Last changed on
Fri September 17, 2021 at 1:50 PM EDT
I am a judge of high school debate. I debated for 3 years (PF,LD,Impromptu,Extemp,O.O., WSD). Debate the best way you can, give adequate analysis and deliver with persuasiveness. Voting usually involves, but is not limited to, Framework, Rhetoric, & Argumentation.
Speed: I can't flow circuit-level speed and pushing that limit won't make me more likely to vote for you. I can flow fast conversational pace. Err on the side of not spreading.
Saying “My partner will bring that up in a later round”/“I will bring up evidence to affirm/deny ...”/any other variation makes sense as time is limited. However, make sure that the points or evidence is actually brought up.
IMPACTS > Other stuff. Evidence is great, but don’t read a card to me. Apply that. Abstract impacts are okay, but quantification of those will also be heavily preferred.
Being the loudest doesn't mean you're winning. It means you're loud. Debate is at the end of the day, civil discourse.
Being witty or making puns is great. These are very serious topics, but a big part of debate is persuasion. If you're serious the entire time, monotone, and boring, it will be hard to convince me to vote for you.
Overall- I like good argumentation, good rhetoric, and some clash. These will get you points. Signposting, well-constructed arguments, with properly linked evidence will get you points as well. Being rude, spreading, weak arguments that don’t get defended, and poorly linked evidence will cause you to lose points.