1. Weigh!! This isn't just telling me "we outweigh on scope, magnitude, etc" but also offering an explanation. You need to establish the comparative between your world vs. your opponent's world.

2. Please signpost!! If I don't know where it goes on the flow, it's going to be super difficult for me to consider the argument in my decision (and I just won't write it down). To that point, make sure when you extend cards, you don't just say "Extend the Smith card." You need to tell me what Smith says and why the card is important.

3. I really don't want (or need) an off-time roadmap.

4. I don't flow cross so if something important is said please bring it up in another speech. Let your opponents answer the question and don't be rude.

5. If you want me to actually vote off your link turn, you need to explain the impact of it in sum/FF.

6. Quality > Quantity. Cards are important but I also think creating a narrative and establishing the comparative is important as well. Just giving me all these cards with no explanation forces me to do the comparison for you, which I don't like doing.

7. I'm noticing that theory and Ks are becoming more common in PF. I'm really unfamiliar with them, and PF isn't really the type of debate for kritiks/theory in my opinion. I won't evaluate any theory/K's in my decision (unless I absolutely have to).

I am a parent judge, who has some experience judging public forum rounds. I like a few things in a speaker.

For the First Speaker:

When presenting your case to me, I would like you to speak clearly and slowly. If you start speaking too fast, I'll stop flowing. Make sure that you're emphasizing what contention you're on and organize your case by subpoints, making it easier for me to flow your case.

For the Second Speaker:

When you are rebutting your opponent's case, make sure that you tell me what on their case you are responding to, and I would prefer you to go down the flow. If you do something else, tell me in an off time roadmap. Also, clash is very important in a round so I would like to see a lot of it from you.

During your final focus, I would like to hear Impact calc and why you win the round. Your impacts should be resolutional. Also tell me the reasons why you should win.

Cross Ex:

I want you to be respectful to your opponent. I don't care about where you're facing, either me or your opponent. During Grand CX, teams can either stand up or sit down.

CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE

As a Congressional debate judge, I am listening for fervor, passion, and rhetorical integrity. Students who begin or lapse into reading their speeches will not receive high marks from me - extemporaneous speaking is key here with ideas presented in flavorful tones without the monotone elements that derive from reading a series of sentences. The proficient asking and answering of questions is key to receiving a high score from me. I listewnt to your words and expect clear pronunciation, medium pace, and enlivened debater from you and your peers. Once the session has ended, please accept my 'virtual high five' as a response to your gestures of 'thank you for judging' mantra.

DEBATE

I am primarily a tabula rasa judge, adjudicating arguments as presented in the round. Theoretical arguments are fine as long as they contain the necessary standards and voting issue components. I am not a huge fan of the kritik in PF and tend to reside in that camp that believes such discussions violate the legitimacy of tournament competitions; that being said, I will entertain the argument as well as theoretical counter arguments that speak to its legitimacy, but be forewarned that shifting the discussion to another topic and away from the tournament-listed resolution presents serious questions in my mind as to the respect owed to teams that have done the resolutional research deemed appropriate by the NSDA.

I am adept at flowing but cannot keep up with exceptionally fast-paced speaking and see this practice as minimizing the value of authentic communication. I will do my best but may not render everything on the flow to its fullest potential. Please remember that debate is both an exercise in argumentation as well as a communication enterprise. Recognizing the rationale behind the creation of public forum debate by the NSDA underscores this statement. As a result, I am an advocate for debate as an event that involves the cogent, persuasive communication of ideas. Debaters who can balance argumentation with persuasive appeal will earn high marks from me. Signposting, numbering of arguments, crystallization, and synthesis of important issues are critical practices toward winning my ballot, as are diction, clarity, and succinct argumentation. The rationale that supports an argument or a clear link chain will factor into my decision making paradigm.

RFD is usually based on a weighing calculus - I will look at a priori arguments first before considering other relevant voters in the round. On a side note: I am not fond of debaters engaging with me as I explain a decision; that being said, I am happy to entertain further discussion via email, should a situation warrant. Also, Standing for speeches is my preference.

Qualifications

None.

Updated PF Paradigm

Hello. I am a fairly inexperienced debate judge. I value clearly articulated contentions that are well supported with evidence. If you are going to talk fast I need to be able to understand what you are saying. Please avoid using debate terms or acronyms that a lay judge like me may not know. I will vote on what is said, rather than make inferences as to what you meant to say, so the more explicit in linking evidence to your arguments the better. Lastly, in your final focus I will vote on what you tell me so please clearly weigh impacts.

Tips toward securing my ballot:

· No one wants to see another debate like the 2008 P.F. Bronx semis

· If you’re going to run a logical fallacy please make it strong enough so that your opponents cannot identify & respond to it.

· ABSOLUTELY no Nietzscheism(s)

· Please refrain from overstaying your welcome in crossfire…

Hello,

First and foremost, I believe that Public Forum is a competitive speaking event. So while persuasive argumentation skills are essential to the event, clear and concise speaking are also highly valued. I can flow and understand quick speakers, but there is a limit to what the human ear and brain can comprehend so be wary of spreading. I also appreciate when a team provides clear signposts (i.e. when responding to an opponent's argument, clearly state which argument you are attempting to refute). Two quick side notes: 1) I don't flow the names associated with your evidence so don't just say the "John Smith" evidence (make sure you extend the warrants) and 2) I DO NOT need an off time road map unless you are attempting something out of the ordinary.

Frameworks/Weighing

If teams do not provide a clear framework or any weighing mechanisms, I will judge under a simple cost/benefit analysis. If a team provides a weighing mechanism and it goes unresponded to in the round, I will assume their opponents agree with it. This doesn't mean the team that provided it will automatically win the round as their opponent's arguments / evidence could better fit the criteria.

Winning the Round

I prefer quality over quantity. If your case has 4 to 6 contentions, I highly doubt you give enough analysis to support each of those (and I don't value teams that throw in contentions just to distract opponents or waste time in the round). If you want to win my vote: your case should contain well-research and supported contentions with analysis of HOW your evidence supports your claims; your rebuttal should attempt to refute ALL of your opponent's contentions (if you don't respond to an argument, I'll assume you agree); you should provide clear links to impacts (I am not impressed by long, incoherent link chains); and you should provide a weighing mechanism to tell me WHY you believe you've won the round.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me before the round begins.

Lynne Coyne, Myers Park HS, NC. 20+ years experience across formats

GENERAL COMMENTS

I have coached debate, and been a classroom teacher, for a long time. I feel that when done well, with agreed upon “rules of engagement”, there is not a better activity to provide a training ground for young people.

Debate rounds, and subsequently debate tournaments, are extensions of the classroom. While we all learn from each other, my role is parallel to that of an instructor. I will evaluate your performance. I see my role as to set a fair, but stringent, set of expectations for the students I am judging. At times, this means advancing expectations that I feel are best for the students and, at times, the broader community as well. I see myself as a critic of argument , or in old school policy lingo, a hypothesis tester. The resolution is what I vote for or against, rather than just your case or counterplan, unless given a compelling reason otherwise.

Below please find a few thoughts as to how I evaluate debates.

1. Speed is not a problem. In most of the debates I judge, clarity IS the problem not the speed of spoken word itself. I reserve the right to yell “clear” once or twice…after that, the burden is on the debater. I will show displeasure… you will not be pleased with your points. Style and substance are fundamentally inseparable but I recognize that low point wins are often a needed option, particularly in team events. The debater adapts to the audience to transmit the message-not the opposite. I believe I take a decent flow of the debate.

2. I generally dislike theory debates littered with jargon (exception is a good policy T debate that has communication implications and standards—if you’ve known me long enough this will still make you shake your head perhaps). Just spewing without reasons why an interpretation is superior for the round and the activity is meaningless. Disads run off the magical power of fiat are rarely legitimate since fiat is just an intellectual construct. I believe all resolutions are funadamentally questions of WHO should do WHAT--arguments about the best actor are thus legitimate. I am not a person who enjoys random bad theory debates and ugly tech debates. I judge debates based on what is said and recorded on my flow--not off of shared docs which can become an excuse for incomprehensibilty. I look at cards/docs only if something is called into question.

3. Evidence is important. In my opinion debates/comparisons about the qualifications of authors on competing issues (particularly empirical ones), in addition to a comparison of competing warrants in the evidence, is important. Do you this and not only will your points improve, I am likely to prefer your argument if the comparison is done well. All students should have full cites for materials.

4. I am not a “blank state”. I also feel my role as a judge is to serve a dual function of rendering a decision, in addition to serving a role as educator as well. I try not to intervene on personal preferences that are ideological, but I believe words do matter. Arguments that are racist, sexist, homophobic etc will not be tolerated. If I see behaviors or practices that create a bad, unfair, or hostile environment for the extension of the classroom that is the debate round, I will intervene.

The ballot acts as a teaching tool NOT a punishment.

5. Answer questions in cross-examination/cross-fire. Cross-ex is binding. I do listen carefully to cross – ex. Enter the content of CX into speeches to translate admissions into arguments. Do not all speak at once in PF and do allow your partner to engage equally in grand cross fire.

6. Debating with a laptop is a choice, if you are reading from a computer I have three expectations that are nonnegotiable:

A) You must jump the documents read to the opposition in a timely manner (before your speech or at worse IMMEDIATELY after your speech) to allow them to prepare or set up an email chain.

B) If your opponent does not have a laptop you need to have a viewing computer OR surrender your computer to them to allow them to prepare. The oppositions need to prep outweighs your need to prep/preflow in that moment in time.

C) My expectation is that the documents that are shared are done in a format that is the same as read by the debater that initially read the material. In other words, I will not tolerate some of the shenanigan’s that seem to exist, including but not limited to, using a non standard word processing program, all caps, no formatting etc..

7. Weighing and embedded clash are a necessary component of debate. Good debaters extend their arguments. GREAT debaters do that in addition to explaining the nexus point of clash between their arguments and that of the opposition and WHY I should prefer their argument. A dropped argument will rarely alone equal a ballot in isolation.

8. An argument makes a claim, has reasoning, and presents a way to weigh the implications (impacts). I feel it takes more than a sentence (or in many of the rounds I judge a sentence fragment), to make an argument. If the argument was not clear originally, I will allow the opponent to make new arguments. If an argument is just a claim, it will carry very little impact.

POLICY

At the NCFL 2023 I will be judging policy debate for the first time in a decade. Here is the warning: I know the generic world of policy, but not the acronyms, kritiks, etc., of this topic. You need to slow down to make sure I am with you. As in all forms of debate, choice of arguments in later speeches and why they mean you win not only the argument, but the round, is important. If you are choosing to run a policy structured argument in another format--better be sure you have all your prima facia burdens met and know the demands of that format.

Choose. No matter the speech or the argument.

Please ask me specific questions if you have one before the debate.

Parent Judge.

Please be respectful of one another. Assertiveness is fine but being rude or using inappropriate language will result in losing the round. The most important things are to use debate to get better at speaking and thinking and to have fun while doing so.

Please maintain a conversational speed - speaking extemely quickly only hurts you because I won't be able to write down your argument. Don't use excessive jargon with me, I only have basic knowledge of debate and I won't understand it.

I will *try* to take notes on the round. Make it easier for me by signposting every response, warranting explicitly, and extending with warrants in every speech. If something is important, let me know. Point out concessions.

Do not try any progressive argumentation or theory on me; I won't understand it and won't be able to vote for you.

I look for the strongest impact and then determine which team has the strongest link into it.

Tech > Truth, time your own prep, and I DON'T disclose -- good luck!

If you have any questions before or after the round, feel free to ask. JWElias97@gmail.com

Build a unique narrative and it’s a dub.

Find the easiest path to the ballot.

I’ve always thought of summary and final focus as an alley-oop. You pass your partner all the cards they need for final focus, and hopefully they slam it home.

Voters at the end would help me a lot, and please extend author names along with the ideas they convey. That will help me flow and communicate RFD better.

Hello, Greetings !!!

I am a parent judge and have some experience judging public forum debate format. I am aware of incredible time & effort debaters put in for preparation and how much they value and look for judge's feedback. I would like to be fair in judging and would suggest following,

1. Speak Clear,loud, confident and concise.
2. Speed - Like medium so that i can flow. No spreading.
3. Please do not bring up new arguments in Summary and Final Focus. Extend your arguments and collapse in Summary and FF.
4. Do not personally attack or use offensive language towards your opponent. I expect this to be a sportive and enjoyable experience.
5. Stick to the time limits.
6. I expect clear evidence and warranting when supporting arguments.
7. Voters - If you want me to vote for you, please make it clear what arguments you are winning on.

Good Luck debating !!!

TLDR: I like when people are kind and have fun. It's cool to be smart but it's even cooler to be kind. Talk to me like a human, make a compelling argument and I'll listen. I am not a robot and will not vote on some concept of the flow simply because it exists, but complex arguments (when explained well) are great to hear and impressive to observe.

email if needed for evidence stuff: cal8371953@gmail.com

I have some general expectations for round:

1.) Important stuff in Final Focus needs to be in Summary. You can clarify analysis present in the round and explain the warrants/links already extended in summary, but there should be no new warrants/impacts that are key to the round. A good rule of thumb is that the earlier I am able to hear/comprehend an argument, and the more you explain the argument, the more likely it is for me to vote for the argument. Even in front of "flow" judges I believe there is an advantage to the "narrative" style of debate (even when combined with line-by-line).

2.) Make sure to weigh in round. The easiest way for me to decide a round is if you are creating a clear comparative between your opponents arguments and your own. Many rounds I have to intervene and do work for the teams as they don't tell why their arguments are more important than their opponents. If teams don't weigh, I tend to give more credence to the first speaking team as they are still somewhat disadvantaged.

4.) Racist, xenophobic, sexist, classist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, and other oppressive discourses have no place in the debate community (and really any community).

5.) Progressive argumentation if accessible is cool but I haven't judged in a while and it'd be a big risk to run in front of me.

Don't forget to have fun in round and be kind! It's cool to be smart but it's even cooler to be kind.

Speed: I debated all throughout high school so I am fine with speed within reason (i.e. don’t spread)

Cross: Let your opponent answer the question. There is a difference between being aggressive and being rude. I'll take off speaks if I think you've crossed a line.

Rebuttal: If you’re speaking second you don’t have to frontline in rebuttal. You can, but don’t sacrifice making responses to the opponent’s case just to do it. Also, card dumps are less effective than giving a few very logical responses so I would prefer for you to stay away from them if possible.

Summary: I was a first speaker so I think summary is the most important speech in the round. I would strongly prefer that terminal defense is in both summaries, but if it isn’t in the first I will live. Frontlining, however, is not a preference. If you don’t frontline I will flow their responses through and probably drop the argument. This is especially important for turns - if a turn is unresponded to it is offense for the other team and a reason to vote for them. Lastly, you must weigh in summary.

Final Focus: If it isn’t in summary it should not be in final focus. Also, weigh.

Other: I don't flow cross, so if something important happens in cross please bring it up in another speech.

I am an experienced public forum debater from North Carolina and also debated on the national circuit several times.

Edit: If I am judging LD, just apply what I wrote here for PF for your LD round. I do not know the timings of speeches so please time yourself. I'd rather not focus on keeping time and would like to focus on flowing.

Things to look out/consider while debating.

- I can handle fast speaking but if it is so fast that I can't understand, I won't flow it. I would prefer speaking slower than faster

- NO SPREADING

- Anything that was said in final focus must be extended from summary otherwise I won't vote off of it.

- PLEASE GIVE ME VOTERS. I will only vote for you where you tell me to vote. Even if the argument that you want me to vote off of is absurd, I will sign the ballot for you if there is no response, conceded, or flat out won.

- Signpost where you are going, ESPECIALLY IN SUMMARY. If you are going to give me a big picture summary, let me know before you start what side of the flow the extensions are on. If you are giving me a down the flow summary, give me a roadmap on where you are starting and where you will go to.

- Evidence. When reading evidence in case, slow down while saying the author's name or publisher so I can correctly identify it when it is extended later in the round. Paraphrasing cards is ok but do not take it out of context. If a card is called and is deemed to be incorrect from what was said in round, tell me to call for the card and stress it. I will call for it if it is an important card in the round. Do not tell me to call for the card if it actually says what is said, I will drop you for wasting my time.

Please have your evidence pulled up in a timely manner when pulled up. I understand that it takes time to sort through many different files to find the right card, but if it takes way longer than it should, I will drop the card.

- WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH. If you do not tell me why your side is more important when both sides have offense extended, I will have to use my own cost-benefit analysis to determine which is the best outcome. Don't just tell me that the long term is more important than the short term, explain why. Even if you tell me that econ is more important than lives, I will buy it as long as you tell me why this is true.

- Lastly, WARRANTING. If you are not able to provide a reason to why a claim reaches its impact, I am most likely going to drop that argument. Just cause John Doe from Harvard says that something happens, it really doesn't matter to me. Explain the logic and paint a narrative of what is going to happen if I don't vote for your side.

- Frontlining in second rebuttal is not necessary but is very helpful for you as the 1st speaker will not have to frontline everything in summary. No new responses or arguments in final focus. Responses in summary can happen but only if the argument that is being responded to came in the speech just prior.

- Do not offend or personally attack anyone in the room at any point in the debate. This will most certainly make me not like you and lose speaks or potentially lose the round.

Yes I know this may seem a little bit scary but please do have fun in round as I believe that debate is an activity that is meant to be enjoyed. Even small jokes/exchanges in crossfire is enough to lighten up a heavy debate. I will give you a bump in speaks if you are seen as lighthearted and funny, but debate correctly as well.

PLEASE if you have any questions about my RFD come ask me if you see me in the hallways (even if you lost) as I will most likely give you some advice for your next round or tournament.

I like when you talk good.

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I'm just kidding! I did Public Forum Debate for 4 years (I went to NSDA Nats and CFLs) and several tournaments in Lincoln Douglass as well. I know how it goes so do your thing. But while you're doing your thing, here are a few things to keep in mind.

If you're in PF

1. The Constructive

Talk fast if you want, but this is your first impression to the judge and it is an opportunity to seem professional and prepared. I don't care if you mess up, but try to be clear.

2. Cross Fire/Grand Cross

keep it clean

3. Rebuttal

Sign post! Sign post! Sign post! The difference between an average second speaker and a first class second speaker is their organization. This is a very simple, yet incredible effective technique that will undoubtedly help me as the judge understand your responses and will increase your chances of winning me over. (One of my favorites include NC States 2017: "My opponents First Contention is essentially an April's Fool Joke for three reasons..." - me)

In addition, I think it's cool if you create observations that serve as a way to narrow the round or create some sort of burden for the opposing team (the burden should be reasonable and please explain it).

Finally, its pretty baller for a debater to respond to specific pieces of evidence by name. (Example: the Pearson evidence is extremely problematic because...)

4. The Summary Speech is very important

Personally, I believe most rounds are won in the summary speech. Feel free to respond to as much as their rebuttal as possible but... I believe your Summary speech should include voters and extensions of your offense and defense. Defense should be extended by the first speaking team and second speaking team in summary. Ideally, the perfect summary speech should have two voters. One that extends offense (an argument from rebuttal) and one that extends defense (an argument from case). 3 voters are okay, but it'll be busy. I'm looking for some sort of collapse; I really want you to GO for something!

5. Final Focus

I don't really care for this speech, but unless something wild happens in Grand Cross, your final focus should be similar to Summary. If you try to bring up some new stuff I will hate you and I will get BIG mad.

6. Extending Arguments/Evidence

If you are attempting to extend something from rebuttal to summary for example, do not just throw numbers and impacts at me! If you want to extend an argument, begin with the tag line, this will serve as your claim (extend contention 1: Blah blah). Next, extend the impact and warrant (When you Blah Blah, Blah Blah happens BECAUSE *insert warrant*). This order is my personal favorite, but if you get the idea you can add your own twist.

I am a parent judge, but am experienced in judging LD and PF. I’ve also judged speech events. I have a few criteria to highlight which are focused on debate vs. speech events.

· Speak at a pace where you can be understood. If I can’t understand you, I can’t flow the debate whether it is LD or PF. I don’t understand the logic behind Spreading as a reasonable approach to a debate, unless your life goal is to be an auctioneer, but they can generally be understood. If you are going to fast I will drop my pen and stopping taking notes. This will impact speaker points and may impact the outcome of the debate because if I can’t flow one side of the debate my only option is to award the win to the person or team that can be understood.

· Spirited argumentation is a fundamental part of a debate and I’m comfortable with passionate clashes, as long as they are executed in a civil manner. Please do not personally attack your competitor(s) as that will result in loosing points for that round. I’m ok with some interruptions during Cross but will stop either or both teams if excessive.

· Please don’t play the “my card is better than your card and thus judge you must vote Aff or Neg”. I understand using counter evidence to weaken your opponent’s case and strengthen yours, but simply saying Card X trumps Card Y with no further explanation as to why that is the case will not enhance your argument’s credibility.

· Try to research your sources and find ones with counter ideology that also support your arguments. For instance, if you use the Cato Institute as a reference understand that is a Libertarian focused organization and you should look to something like the Brookings Institute, a more Democratic leaning organization, as a source to see if you can find something that would agree with the position of the Cato Institute.

· Have a framework for your arguments regardless if you debate LD or PF. You need the structure to be able to position your arguments in a way that can allow me as a judge to fairly flow the debate and determine if your opponents did or did not address your criterion and contentions. Cards should be carefully selected to support your positions and be readily available for your competitors to review when called.

· If you ask for a card, I will not count the time taken to find the card and present as prep time but will start prep time once the card has been given to you to review.

· If you are using an electronic device for opening speeches or to hold your evidence, please make sure you have properly charged it between rounds so you can provide evidence if asked by your competitors.

I appreciate that you are taking your time on weekend to compete and will do my absolute best to fairly judge the debates (or speech events if necessary), provide Reasons for Decisions that are concise but helpful in understanding why you won or lost, and will provide feedback to each person/team as well. I take my role as a judge seriously, but also recognize that these events are also supposed to be fun. So please come into the rounds with a positive attitude about the debate, treat your opponents as you would want them to treat you, and be respectful of me as a judge. I too am investing my Saturdays in you and your “sport”.

Hi, I did Public Forum debate for four years at Lake Mary Prep in Orlando, Florida.

Some things I like:

Warrants and lines of logic over evidence that is unwarranted

Weighing, the earlier the better

Front-lining in Second Rebuttal. You don't have to do this but I think it is a good idea

Narratives

Collapsing ***** 3 min summary does not mean go for more, just COLLAPSE BETTER *****

My coach always used to say "50% fewer arguments and 100% more analysis"

Some things I don't like:

Miscut Evidence. I am fine with paraphrasing but please make sure its an accurate representation of the evidence (I reserve the right to drop you if it is seriously misrepresented)

Blippy Arguments that are not weighed, warranted, or implicated

Spreading

Theory / Ks unless there is a serious issue or abuse in the topic or the round. I am also really bad at understanding these, so you should probably strike me if this is your thing.

Any bigoted argument I will immediately drop you no questions asked.

To Summarize, In the poetic words of Ozan Ergrunor:

weigh

i begged you

but

you didn’t

and you

lost

Hey guys, I did PF for about 3.5 years with decent success on the local and national circuit, so I know how the debate will go. Also, you can go any speed just don't speak to the point of spreading. Don't be nervous I don't expect you to be extremely serious at all times you can crack a joke before the debate begins or comment about my Mamamoo or Playboi Carti stickers on my laptop. Let's go over each part of the debate and what I value:

General Rules

*I will disclose at a tournament if and only if they allow it but always feel free to ask me about the rules

*There are a lot of germs out so fist bumps or air fives are greatly appreciated

*Please do not cap (lie) about info and create a situation where officials need to included in

* Please have your cards ready to be called if needed because I do not enjoy spending a minute for a team trying to find a card that they have probably been using for two tournaments before this situation

* If you want to wow me knowing the in's and out's of your information i.e sources and dates is Pog ( really good ), knowing the opponent's sources and calling them out is an absolute 200 IQ/5Head play and I will be in awe of the brain waves radiating from your cranium

* Even if the debate is sloppy still fist bump, shake hands, or acknowledge the work the everyone has put in to get to this point

Debate Rules

1. The constructive

Please speak decently loud because my hearing is the best, but do not yell at me. If you want some more closure you can ask me a good pitch before the debate. Also, it is okay if you stumble on words just please recover and do not panic because of a mistake we are all human.

2.

CrossFire/Grand Cross

Please be respectful, one of my biggest pet peeve during the debate would be when someone would filibuster and complain that their opponent would not let them respond or just generally speak over there opponents in a rude manner. With the previous statement in mind do not be passive during the debate because confidence is key and is a general component for me to vote for you (remember as a judge I'm a blank canvas and you are the artist). The order for cross should be question-answer-question-answer, but if the opposition does not have a question exploit that weakness and continue on. In grand cross please don't introduce new arguments or read new cards because they will not be weighed are a waste of time.

3. Rebuttal

PLEASE SIGN POST! Although im pretty leaniant with mistakes during the debate this one of skills that I value the most because if an argument is being fed towards me during rebuttal especially without structure I might miss it or not understand it fully which would be disadvantageous towards you. Also, I like off time roadmaps even if the direction of the rebuttal is predictable because they give me a break to ingest fully what is to come. Finally just because you overload me with a lot of reasons against your opponent's case does not mean you just completely eviscerated them, unless they fail to recognize them or they are quality arguments.

4. Summary

Since I did first speaker for all of my tournaments that I competed at except for about four, I have grown to realize how important the summary is and how hard it is. You guys have a little bit of a break with 3 minutes, because back in my day we only had 2 minutes ( I wanted to have an older voice for this part but this is on a laptop and I'm not reading out loud to you and I just graduated high school this year so I thought it was funny but to be honest it was not). I really need the 1st speakers to pop off and not int (INTentionally feed/ do bad) for the summary. The summary is where I will be weighing the majority of the debate on. For the summary I need the 1st speakers to please WEIGH and show me why you win and the other team loses. ALSO, I still need you to signpost through all speeches.

5. Final Focus

For the 2nd speaking team please do not say any new arguments that can not be responded to by the opposition. Flow over the voters to which should have been introduced in the summary and generally collapse on the debate with telling me why you won. To be honest, just take a deep breath and go crazy; and I believe you will be successful.

Parent judge of former and current PF debaters. Judged mostly PF and some LD debates over past 4.5 years. I have a financial background so emotional arguments backed up by facts are very convincing where as emotional arguments without support are not. I generally have a hard time following arguments based on what is or isn't covered by the semantics of the resolution wording. Keep pace as slow as you can (and conversational if you can) so it is easy to follow arguments...sometimes less is more. Be respectful to opponents during crossfires, acknowledge or rephrase their arguments then rebut. "I understand your point but if you consider X,Y,Z then it does not hold up, etc. Avoid saying "makes no sense" etc... if it really makes no sense say something like we are not following your logic. Leave enough time at the end each speech strong and not rushed for your last impression. I wouldnt say "must" vote... urging or should vote are ok.

I competed in PF at Nova High School in South Florida from 2014 to 2019. I just graduated from Duke University and am finishing up my fourth year coaching PF at Durham Academy.

For Nats 2023, please put me on the email chain- smith.emmat@gmail.com.

How I make decisions-

I tend to vote on the path of least resistance. This is the place on my flow where I need to intervene the least as a judge in order to make a decision. Explicitly identifying your cleanest piece of offense in the round, winning that clean piece of offense, completely extending that clean piece of offense (uniqueness, links AND impacts in BOTH summary and final focus), and then telling me why your cleanest piece of offense is more important than your opponents' cleanest piece of offense is usually an easy way to win my ballot.

General Stuff-

- Do all the good debate things! Do comparative weighing, warrant your weighing, collapse, frontline, etc.

- Please preflow before the round. Holding up the tournament to take 15 min to preflow in the room is really annoying :(

- Warrants and full link chains are important! I can only vote on arguments I understand by the end of the round and won't do the work for you on warrants/links. Please do not assume I know everything just because I've probably judged some rounds on the topic.

- I won't read speech docs, so please don't sacrifice speed for clarity.

- I have a really low threshold and 0 tolerance for being rude, dismissive, condescending, etc. to your opponents. I'm not afraid to drop you for this reason. At the very least, I'll tank your speaks and write you a kindly worded educational ballot about making rounds unnecessarily hostile.

Evidence-

- I personally feel that calling for evidence as a judge is interventionist. I will only do it if 1- someone in the round explicitly tells me to in a speech or 2- reading evidence is literally the only way that I can make a decision (if this happens, it means both teams did a terrible job of clarifying the round and there is no clear offense for me to vote on. Please don't let this happen).

Progressive Stuff-

- I'll vote on Kritiks if they are clearly warranted, well explained, and made accessible to your opponents. (I am admittedly not a fan of K's but will vote on them if I absolutely must.)

- I will also vote on theory that is clearly explained, fleshed out, and well warranted. I believe that theory should ONLY be used to check egregious instances of in-round abuse and reserve the right to drop you for frivolous theory. I won't buy paraphrase or disclosure theory.

- HUGE DISCLAIMER: My biggest pet peeve in PF right now is the use of progressive args to make rounds inaccessible to teams who don't know how to handle them. Reading progressive args against a clearly inexperienced team to get a cheap win is an easy way to auto lose my ballot. ALSO I am really not confident in my abilities to evaluate progressive arguments. If you choose to run them, you take on the risk of me making the wrong decision despite doing my best. Proceed with caution!

- If you plan on reading arguments about sensitive topics, please provide a content warning before the round.

I did Public Forum for four years in high school, but have judged both PF and LD rounds.

Speed is not an issue for me, but please sign post. I don't flow crossfires, but if something important was brought up, include it in your following speech.

Don't spread in the round, and weigh your arguments.

I debated for Acton-Boxborough for 4 years.

I'll do my best to be a good judge :).

You can speak as fast as you want, but I might not catch everything you say, so it's your judgement call.

Be respectful in round.

I'd rather not judge theory/Ks.

Good luck!