutation speeches are great, so is impact calculus

- While I am a much more debate-oriented judge, please have solid and rhetorical introductions and conclusions. Speak at a nice pace (I will understand you if you go fast, but you shouldn't in Congress) and try to mitigate fluency breaks.

- Walking: Walk from your introductions to your points and back for your conclusions. Please don't sway if you can.

- A lot of the same stances for debate and congress, so please read my other paradigm too (the difference with Congress is I also judge based on speaking ability pretty much).

Looking forward to seeing you perform/debate!

My name is Ally Mattia. I am a masters student at University of Florida and have bachelors degrees in Statistics and Biology from UF as well. I am a lay judge. I participated in speech in high school and have helped run the Blue Key tournament throughout college.

Please speak clearly as this is my first time as a judge. Please keep time and be respectful to your fellow debater as well as all those in the room.

Thank you and have fun!

Hi!! I am excited to watch and judge your rounds!

I did public forum and world schools debate throughout high school, and now I am on the UF speech & debate team! Make sure to signpost, be responsive, collapse, and weigh. For LD, I am more of a lay judge.

Good luck!

I am a lay/parent judge. I enjoy a spirited, yet civil, debate. I dislike over-reliance on technology. Avoid spreading. Keep your time. Integrity matters. I have particular distaste for instances where a debater will conclude by misquoting an opponent at the end of a round. Help me help you by articulating your arguments and telling me why you should win.

Please don't spread during the round. I prefer rebuttals that are organic/not prewritten ahead of time.

My name is Samantha Pecora. I am a student at University of Florida. This is my first time as a judge. I will be looking for good reasoning and evidence behind all claims. I will also be looking for slow and fluid speaking as well as eye contact and immediate response. Also, I will be looking for professionalism.

I vote off the flow. I don't mind debate jargon, but I may ask you to clarify some terms. Don't spread or talk too fast (200 wpm is the max where I can still catch everything you say). I will ask you to slow down if I'm missing arguments. I may ask you after the round for cards and evidence, so don't run out of the room until I've let you go. Be respectful in cross. I will not tolerate Ad Hominem attacks (attacks against your opponent and not their argument). I do not like theory arguments that are off topic and trying to be "clever" to win on technicalities. I will likely not vote on it, especially if you are abusing it.

LD: I have a background as a philosophy professor. Please make your value and value criterion clear and carry them throughout the round. Don't turn this into a 1 person policy round. I prefer more traditional LD arguments. If you are going to try to tell me that mass extinction is good, for example, it better have some hard evidence and strong logic backing it up.

PF: Make sure your arguments all make logical sense. I probably will not vote on Kritiks or weird theory. I prefer you have evidence to back up your claims but it is not always needed for logical arguments. Please present me with clear impacts and carry them throughout the round.

Feel free to ask me questions after round (if this is a tournament where judges disclose), but know that I have already submitted my ballot so please don't try to convince me why my decision was wrong. If you want to set up an email chain, my email is josephmpergola@gmail.com

Background: I am a physician and also the head coach of a Speech and Debate team. I was a former high school policy debater, but that does not mean I like spreading or progressive arguments. I'm a dinosaur. See below.

PF

General: The team that is able to support their offense with strong logic and good evidence while having effective defense against their opponents' case will win the round. Duh.

Speed: I am okay with some speed. You will see me flowing during the round, but this is a no spread zone.

Cases: I like strong links to your impacts, which is why I usually find stock arguments to be the strongest. However, I also like squirrels, but only if your links are convincing. I don't believe in tabula rasa judging. If something doesn't make sense or the link is weak, I will be less likely to vote on it. I am a judge after all and that's what I get paid the big bucks to do. Actually, I don't get paid, but if I did get paid, I'm sure it would be big bucks.

Progressive arguments: Please, for all that is good in the world, do not bring progressive LD nonsense into PF. OK? PF is the last bastion of debate purity left. My ROB is to drop progressive arguments and don't try to RVI me.

Crossfire: Be courteous. If someone is trying to be a time hog, I am okay with polite interruption. I sometimes vote on something that comes up in CF, but you should mention it in your speeches if you want me to not forget. Word to the wise: I've dropped many debaters because CF sometimes reveals their lack of knowledge and/or incoherent warranting. That's why I will flow CF.

2nd Rebuttal: You should probably start frontlining now. Starting frontlines in 2nd Summary is a little late in the round and puts too much of a burden on the 1st FF to backline for the first time. Luckily this is a rarity in PF.

Summary: You should extend all offense and defense. I don't believe in sticky defense. If you don't extend in Summary, don't expect me to vote on it if it suddenly shows up in FF. You should start weighing in Summary. In fact, you could start weighing in rebuttals. Don't wait until FF. For Rebuttal, Summary, and FF, please give me logical warrants beyond just reading the cards. In other words, explain the card with logical analysis. I frown on debaters who rely solely on card reading.

Grand CF: This should have balanced involvement of all debaters.

FF: When rounds are close, I will use the FF to write my RFD, so I hope you are a good writer. Weigh impacts, cases, links, evidence. Metaweigh if needed, although I often find metaweighing too subjective unless you can convince me that you outweigh on prereqs. Make sure to extend at least your most important if not all offense. I'm fine if you drop a contention and collapse on one or two, but be careful. I have dropped debaters because they chose the wrong contention to drop (it was actually their best offense).Offense is what wins rounds. But to make sure your offense is better than your opponent's offense, your defense better be legit. It doesn't matter to me when you weigh and give voters...after each issue or at the end...it's up to you.

Evidence ethics: I HATE power cutting where you pull single words from one sentence and attach to a single word two sentences later and think that is a legit way to cut. If the two sentences are logically linked, then okay. But most power cut cards are atrocious. They often end up being straw arguments or horribly paraphrased. I won't necessarily call for a card myself. This is where I need teams to be proactive. If you suspect bad evidence, call for it in round. Call it out in your speech and request that I look at it at the end of the round.

Calling cards: Yes, include me on an email chain when sharing evidence. When requesting evidence, I will consider prep time to begin once the evidence is received. Please announce when that happens and that you are taking prep. Don't be sneaky.

LD

Although I am a former policy debater, I am not a fan of Kritiks, Theory Shells or ROBs. I prefer debate on the substance of the resolution. So in that respect I consider myself more of a traditional LD judge. However, I am okay with plans and CPs because that totally appeals to my policy debate background. However, if you run a plan or CP, make sure you check the boxes on solvency, topicality, uniqueness, and inherency. Even if your opponent doesn't identify all the problems with your plan/CP, I won't be able to weigh your impacts if I don't believe that your plan is going to get you there.

Please don't just read cards. This is a definite problem I've noticed with progressive debaters trying to adapt to a traditional round. You need to give me some solid warranting so I can effectively weigh your arguments and also so I know you know what you are talking about.

In terms of framework, I will go with whoever makes the best case for theirs. But what I've often found is that the contention level debate ends up fitting many frameworks, so it really comes down to your arguments. However, if you go all in on something like util, make sure you have some terminal impacts for me to see exactly how you benefit the majority or maximize pleasure/minimize pain.

Crystallization and more extensive analytics and voters in the 2AR and 2NR is helpful, especially when the round gets muddy. I don't care as much if you drop an opponent's argument as long as that argument is not effective offense.

I don't believe in tabula rasa judging. If I did, then we could use computers to determine the winner of a round and we wouldn't need human judges. So I WILL cast my own opinion on an argument if I think it makes zero sense or is not well warranted. After all, I am a judge and that's my job. I am going to judge your arguments on their merits. I will extend a solid argument unless your opponent applies some good defense or turns.

I am not a fan of spreading. I am okay with some speed, but if I can't understand you, then it is not going on the flow. Even if I get your case via email, I'm not going to be reading it while you spread. This is a verbal activity and, therefore, I will only flow things that are verbally communicated and what I can hear and understand.

At the end of the day, I'm going to give the win to whoever I think had the most offense at the end of the round.

World Schools

I will judge based on traditional World Schools debating i.e. proper terminology, appropriate use of POIs, persuasive style and rhetoric, good logic and argumentation, and most importantly examples and statistics from around the world if appropriate. You will not win if you try to debate using PF or LD technical arguments, squirreling, or spreading. Do not try to burden opponents with limiting definitions or frameworks.

I'm a parent

This is my 3rd year judging LD, and I have a little experience judging PF. If I get you in a PF round please explain any jargon, I won't have any topic knowledge

Email: rich785d@gmail.com

Add me to the chain

Quick Prefs

1 - trad, low theory

2 - T, LARP

3 - Phil

4 - Ks

s - high theory, Pomo Ks, trix, identity Ks, friv theory

Defaults

• Presumption negates, Permissibility affirms
• Fairness > education
• No RVIs, Competing interps, drop the argument
• Comparative Worlds
• Condo bad

Thoughts

• Tech > truth, but I probably won't vote on anything absurd and my threshold for response is lower the worse an argument is
• Need claim, warrant, impact for everything you read
• Voters at the end of last two speeches
• Condo's probably bad so honestly just read a condo bad shell and I'm probably likely to vote on it
• I'm probably pretty likely to vote on T as long as its articulated well
• Don't read friv theory pls, if you have to ask yourself whether a shell is friv just don't read it
• If you plan on reading dense phil positions please please please explain everything in it extremely well
• I listen to cross but I won't flow, if anything it'll affect your speaks a little but don't worry too much about it
• Signpost everything, it's just good
• I'm fine with spreading it won't affect speaks or anything, but also send the doc and don't expect me to listen

Ks

• I won't understand anything Pomo or complex like Baudrillard or Psycho
• If you wanna read Ks just make it really simple for me and maybe overexplain, I'd probably be fine with setcol, cap, or security but anything else is kinda pushing it tbh

Theory

• I'm fine with most low theory and shells like Espec, Disclo, rlly anything as long as the interp is good
• I won't understand high theory, please don't try to explain it
• No friv

LARP

• Util trutil
• Extinction o/w
• CPs are usually pretty fun if they're well articulated
• Generic DAs are usually good, but unique is cool too

Phil

• Honestly, just overexplain your position and it'll be fine
• If you can't explain it don't read it because I won't get it either

Speaks

25 - 26: You said something offensive

26.1 - 27: Significantly below average, maybe you didn't cwi anything

27.1 - 28: Probably below average, there's definitely some stuff you need to change

28.1 - 29: Average - good, you could break

29.1 - 29.9: Should definitely break, probably one of the best I've seen

30: I've only given one 30 but honestly I'm probably more likely to give one now that I'm more experienced. Probably best I've ever seen debate and your strategic decisions and such were pretty much perfect

I am a lay judge.

I don't mind contestants tracking their own time, buy my timer is the final arbiter.

Please try to speak clearly and with a normal cadence, i.e. try not to speak fast.

Mr. P. J. Samorian
Mr. Samorian is the Communications Department Chair at American Heritage Schools Palm Beach Campus. His teams compete in Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum, Congressional Debate and Individual Speech Events, Worlds School Debate with possible Policy Debate addition. AH Achievements: LD State Champion, Declamation State Champion, Sunvite PF Champion, Emory PF Champion, NSDA/NCFL Finalists in IE and Congress, Grapevine PF Champions, Bronx Congress RR Champion, Blue Key PF and LD Champions, GMU Congress Champion, Blue Key 3rd Place Sweepstakes, NSDA district champions. He is the former Director of Forensics at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. He was the Director of Forensics at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois for 18 years and before that was an Assistant IE Coach at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Illinois under the direction of William (Mark) Ferguson. He coached the NFL Poetry Reading National Champion (1993), NFL Congress(Senate) Runner-Up (2000), ICDA State Congress Champions (2000), IHSA State Congressional Debate Runner-Up (2008), and his team won one of five NCFL Eleanor E. Wright Debate Awards (2009). He has coached finalists and champions at Wake Forest, Grapevine, The Glenbrooks, Blue Key, The Barkley Forum, U.C.Berkeley, Sunvite and Harvard. Mr. Samorian is an NSDA Triple Diamond coach. He holds a B.A. from Northern Illinois University and a M.Ed. from Loyola University Chicago. He attended Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois where he was involved with drama and music. He was involved with hosting five NCFL National Tournaments in Chicago, and was the President of the Chicago Catholic Forensic League and has served on both the Northern Illinois NFL District Committee as well as the IHSA State Debate Committee. He was the director of public forum for Millennial Speech and Debate (Georgetown and Boston College) and was the Co-Director for Public Forum Debate at the Harvard Summer Workshop. He has hosted NSDA webinars on different aspects of congressional debate. He has been the director of public forum at Georgetown as well as teaching and directing programs in Business, Stem, and Debate for Capitol Debate at Notre Dame Baltimore, American University Washington DC, Yale University, Babson College, Dartmouth College, The Hun School. He is currently the PBMSFL Treasurer and serves on the congress TOC advisory committee.

FOR ALL DEBATE EVENTS, the flow is so important. You have to listen and make note of what your opponents are saying. I am flowing, so you should be as well. Then it is important that you DO something with that information.

I am open to any argument you may make and then ask that you support that idea.

If you are going to spread, please sign post and accent key terms you want me to get down on my flow.

I work hard to not let any of my personal opinions have any place in the round.

I prefer that debaters be strong in their conviction but not be abusive in their treatment of others.
I also require you to be truthful. Present accurate evidence. I have been witness to false information and it really bothers me that you would just present it as though it is true and keep going until someone questions it.

Persuade me that you are right and your opponents are not.

I DO NOT SHAKE HANDS AT THE END OF A ROUND (Obviously in person debate) This was posted BEFORE Covid and still applies now.

LINCOLN DOUGLAS
I prefer that contestants stick to the philosophical arguments in the round. It bothers me when LD turns to a plan of action. (With exception of a topic that requires a plan...) While topics are sometimes hard, I am looking for the theory that is supporting what you are saying. To this end, you may consider me "old school" when it comes to LD. Yes, I do think that Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau and others should provide foundation for the direction you are going. That doesn't mean I am not open to other theories and philosophies, however if you do run theory or other arguments, know why you are running them. Please don't run them because you do that at every tournament so you don't have to prep each topic!!! An entire round of arguments not related to the topic will not win my ballot. Ignoring a judge who says "clear" when you are spreading, will not win my ballot. Clear, persuasive arguments will win my ballot. Arguments that are constructed and carried through the debate will win my ballot. Weighing at the end or your final rebuttal could win my ballot. I do not shake hands at the end of a round.

PUBLIC FORUM
I like the original intention of this event that it should be a debate that would take place in a public setting and would have ideas and delivery that any person off the street could understand. To this end, I don't want you to be a policy debater. While I do want structure to what you are saying and evidence to support your ideas, it is the PUBLIC approach that I prefer. Are you clear? Do your points make logical sense? Are you able to persuade me that your side is the side that is best for our current population? I have been extremely bothered in the past few years with students who are falsifying evidence. I judged a semi-final where one team built an entire case around one key piece of evidence. Their opponents called for the evidence during the round, but it was never produced. The judge next to me called for the evidence after the round and sure enough, they were blatantly misquoting the evidence. I have also researched evidence that simply does not exist. Have some integrity. Do the work needed to prepare yourself for the topic. I do not shake hands at the end of a round.

CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE
Yes, I was around when the event was called Student Congress and it has been an honor to have been a part of the evolution of the activity. I think there are many roles that congressional debaters play. To that end, there are many styles of speeches that I enjoy when judging a congress round. The authorship should explain the legislation and set the tone and standard for the round. The first con should be equally as strong. Both should have strong supportive evidence and equally strong explanations. Every speech after that should further debate with new evidence and should also extend or refute previous speakers. For me, politics are a waste of time. That being said, I also don't like it to be a speech competition. It should be a series of debate speeches on both sides so that at the end of debate on each piece of legislation, I have a better idea of the issues and in a sense; I have been persuaded to one side or the other. If you are speaking near the end of the debate, then a top-notch crystallization is in order and very much enjoyed when done well. If you are a presiding officer, I want it to run so smoothly and fairly that I never have to step in. A good PO brings energy to the room and fosters an atmosphere of healthy debate. I enjoy students who have their own unique style and don't just copy what everyone else is doing and saying. Play to your strengths. Recent developments in more complicated scenarios have been interesting as has the development of 30 second questioning periods (direct questioning). Traditional questioning is one question one person, it should not be called indirect questioning.... Congressional Debate is still evolving and I think we should enjoy the growth. Some styles work better than others, but I am not convinced there is just one way to speak or preside. I enjoy some of the regional and league differences. I serve on the TOC Congressional Debate Advisory Committee. I do not shake hands at the end of a round. Can we please put an end to frowning chairs? Congress does not have an equal number of speeches for or against a piece of legislation so why should we. It is natural that one side will have more than the other. So stop frowning. If you cannot extend, refute, or produce new arguments, then don't rehash, vote to move on to the next legislation and speak early on that. EVERYONE SHOULD BE PREPARED ON BOTH SIDES. Then strategically you should choose which side will benefit you the best and speak on that side.

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
I don't think anyone checks the wiki for IE philosophy. LOL I mean, its not like you could change your cutting of speech because I am in the back of the room. IE was my first love and passion. Do well in performance. Be honest and true and you will win me every round. I often write an IE ballot as though I am coaching you. So, if I give you ideas and then see you a month later and have to just write the same exact ballot again, what did you learn and do my notes even matter at that point. IE students often try to read the judge. You can't really read me. I may be writing feverishly to give you as many suggestions for improvement as possible, I may be writing how much I am enjoying every moment, or a may stop writing because I don't have much to say because you are so amazing. I also rank as I go so there is no advantage or disadvantage to your speaking order.

ONLINE SPEECH AND DEBATE - At first, I had enjoyed moving to online speech and debate. I was involved in rules development, ideas for communicating online and framing ideas. I worked all summer with online speech and debate and so understand glitching etc but you also need to make sure no other devices in your home are on and that your framing doesn't include anything moving, like a ceiling fan, as they will detract from the strength of your signal. FOR DEBATE EVENTS, I prefer that you present your speech seated. I think in person standing is fine, but when you stand online we often lose facial expression, gestures are hard to see, walking off camera isn't good, and your voice may drop off. FOR SPEECH EVENTS-For many, ok, most, events you must stand and that is perfectly fine. Have fun and enjoy that we are still able to keep our activity vibrant and growing. 2022 Update - I am tired of being online and I am crossing fingers we will soon return to in person speech and debate. I AM IN FAVOR of students who are finding creative ways to perform online and I am not in favor or adults making new online rules that limit creativity. (Ex: Moving toward or away from the camera for emphasis)

I'm a very lay judge, please say out loud your type of argument, e.g., turn, extend, de-link, non-unique. Don't run theory or K, preferably send your cases 30 minutes before the round to my email or add me to any chain on samantha.sikes@browardschools.com . Explain why your arguments win and your opponents don't. Weighing is the most important part of the round and is how I'll look at the debate. Explain simply the importance of your framework and I'll prefer it. Truth>Tech. No spreading. Like at all.

I want you hear your best arguments, but I need to understand your words to effectively judge you, so read this as I value clarity over speed. Further, I applaud assertiveness but will penalize for aggression as civility is of paramount importance in all debates.

Debaters who can present a strong case with logic and evidence, effectively refuting their opponent's case, and ultimately proving their value set will win. If both debaters are equal on contentions and rebuttals, I decide the round on which value holds up. I expect competitors to connect their contentions and evidence and support material(s) to their value and value criterion. Competitors addressing voting points are important to my decision and I firmly feel that all arguments should clearly connect back to the value and value criterion.

More generically, I look at your entire debate and expect you to prove you are "more right". Provide me a believable, authentic, and logical flow which ends with a a clear articulation as to why you have won the debate (i.e. conclude your argument properly).

Remember, your job is to prepare, listen, adapt, communicate, and persuade.

Ken Williams

passionate listener speaker and leader. I enjoy spirited respectful debates.