George Bernard Shaw said, "those who can, do; those who can't, teach."

I've never debated, but I do have many years of teaching experience at the college level and I'm used to students arguing in front of me and with me, though usually about their grades. I've also been a volunteer debate coach and I've judged countless tournaments. I'm a big fan of debate because I've seen how debaters often become outstanding college students when they come to college with critical thinking, speaking, and writing skills. And they know how to use evidence to build an argument.

Here are some things I look for in debate:

1) Don't make it hard for me to flow your case. Be clear about contentions, subpoints, and taglines.

2) Don't spread. If I can't follow you, I can't flow.

3) I like cross-ex that is a courteous, intellectual clash, so this is where you can get the bonus speaker points.

4) I like evidence and want to know which card you're citing, especially in PF and Policy.

5) I weigh links and impact, so tie your criterion (in LD) and argument into a nice, neat package for me to admire.

And a few of my quirks:

1) If you're in PF or Policy, be considerate and don't speak loudly when the other side is speaking -- pass notes or whisper to your partner instead.

2) I don't like to shake hands. 

Most of all, show me how passionate you are about debate, and let's have a great round!

I take a holistic approach to judging debates - the winner will be the person/team that has the most convincing overall presentation. The quality of the reasoning and the evidence used to support contentions carries more weight than the number of contentions. I do flow and will consider the failure to refute or address a significant point to be a basis for giving the win to the other team. A minor point that flows through will rarely be a determinant of the outcome.

You will likely lose if you make unsupported assertions; make up or misrepresent facts; or abuse your opponent or the process. The likelihood of winning are greatly enhanced if you are able to clearly rebut your opponent's voters and emphatically point out why your contentions should prevail.

Been judging speech and debate competitions for about 7 years. I'm a theatre teacher, so I tend to gravitate towards IEs. I'm pretty lay when it comes to debate. I've judged enough over the years so that I can follow along with fast speaking, but not with spreading. I really really love it when arguments are clear, contentions are loudly numbered, and definitions are offered to me if the topic has to do with international relations or foreign policies. Be nice to each other.

I am a debate coach, so I have experience being around debaters, but I do not have a background in formal competitive debate. I generally do not understand debate jargon, hyper-specialized vocabulary, and acronyms that are often associated with circuit and higher-level debate. Please make sure you clarify terms and definitions early if you intend to use them.

I believe a judge has a duty to write down the most important points of your argument in order to assess its logic after the round. Because of this, I appreciate arguments that are clearly laid out and organized so I can flow them.

(IN PROGRESS)

Public Forum Debate is not Policy debate. While evidence helps an argument, it does not replace and argument and it does not win a debate on its own. I am more swayed by logical, persuasive argumentation that is supported by evidence than a policy round of sparring cards read at a high speed montone. 

I DO flow crossfire and I feel the best debate can come out of crossfire. Polite, respectful questions that cut to the core of the argument and help establish direct clash in the round are the best kind of debate.

Be clear in linking arguments to the resolution and give clear voters in final focus as to why one argument wins over another.

Remember this is a learning, activity based around persuasion. Have fun!!