Hey guys I am a parent judge and have been judging for about 1 year.

Please speak and a decent pace and make sure your arguments have been made clear. If you speak too fast or not clearly, It will be much harder for me to cast a ballot in your favor. Signposting is extremely important and helps me understand the points you are addressing. I will be casting my ballot based on who is more clear, have a clear flow of thoughts and a proper link chain to follow with. Make sure to have good, relative, and reliable evidence.

I am a parent judge, with little experience (judging), but I have a good understanding of the issues and have watched a number of debate competitions. I expect teams to know the rules and to time themselves.

I will give more weight to Arguments and contentions that make most logical sense.

Go pterosaurs!

I am a new judge, so please talk at a moderate speed and would be looking for both style and substance. Please be kind and nice to yourself and your opponents.

I'm a parent judge with minimal experience. Clarity in communciation/articulating the info will help me digest the info better.

As a parent PF judge, I understand the unique dynamics and challenges of adjudicating Public Forum (PF) debate rounds involving young debaters. My role is to ensure a fair and educational experience for all participants while prioritizing respectful discourse and critical thinking skills development. Below are the guidelines I follow and the expectations I have for debaters in my rounds.

Guidelines:

1. Fairness: Fairness is paramount. I expect debaters to engage in honest argumentation and to refrain from any form of cheating or unfair practices, such as misrepresentation of evidence or spreading misinformation.

2. Respect: Respect for opponents, judges, and the debate space is non-negotiable. I expect debaters to maintain a civil tone throughout the round, avoiding personal attacks or disrespectful language.

3. Clarity: Clear communication is essential. Debaters should articulate their arguments logically and concisely, making it easy for judges to follow their line of reasoning.

4. Evidence: Debaters should provide credible evidence to support their claims. I encourage debaters to cite reputable sources and to analyze the evidence effectively within the context of the debate.

5. Time Management: Debaters must manage their time effectively, ensuring that they use their allotted speaking time efficiently and allowing their opponents equal opportunity to present their arguments.

6. Adaptability: I appreciate debaters who can adapt their strategies and arguments based on their opponents' responses and the flow of the debate round.

7. Engagement: Active engagement with the substance of the resolution is key. Debaters should address the central issues of the debate and respond directly to their opponents' arguments.

8. Sportsmanship: Debaters should display good sportsmanship at all times, accepting defeat gracefully and congratulating their opponents on a well-debated round.

I am a lay judge. I prioritize the strength of your argument, the strength of your evidence, and highly prioritize the clarity of your presentation. Do not overuse jargon, which could potentially negatively impact your performance. Make sure to signpost. If you can speak quickly while maintaining clarity that's perfectly fine. However, if your speed compromises the clarity of your arguments, I strongly advise you to slow down.

I am a first time parent judge. Please speak clearly and make well-rounded arguments with evidence. I want to clearly know why I should vote for you. Please be respectful too.

Consider me a lay judge, but note that I do flow. This is my first year as a judge for Valley Christian, but my fifth year judging in total.

I value evidence backed up in clear warrants, charismatic and not overly aggressive speaking, and thoroughly explained points. The debater who explains and defends two contentions is stronger than one who lets one of their five contentions drop.

I will rarely judge in favor of fast debaters, and never to those who spread.

Debate jargon must be explained unless it’s the usual contention/flow/rebuttal/cross-ex lingo.

I don't flow cross, but it does weigh into my vote. I'll note down any new points brought up, but still state them clearly in your next speech.

As for speaker points, I award highly to speakers who are confident, but deduct for overly aggressive. An easy way to lose speaker points is to yell at your opponent or interrupt them.

Good luck!

My name is Rohit Dharne. I have experience at Toastmasters and other public speaking initiatives.

Having judged a few debates already, here is what I look for;

** Well articulated contentions on each team

** Please have at least 2-3 contentions to debate with

** Speak coherently so that the judge and other participants can clearly hear

** Do not just read out notes. Please engage in eye contact

** Show conviction in your arguments and strengthen them with facts and figures

** Rebuttals need to focus on the points the opposing team puts out and not random facts

** Strong closing

Hey everyone I’m Ms.Stacy, I am an assistant coach at Leland.

Lay Trad judge, Truth>Tech

Please strike me for any theory

I am a California traditional lay judge. I prefer traditional arguments that do not impact out to extinction or nuclear war. Run theory at your discretion, but I am not confident I can evaluate anything progressive. Please speak fairly slowly so I can understand your arguments. If I can’t understand it, it will not be flowed.

Covering the flow completely is important for me. Responses aren’t sticky, so make sure to extend any offense or responses to your final speech. If you obviously drop an argument, that will flow for your opponent. A good debate should include lots of clash. Make sure you signpost on your rebuttals so I know where you are on the flow. In the final rebuttal, make sure to give clear voters and weighing. I like 2Rs which spell out my ballot for me.

Being confident and organized in the round will reflect well on you. Speaking style and content delivery is included in my ballot. Finally, please be respectful to your opponents. Any disrespect will tank your speaks. But most importantly, have fun in round!

If you have any questions refer to my PF paradigm or ask me questions before round.

Here is the paradigm for PF specifically:

Put me on the chain: shaky1832@yahoo.com

Treat me as a lay (less jargon, slower speed, etc.) I did not compete or coach tech-debate a lot so I am still working on understanding the intricacies of PF. Traditional speaking style/content delivery does weigh into my overall perception of the round, make of this what you will. Be fluent and seem passionate about what you are talking about and you will do great!

That being said, I can tell when a response is new. New responses that were not in rebuttal or summary will not be evaluated. I would like to understand the response as you are giving it, not 2 speeches later. As much as I try to be tech>truth, bad response quality, and explanation does still hurt. The same goes for extensions, which take longer than a 5-second speed run in the back half. If I do not understand the argument, I will not vote on it.

Keep advocacies topical. I do not trust myself to evaluate any sort of pre-fiat offense whether it be theory, kritiks, or whatever else. The most I could do is evaluate an evidence IVI if the cut is bad.

Please weigh. I often have a hard time making the “right” decision if I have to evaluate multiple lines of offense with no comparative weighing. If you start the weighing strong and early, it makes the round much easier to evaluate.

Most importantly, remember to have fun!

When judging WSD, I will vote mostly on the rubric, however, the flow does have a place in my overall decision.

I’m a parent judge. Please identify yourselves (Speaker 1, 2) before the round starts.

Speak slowly and clearly and make logical arguments. State evidence to connect your arguments, do not fake your evidence.

Please be professional and respectful of everyone in the room. I have docked points for behavior to the contrary. I will judge a topic based on your power of persuasion alone.

Signpost, please! I try my best to flow the round, and will disregard any new arguments in your summaries or final focus. If something is conceded in cross, it must be brought up again in a speech for it to affect the ballot.

Please clearly weigh to make my judging easier. I would like to see good team balance. For speaker points, I start at 28 and go up or down based on your round.

Please manage the length of your speech, I will allow a maximum of 10 second grace period before it starts to detrimentally impact your points. I’d prefer that you keep track of yours and your opponent’s speech and prep time.

Good luck to you all!

I'm a parent judge, and I have been judging PF, LD, and INTERP for more than 2 years.

I lived in United States since late 1990s, so you can consider me as a native English speaker.

I usually judge the debates based on 3 aspects, the content and logic, the presentation skill, and the techniques during the cross.

I am Zixia Jiang, a parent judge.

• I will try to avoid personal biases or pre-existing knowledge to influence my decisions.
• Please use signposting to state your points.
• Please speak slowly and clearly. Avoid rapid speech (spreading) and minimize the use of debate jargon. Explain any specific terms in plain English.
• I will be taking notes during each speech to keep track of the key arguments and rebuttals.
• In your final speeches, provide a concise summary of the main points you want me to consider when making my decision.
• Be courteous and respectful to each other. Remember, you're here to help each other improve.

I am new to judging speech and debate tournaments. Here are my general preferences across formats: ▪ Use clear pronunciation and speak at moderate rate ▪ Emphasize important points at the end of your speeches ▪ I value and focus on quality of arguments and tend to put substance over style ▪ No personal attacks on your opponent or trying to shut them down or drown them out while they are speaking. Be kind. ▪ Prefer high quality logical analysis and clear and complete claim-warrant-evidence arguments

General

- Try not to spread

- I will time speeches but prefer if you time yourselves

-I like it when people say their time out loud after their speech

-Add me to email chain: drneel77@yahoo.com

-Send me your cases before round so I can follow along

Arguments/Debate

- Signposting is great, helps me follow along with your case

I am a lay parent judge who has judged PF, LD, and various speech events in the past two years. Please do not spread or speak at very fast speeds, speak clearly and slowly so I can catch everything. I can't evaluate any advanced argumentation/theory/Ks, so please avoid it.

Be respectful and have fun!

I am new to judging. My son is in public forum so I am most familiar with that format and its rules. I am analytical by nature and swayed by facts and data rather than emotions. Speak clearly.

I have been judging public forum debates since 2021. Here are my expectations

1. Lay Judge Background: As a lay judge, I am not deeply familiar with the technicalities of competitive debate. Please keep your arguments simple and avoid complex debate jargon.

2. Clarity and Pace: Avoid spreading and maintain a clear, moderate, and comprehensible speaking pace. I may struggle to comprehend points delivered at a high speed.

3. Data-Driven Approach: With my background in engineering, I am inclined towards a data-driven or evidence-based approach. I encourage you to provide solid evidence to support your contentions and to critically challenge your opponent's evidence.

4. Preference for Quantifiable Impacts: I have a preference for arguments with quantifiable impacts. Make sure to clearly articulate how your evidence supports these impacts

Hello, I am a parent judge that has judged in several tournaments in the past.

When speaking:

I look for the speaker to be confident, but not condescending in any way. Please do not spread, I will not accept jargon. If I can't understand what you are saying, I will not be able to take notes. Please be respectful to your opponents at all times.

Argumentation:

I will evaluate arguments based on how clear and effective they are. I will not be persuaded by arguments that are not clearly backed up. I will be voting for the team with stronger arguments and impacts.

Theory:

Please do not introduce theory!

Plans:

Don't introduce any if you are a Public Forum Debater

Best of luck to everyone!

lay

I am new to speech and debate, and have no experience being a speech and debate judge before.

Please speak clearly and at a moderate pace. I will try my best.

Looking forward to the coming events.

General

- Speak as fast as you want, but try not to spread. The words should be clear

- Focus on understanding of the topic and the depth at which one understands a topic

- I can time the speeches but prefer you please time yourselves

- Add me to the email chain: vishwas.manral@gmail.com

- Be respectful - don't say anything racist, homophobic, sexist, ableist, etc.

• Flay/treat me more lay
• Send me your cases

Arguments/ Debate etc.

I don't like progressive debate at all (No Tshells, K's, CPs, tricks, etc.) I will probably end up dropping you if you run it. If you do end up going for it -- please explain to me clearly why it should be a voting issue at the end of the debate.

Squirrelly arguments are ok but you need to actually explain your link VERY clearly or you can't access your impact.

I love when people signpost; it helps me follow along with what you are saying in your speech.

Please make sure that you can your provide evidence to your opponents. If you fail to do so, the argument is dropped.

I prefer off-time roadmaps but keep them brief.

Dropped args should not be brought back into the flow, but point out when your opponents' arguments are dropped. You know the rest of the rules, so please follow them.

As far as framework goes, I am fine with anything as long as you are following your framework. Debating against framework- if the opposing team provides a better framework that works and proves why the other team's framework is irrelevant or etc. then I will consider that. If you run SV you need to tell me why I should prefer that over any default util FW.

You run the show, so show me why you should win this debate. Impact weighing is greatly valued.

I won't flow cross (unless they contradict themselves), but if something big happens, tell me in your speech.

I am fine with disclosing cases as long as both teams are ok with it. If not, then please do not be forceful. (No disclo/para theory)

Speaks usually from 28+

Good luck, be kind, happy debating!

I am a LAY judge.

I want everyone to manage their own time and stay professional. Focus on respectful argumentation! That means not cutting each other off during CX or arguing over each other. Every new term/warrant must be articulated properly for me to evaluate it the way you want. Towards the end of the round, it would help if you told me how to weigh different arguments/impacts in the debate.

I like smooth, organized debates. Signpost in your speech. Ensure you and your partner are coordinated. Make the debate educational, not confrontational. Ensure your speech is structured properly and you stay composed throughout the debate.

Debate with integrity. Have proper evidence. Don't bring up new arguments in the final speech when your opponent can't respond. I keep time and don't need to be reminded if any specific team goes over time.

I am parent judge and this is my first year judging.

Please roadmap in the beginning as it helps me to be organize/follow your arguments and evidences

Kindly speak clearly with normal pace. I have a hard time following and flowing if you speak fast

Do not use debate jargon as it poses risk of. being misunderstood

Hi, I am a first-time parent judge. Please talk slowly and make sure to provide numerical values when weighing.

I prefer bullet points with strong supporting data.

When speaking to the points, please speak in reasonable normal pace instead of rushing so that I can understand your points clearly and judge around it.

I am a parent judge and this will be my first year judging a debate competition.

- Please do not spread.

- I don't understand debate jargons and I will only go by the clarity of the arguments presented and the rebuttal provided.

- Please keep track of time.

- Be respectful and have fun.

I've debated for 7 years and have judged on/off for 4 years.

I will be flowing.

Good luck !

Lay judge

1. Don't and I mean do not spread
2. Don't be rude. I can deal with being assertive, but not with screaming, belittling opponents, eye rolling, head shaking and showing general contempt.

Hi debaters,

I am new to being a judge in speech and debate events, but I will do my best to focus on your performances and be fair over my opinions.

Please keep your speech, questions, and answers reasonably slow and clear which will help me stay with your pace and grasp what you are addressing.

Please keep in mind of given time limits for your turns, and bring up clear questions for cross examinations against information relevant with what the other side's speech mentioned.

All the best and good luck!

Hello! I am a lay judge. Please add me to the email chain: viviensu100@gmail.com

Please speak slowly, make your points clear and easy to understand, and clarify why I should vote for you. The easier the round is to follow and take notes, the easier it is for me to vote. Use clear logic, reasoning, and impacts that are backed by evidence. Be clear about what you are talking about in your speeches. Avoid jargon and non-substance arguments.

Please time yourselves and be respectful to everyone in the round. Please do not cheat, take extra time, or be overly aggressive to your opponents; speaking louder does not make you more persuasive. If your opponent is violating NSDA rules, you should point it out to me. Debate is supposed to be fun and educational.

Assume I have little to no topic knowledge, so you will need to explain to me what it is and clarify things like acronyms and terminology.

For the Nov/Dec 24 topic, please avoid controversial or offensive language or personal opinions relating to Taiwan and China; please remain on topic and remember that everyone has different backgrounds and beliefs. I try to remain unbiased, but saying things like "Taiwan does not exist" will make that very hard for me. Remember that you need to be respectful to your judge as well as to your opponents.

Thank you and good luck all!

I do not have any experience participating in debate tournaments or coaching the students. I have been judging the tournaments for the past one year as a parent volunteer. I have a masters degree, work for a technology company and living in USA for past 20 years. I regularly track various topics such as politics, business, international relations etc., so I have high level idea about the vast majority of debate topics. I have gone through judge training videos, so I have decent understanding on the judging criteria. I try to keep track of the 'flow' of the debate to understand arguments in perspective. I also pay attention to the rules like not bringing in new arguments in the closing/final speeches. Clear, audible, well modulated arguments help me understand and judge better, than trying to pack too much information in the given time. I would encourage the debate arguments to be done in a respectful and polite manner. I pay attention to the level of preparation, depth of the arguments and methodical way presentation. I judge solely based on the material presented in the debate and do not bring in any bias from my personal side. I look at team contribution as a whole than individual performances.

lay parent judge, will take notes

I am a lay judge, so whenever you talk about anything, please make sure that you explain it thoroughly. I know little to nothing about this topic so just keep that in mind.

How I will vote.

1. The first thing that I will take into consideration is whoever proves more convincing to me, whoever proves that the benefits outweigh the harms or that the harms outweigh the benefits.

2. Whoever debates better. I would also vote for a team that refutes all of their opponents points compared to a team that drops all of their opponents points. Whoever keeps their case alive at the end, and destroys their opponents or whoever convinces me to vote for them in this way will definitely earn my ballot.

Not as important but I may include some of this in my decision

1. PLEASE TIME YOURSELVES. For example: If you take like a minute of prep extra and YOUR OPPONENTS POINT THIS OUT TO ME, this will affect my decision. Please use your respective amount of time for speeches, there is a 10 second grace period after every speech, and 3 minutes for prep.

2. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL. Although this is competitive, it is still done for fun. There shall be no disrespect shown to anyone else, as this is a formal setting and must be looked upon as.

3. PLEASE NO SPREADING. IF you do so, I may not catch everything which will affect my decision.

I am a parent judge who has been judging for a couple of years but have a long history of participating and winning speech and debate tournaments.

I value calm cogent coherent arguments over bombastic and aggressive harangue.

Be kind - to yourself and to your opponents.

Be yourself. 

Be the best person you can be.

Be respectful.

Ad hominem arguments are an immediate fail in my book.

I take a dim view of spreading; if I can't understand you, evidently you can't convince me of the soundness of your arguments.

If you are not clear or understandable, I'll call out "Clear!" Please heed it.  I will not be repeating the call more than twice. 

Time: I expect the candidates to time themselves and honor it. But I do keep watch.

If you are using frameworks, define them clearly at the outset.

I appreciate good rebuttals and cross examinations.

Good luck, and most importantly, have fun.

I have been a judging PF from 2018 onwards. I have judged varied tournaments from Novice to Varsity levels.

Present your story clearly.  My preference will be clarity over ambiguity.

I don't mind if you speak fast.

I also weigh based on maturity of the thought, clear communication and metrics relating to your argument

I have served as a judge for debate for four years and I prefer slower speech with proper short pauses.

For congressional debate, I would love to see new arguments that really advance the debate.

For speech, I prefer the structured approach with emphasis and rigor logic.