here - College of Arts & Sciences - Bethel University

Relative importance of presentation/communication skills to the critic in decision-making
:
Because of his experience as a speech coach first, and a debate coach second, speed isn't
unreasonable, but being able to understand the flow of the debate and weighting your
arguments is important.
Relative importance of on-case argumentation to the critic in decision-making:
Arguining on case, and line by line critical to win a debate. Show me where your
arguments are, and why theirs are less important.
Openness to critical/performative styles of debating:
Reasonably open to various approaches to debateing, but professionalism and courtesy
should not be compromised.
Any additional comments:
Have fun! This is a learning experience!
Graham, Todd
Southern Illinois University
I have a policy debate background. I like rounds that are policy debate rounds. Plans,
advantages, disads, counterplans, etc…all make for better debates. Comparing examples
does not lead to good clash, but it does lead to judge intervention. Think of me as a
policy maker.
Performances: While I have voted for hand puppets (sock puppets actually require
socks), I wouldn’t bank on any repeats soon. A performance is not more persuasive to
me than any other single warranted argument. Usually it is less persuasive.
You must make arguments to win a debate. Those arguments should be clear enough to
allow the other team a fair chance to respond. (Eg, critiques, metaphors, irony,
narratives, personal advocacy, etc...)
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