I am a parent judge and fairly new to judging debate.

General Preferences

Please keep track of speech and prep time yourself and for your opponent.

Please talk slowly and clearly to better help me understand your arguments-Quality over quantity.

I like arguments that are logical and explained clearly. Examples are helpful.

I value cross-examination skills. Being able to think on your feet and attack an opponent's case can help win the round.

Please be civil towards your opponent. I do not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia...you get the picture.

I am a parent judge, physician by profession.

Looking forward to listening to well planned speeches with a good hook, structure and conclusion , clearly spoken sentences delivered at conversational speed.

Good luck !

I like a nicely structured debate. Making the framework and definitions clear is important. However, I do not like for this to carry on. Make the structure clear and move on. You should not still be debating what the framework is in your last rebuttals.

I look for quality sources, not quantity

Debates that build off each other are the best. Don't debate at me, debate with your opponent.

I also look for speaking style. Since I am primarily a speech judge, I take speaking skills into account. Mumbling, speaking monotonously, over using hand movements, and stumbling will rank you lower.

Lastly, I just want the argument to make sense. Don't give me a convoluted, overly complex argument. Make it make sense.

I care most about students being effective speaker. Spreading or cramming in as much information as possible will not be the reason you win and will most likely inhibit your ability to win. Being an effective speaker that effectively conveys their arguments, points out flaws in their opponent's case, and is a persuasive speaker with strong rhetoric skills will bode well.

For debate: I consider myself a flow judge, I did PF debate in high school and went to NSDA and CFL nationals a couple times.

I do put emphasis on the flow because of what it represents - the ability to track arguments and build upon them in each case, as well as the ability to combat your opponents points. Note however, the purpose of the flow isn't to just tally up arguments at the end and vote on whoever has the most arguments, rather to track arguments made so they can be weighed. How arguments are weighed depends on how well you communicate their impact in round, as well as how well you explain causal links. Frameworks are important as well, as how an argument is viewed depends on the lens with which you decide to view it.

Any racist, transphobic, misogynistic, homophobic, etc. comments or arguments will be penalized. Please be respectful of each other and be kind, the goal of debate isn't to showcase how smart you are but rather how well you can communicate your ideas and convince others that your ideas are right. Discourse is a key aspect of this, and you cannot have fruitful discourse while disrespecting each other.

My email is acloud@rthighschool.org, please feel free to reach out to me after the round with comments or if you want to see my copy of the flow.

NSDA endorsed speech coach.

For speech: I view judging speech events the same way that I view casting a play or musical. I have a problem: determining who is the best competitor in the event. The competitors have the solution. Be confident. Make a choice - even if it's not a great one. Present the best of yourself and your skills in that moment. Much like theatre, I want to see a well rehearsed piece with the "illusion of the first time."

I will strive to provide you with positives and areas for improvement.

For debate, I am looking for a clear, logical argument and line of reasoning, well supported with unquestionable sources. Deliver with the skills and confidence of a speech competitor. Solid counterarguments and a good defense/response to questioning moves you ahead in the rankings.

Be engaging and creative. Please do not be over-the-top with your expressions. I will take off if you speak too fast or I can't understand what you're saying.

Philosophy Overview: In evaluating Lincoln-Douglas debates, I prioritize clear, logical argumentation supported by evidence and reasoning. I value debaters who engage respectfully with their opponents and the topic, showing a deep understanding of the issues at hand. Speaking with speed is fine, but make sure your points are clear and understandable.

Framework: debaters should establish a clear value criterion and framework that logically supports their case. They should use this framework to guide their arguments and demonstrate how their case upholds the value criterion better than their opponent's.

Contentions: Debaters should present well-structured contentions that are supported by evidence and reasoning. I value depth over breadth, so I prefer to see fewer, more developed arguments rather than a large number of shallow ones.

Rebuttal: In rebuttals, debaters should directly engage with their opponent's arguments, pointing out flaws in reasoning or evidence. I value responsive arguments that adapt to the opponent's case rather than pre-scripted responses.

Cross-Examination: Cross-examination should be used to clarify arguments and expose weaknesses in the opponent's case. I value respectful and productive cross-examinations that focus on substance rather than trying to score points.

Speaker Points: I will award speaker points based on clarity, persuasiveness, and strategic thinking. I value debaters who can communicate their arguments effectively and engage with the audience.

Final Thoughts: Overall, I am looking for debaters who can think critically, communicate clearly, and engage with the topic and their opponents in a meaningful way.

Rachel Mauchline

Durham Academy, Assistant Director of Speech and Debate

Previously the Director of Forensics and Debate for Cabot

she/her pronouns

TL;DR

Put me on the email chain @ rachelmauchline@gmail.com

speed is fine (but online lag is a thing)

tech over truth

Policy

I typically get preferred for more policy-oriented debate. I gravitated to more plan focused affirmatives and t/cp/da debate. I would consider myself overall to be a more technically driven and line by line organized debater. My ideal round would be a policy affirmative with a plan text and three-seven off. Take that as you wish though.

Lincoln Douglas

I've judged a variety of traditional and progressive debates. I prefer more progressive debate. But you do you... I am happy to judge anything as long as you defend the position well. Refer to my specific preferences below about progressive arguments. In regards to traditional debates, it's important to clearly articulate framework.

Public Forum

weighing.... weighing.... weighing.

I like rebuttals to have clear line by line with numbered responses. 2nd rebuttal should frontline responses in rebuttal. Summary should extend terminal defense and offense OR really anything that you want in final focus. Final focus should have substantial weighing and a clear way for me to write my ballot. It's important to have legitimate evidence... don't completely skew the evidence.

Here are my specific preferences on specific arguments if you have more than 5 mins to read this paradigm...

Topicality

I enjoy a well-articulated t debate. In fact, a good t debate is my favorite type of debate to judge. Both sides need to have a clear interpretation. Make sure it’s clearly impacted out. Be clear to how you want me to evaluate and consider arguments like the tva, switch side debate, procedural fairness, limits, etc.

Disadvantages/Counterplans

This was my fav strat in high school. I’m a big fan of case-specific disadvantages but also absolutely love judging politics debates- be sure to have up to date uniqueness evidence in these debates though. It’s critical that the disad have some form of weighing by either the affirmative or negative in the context of the affirmative. Counterplans need to be functionally or textually competitive and also should have a net benefit. Slow down for CP texts and permutations- y’all be racing thru six technical perms in 10 seconds. Affirmative teams need to utilize the permutation more in order to test the competition of the counterplan. I don’t have any bias against any specific type of counterplans like consult or delay, but also I’m just waiting for that theory debate to happen.

Case

I believe that case debate is under-covered in many debates by both teams. I love watching a case debate with turns and defense instead of the aff being untouched for the entire debate until last ditch move by the 2AR. The affirmative needs to continue to weigh the aff against the negative strat. Don't assume the 1AC will be carried across for you throughout the round. You need to be doing that work on the o/v and the line by line. It confuses me when the negative strat is a CP and then there are no arguments on the case; that guarantees aff 100% chance of solvency which makes the negative take the path of most resistance to prove the CP solves best.

Kritiks

I’ll vote for the k. From my observations, I think teams end up just reading their prewritten blocks instead of directly engaging with the k specific to the affirmative. Be sure you understand what you are reading and not just read a backfile or an argument that you don’t understand. The negative needs to be sure to explain what the alt actually is and more importantly how the alt engages with the affirmative. I judge more K rounds than I expect to, but if you are reading a specific author that isn’t super well known in the community, but sure to do a little more work on the analysis

Theory

I’ll vote for whatever theory; I don’t usually intervene much in theory debates but I do think it’s important to flesh out clear impacts instead of reading short blips in order to get a ballot. Saying “pics bad” and then moving on without any articulation of in round/post fiat impacts isn’t going to give you much leverage on the impact level. You can c/a a lot of the analysis above on T to this section. It’s important that you have a clear interp/counter interp- that you meet- on a theory debate.

This is my first year judging in Speech and Debate Competitions, so I am a Lay Judge.

What I am looking for in a debate:

-Clear arguments supported by proper and reliable evidence and analysis

-Speaker should respect the opponent at all times

-The speaker should notify the judge when they will start their arguments

-DO NOT SPREAD

-Both sides should tell me how to weigh the round

-Quality over Quantity

This is my second year as a judge. I have judged Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas debate events, both at the novice and varsity levels. I have also judged multiple speech events, including Extemp, Impromptu, HI, DI, etc. at the novice and varsity levels.

For Debate competitors:

My preference is for the debaters to speak slowly and clearly. It's better to have lesser but more impactful statements, rather than to cram in too much information all at once that doesn't flow properly. Debaters should also take advantage of the prep time available to them, instead of rushing into things.

Start with an off-time roadmap, in order to clearly describe what you will be speaking about and to keep yourself organized. Also summarize your key points in the beginning... and at the end. "Tell me what you're going to tell me, then tell me, and then tell me what you just told me."

Don't spread, as it tends to put you at a disadvantage with me as a judge and with your opponent who can use your spreading to attack you. Enjoy yourself, and be respectful to your opponent and your judge.

For Speech competitors:

Based on your event, take advantage of your opportunities to show emotion, changing of voice tones, gestures, and overall personification. Use roadmaps when appropriate, and speak clearly and slowly. Don't forget to clearly and accurately state the question / topic / title in your intro and in your conclusion, and summarize your answer / key points in your intro and conclusion.

Hello All. My name is Madhungi Vaidyanathan. I am judging speech for this and upcoming tournaments. I have judged Lincoln-Douglas debate in the past, and I am excited to judge speech for the first time as well. Here are some of the criteria I look for when evaluating rounds and finalizing ballots:

1. Speak slowly and clearly. This I value most important.

2. Make your speech encouraging. I value speeches with deep thought and articulation put into it.

3. Be polite. I do not encourage foul behavior.

4. Follow the event/round's rules. I will be directly scoring based off of the instructions given to me, so it would be easier if you stick to the rules of the round, for both you and me.

5. Try to make complex language more easier to understand with your speaking method. No matter how complex the word is, it would be helpful to convey it in an understandable way so that I can understand what you are saying.

Overall, I am very willing to meet the competitors and hear your speeches. I hope to learn a lot from your speeches (and make my day more interesting, lol!) at the competition. Wishing a good luck to everyone, I will see you soon.

Please introduce yourself with your name and preferred pronouns.

Hi, I am a parent judge and new to judging.

• Please speak and enunciate clearly, I generally do not like spreading.
• If you have a document for your speech, send it to me! I'd prefer not to miss anything.
• Keep track of your own speech times, I would not like to cut you off.
• Don't assume previous knowledge, if you'd like me to know something, tell me.