I believe that every student has the potential to excel in speech and debate.

I look for Students that show hard work and understanding of their IE selections.

I like to see them polished/ no rough drafts

Students should show they have an understanding of the selection they are presenting.

Selection should be entertaining and also have merit.

I have no pref for oratory and info. I want a solid selection with evidence to support it.

virtual should be the same as in person style wise other wise I feel it isn't fair.

teasers should hook us and make us want to listen. intros are for information only and shouldn't be acted out. that is where you get to be you.

blocking and movement is as important a the verbal parts for the performance. they should augment each other

show me interesting characters. subtext and such.

I am not here to judge the author or the choice of selection. I am here to judge the performance.

What are your stylistic preferences for extemp? How much evidence do you prefer? Any preference for virtual delivery?

It's important that the extemp format is followed. I would prefer there be a min. of 2 sources per point. I prefer an AG that you can tie back to during each transition.

What are your stylistic preferences for Oratory/Info? How much evidence do you prefer?

Much like extemp at least 2-3 sources per point. I like the intro to be tied into the subject and your transitions link back to your AG.

Any unique thoughts on teasers/introductions for Interpretation events?

I love teasers! Make sure you intro truly introduce your piece and it isn't too long

Any preferences with respect to blocking, movement, etc.?

I prefer there to be lots of movement and blocking. Help me visualize where you are and who you are talking to.

How do you feel about author's intent and appropriateness of a piece? For example: an HI of Miracle Worker (author's intent) or a student performing mature material or using curse words (appropriateness)?

I'm not ok with vulgar pieces. I am ok with some profanity but not a lot.

WSD Judging

I'm looking for teams who can defend their case and attack their opponents. I expect you to use the proper terms (opp/prop/motions) You will lose points from me if you are rude in anyway. I'm looking for everyone to be good speakers and be able to explain their side in a way that makes sense and convinces me that you should win.

Prepared performances with a well balanced storyline and distinct characters.

Across every event, I value clarity above all else, and genuine, compelling presence right after that. An ideal speaker sound natural, communicates intelligently while using level-appropriate language for the subject at hand, and displays confidence.

In congress, I absolutely despise spreading. Congress is as much a speaking event as a debate event, and as I was never a CX person, I will not understand you if you speak 1000 miles a minute. Please seek to actually communicate with the others in the room, treat them politely and look them in the eye. You only have 3 minutes, so STAY ON TOPIC. Non-topical AGDs do nothing but take up valuable time. Clash is everything to me, also. This doesn't mean giving 1 af speech is a disadvantaged (Please always, always come prepared to give a first speech. There is nothing more embarrassing than having to pause and prep in round, wifi access or no.) but ideally you should present interesting ideas that the other speakers must address. it is QUESTIONING period, not a bickering period. I do not have your ballot open, so making interesting points by prefacing will not help you, but I will note down if you are rude or speaking over the other person in CX. I also take notice of engaged, frequent questioners, and if you reference your other reps answers in your speech that is the holy grail. Also, ask helping questions to help other reps support their point! Not every questioning period involves clash.

For interp and speeches, I want to see the illusion of the first time. Natural, polished, and fluid. Regardless of the nature of your event, I want to see that you are knowledgeable about your central argument, and that you are performing something that you are passionate about.

hi y’all,

my name is david. i’m a sophomore at ut austin and on texas speech.

most of my experience is in PA’s. loved info in high school, but still can judge the interps and extemp. every performance should have an argument/have a purpose.

be confident in your performance. you already up there, so might as well give us a show!

be kind to each other, yourselves and remember speech is supposed to be fun, so have it!!!

if you have a question about a comment on your ballot, email me at dmcervantes2003@icloud.com

Be respectful and mindful of what you are saying and who your audience is.

I believe that every student has the potential to excel in speech and debate. I believe that constructive criticism is how we get better, and after reflecting it, it helps to push us to our next best performance.

IE:

I look for Students to show the hard work into their selection. (are you memorized, is the character fleshed out?)

I like to see polished pieces (not rough drafts)

Students should show they have an understanding of the selection they are presenting, by delivering a thoughtful introduction for their piece.

Selection should be entertaining and also have merit.

I want to be able to sit back and watch you tell your story.

Author's intent is important, we should use our selections to tell the story the author has intended.

Exempt:

Please provide an roadmap that organizes your speech in your intro, tell us where we are going and then support it in the subparagraphs, be sure to use scholarly sources to support your assertions.

I believe that every student has the potential to excel in speech and debate. I believe that constructive criticism is how we get better, and after reflecting it, it helps to push us to our next best performance.

IE:

I look for Students to show the hard work into their selection. (are you memorized, is the character fleshed out?)

I like to see polished pieces (not rough drafts)

Students should show they have an understanding of the selection they are presenting, by delivering a thoughtful introduction for their piece.

Selection should be entertaining and also have merit.

I want to be able to sit back and watch you tell your story.

Author's intent is important, we should use our selections to tell the story the author has intended.

Exempt:

Please provide an roadmap that organizes your speech in your intro, tell us where we are going and then support it in the subparagraphs, be sure to use scholarly sources

Overall (Speech):Speech is a game of engagement with the audience, and your efforts should be towards engaging the audience with the message of your piece. My ranks are always based primarily on this. Of course, there are many tools to engage an audience, and your choice to use them and your effectiveness with them will vary.

Oral Interpretation: In interpretation events (HI, DI, DA, DUO, POI, PR, PO), I am looking for a performance that creates a significant personal or social meaning from the literature chosen. I am also looking for a performance that shows emotional and tonal complexity and a range that is both suitable for the piece and is demonstrative of the skills of the interper.

There should also be intentionality in the decisions made in the interpretation of the piece. For example, all the blocking employed in the piece should have a purpose and should not seem haphazardly included in the performance. This also goes for what is included in the cutting of the piece, for the words spoken, the emotions, sound effects, etc. conveyed should all contribute to the message you are trying to convey in your interpretation.

Public Address: In Public Address or Platform events (IX/FX, USX/DX, OO, INFO), I am looking for speeches that add novelty and insight to the topic of the speech. Making the topic relevant and understandable to a general audience is necessary for success in these speeches.

Speeches in these categories are more effective and engaging when they employ a variety of pacing and tone that convey to the audience the significance and emotional stakes of the points you make. On top of clear speaking and style, one needs to create the engagement for the audience with their voice through these tools. In general a conversation

Speeches should be well organized and easy to follow for the audience. They should have clear but original signposting to help the audience keep track of where they are in the speech.

Lincoln-Douglas:

I'm a speech coach, and this is not my preferred event. That being said, I am rather traditional when it comes to judging LD with heavy emphasis on the battle of values and achievement of the value criterion through your use of your evidence.

I have some debate experience through high school, but consider me more of a lay/UIL circuit judge.

Speed is okay if you are understandable, but I should not have to read along to understand you, if I can't flow it, it didn't happen. Elements of progressive debate such as theory and K are fine but have to be well justified within the context of the debate, otherwise, I'm not sure it'll make it to my flow.

Speaks are awarded on quality of debate based on speaking and presentation with 28 being the average debate performance, lower being, well, lower, and being among the best I've seen will be awarded a 29-29.5. If you are somewhere in between you will be awarded somewhere in between.

Hello! My name is Anastasia, and I'm primarily a speech judge who dabbles in debate events. I competed in high school and now compete for Texas Speech at the University of Texas at Austin.

OO/INFO

I'll make my decisions based on a combination of content and delivery. Does your topic have significance, and if so, how effectively do you communicate that? If you're giving us solutions, I'm looking for something tangible, rather than blanket statements that diminish your argument. Don't throw away the work you did establishing the importance of your topic with implications/solutions that aren't well-thought-out. As for visual aids, I appreciate creativity as long as the visual supplements your argument in some meaningful capacity. Have fun with your speech! This is a showcase of your research and knowledge on the topic and that is certainly reflected in your performance.

Extemp/Impromptu

I rank on the competitor's ability to answer the question and conduct an adequate analysis of each main point. While delivery is important, the content is most important. Are you giving me the names of people, places, events/etc.? Specificity is appreciated in extemp. I'm also not a huge fan of examples/AGDs that aren't based in reality (i.e. a SpongeBob AGD). Why should I care about the analysis if it's not rooted in the real world?

Interp

A good interp is dependent on how well the performer can embody their character. Are the decisions being made in your performance motivated by the character and their story? How well can the performer follow the rising action/climax/falling action in their piece? I also appreciate attention to the argument you're making with your piece across all interps, not just POI. What does your piece selection say to the audience?

I believe that every student has the potential to excel in speech and debate. I believe that constructive criticism is how we get better and after reflecting it, it helps to push us to our next best performance.

IE:

I look for students to show the hard work into their selection. (are you memorized, is the character fleshed out?) IO like to see polished pieces (not rough drafts). Students should show they have an understanding of the selection they are presenting, by delivering a thoughtful introduction for their piece. Selection should be entertaining and also have merit.

I want to be able to sit back and watch you tell your story. Author's intent is important, we should use our selections to tell the story the author has intended.

Extemp:

Please provide a roadmap that organizes your speech in your introduction, tell us where we are going and then support it in the subparagraphs, be sure to use scholarly sources to support your assertions.