Comments on: Adapting at Nationals

By: Great post on Adaptation over at 3NR « Its debatable…Speak Up!

Great post on Adaptation over at 3NR « Its debatable…Speak Up! — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:36:12 +0000

[...] in Debate, Judging at 10:35 am by bk2nocal I just wanted to point everyone to a post on adaptation for debaters over at the new(er) blog, The 3NR. The post is written for high school debaters [...]

By: Sue

Sue — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:15:34 +0000

I just want to reiterate Scott’s request to not ask silly questions of your judges…Three questions debaters should NEVER ask because they sound ridiculously dumb asking them and, in the end, they really won’t change anything based on the answer:

1. What’s your paradigm? What does that even mean and how am I supposed to explain my entire “debate paradigm” in 10 seconds – impossible…read judging philosophies online prior to rounds and if they do not have a judging philosophy online its a hint that they may not judge all that much, and probably do not have a “paradigm” on debate…

2. Can you take speed? This is the MOST annoying question ever asked, yet I still hear people ask it, albeit in different forms. First of all, maybe you should be asking yourself if you can deliver if someone answers yes to this question – I’ve had a lot of debaters ask me this and then be VERY SLOW…Second, maybe you should be asking yourself if you can deliver AND be clear…many times the problem is not the judge’s capability but your own! Finally, asking the question seems condescending to those who like slower, persuasive debate. Maybe they COULD “take speed” but they choose not to. Don’t risk alienating your critics with this question!

3. Will you vote on “X”? Again, maybe you should ask yourself if you can WIN this argument before asking a judge if they will vote on it. Second, judges are not necessarily going to disclose every bias and preconceived notion they have about debate just because you ask. If you have a strategy, its probably best to stick with it and do your best, not try to make sweeping changes based on a judge’s answer to this question just prior to a debate round AND if you do a good job on an argument, most judges will vote for you, even if they don’t “like” the argument itself.

Just my $.02…

-Sue

By: brian

brian — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:23:48 +0000

just as a fair warning on the ‘can’t ever go too slow’ tip – i usually agree but would caution against taking this too far. during the second elim rd (rd 8 maybe?) i judged damien’s top team vs. a *very* persuasive slower team (i wish i could give these guys a shout-out but they didn’t publish their name and they left before i could ask.) damien just got time pressed in the 2nr and dropped some important args. i thought the neg still won the day but the concessions inspired the other 2 moderate flow judges to vote aff.

the corrective to this is to group arguments. it’s an effective organization tool for slow judges and if you’re not used to the speed of a slow round sometimes it’s make or break for a win. this is how a lot of the good ‘kansas slow spread’ style teams roll.

great list tho and very good suggestions.

-brian

By: Poneill

Poneill — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:31:26 +0000

Ryan is definitely right. One of the things one of my lab leaders told me last summer is that if you can make eye contact with the judge while you’re reading, you can go a bit faster. They can hear you more clearly, and it feels like you’re engaging them. Not only can you pick up on all their nonverbals, but you dont have to slow down as much, so it’s basically a win win for you (note, you still have to slow down a ton)

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:28:38 +0000

Good list, but number 5 needs to be number 1 with a gold star and a bullet. Judges are people. People tend to react to things with their face. True at NFL, TOC, Poker, etc.