Nielson,+Toni

Toni Nielson Debate Coach at Fullerton College Executive Director - Bay Area Urban Debate League (2013-2017) Co-Director of Debate at CSU, Fullerton for 7 years (2005-2012) Debated in College for 5 years Debated in High School for 3 years Rounds on the Topic: less than 5

__I just want to see you do what you are good at. I like any debater who convinces me the know what they are talking about. __

Here’s what I think helps make a debater successful –

**1. Details:** evidence and analytics, aff and neg – the threshold for being as specific as humanly possible about your arg and opponent's arg remains the same; details demonstrate knowledge **2. Direct organized refutation**: Answer the other team and don’t make me guess about it – I hate guessing because it feels like intervention **3. Debating at a reasonable pace:** I ain’t the quickest flow in the west, even when I was at my best. I intend on voting for arguments which draw considerable debates and not on voting for arguments that were a 10-15 seconds of a speech. If one team concedes an argument, it still has to be an important and relevant argument to be a round winner. **4. Framing:** tell me how you want me to see the round and why I shouldn’t see it your opponents way **5. Comparison:** you aren’t debating in a vacuum – see your weakness & strengths in the debate and compare those to your opponent. I love when debaters know what they are losing and deal with it in a sophisticated way.

Some style notes - I like to hear the internals of evidence so either slow down a little or be clear. I flow CX, but I do this for my own edification so if you want an arg you still have to make it in a speech. I often don't get the authors name the first time you read the ev. I figure if the card is an important extension you will say the name again (in the block or rebuttals) so I know what ev you are talking about. I rarely read a bunch of cards at the end of the debate.

__**Now you are asking,**__ Can I read an aff without a plan? I lean rather in the direction of a topical plan, instrumentally implemented these days. This is a big change in my previous thoughts and the result of years of working with young, beginning debate. I appreciate policy discussion and believe the ground it provides is a preferable locus for debate. So I am prone to vote neg on framework must implement a plan.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Can I go for politics/CP or is this a K judge? Yes to both; I don't care for this distinction ideologically anymore. As far as literature, I lean slightly more in the K direction. My history of politics and CP debate are more basic than my history of K debate.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Theory - lean negative in most instances. Topicality - lean affirmative (if they have a plan) in most instances. I lean neg on K framework which strikes me as fair negative ground of a topical plan of action.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Truth v Tech - lean in the direction of tech. Debate, the skill, requires refuting arguments. So my lean in the direction of the tech is not a declaration to abandon reality. I will and do vote on unanswered arguments, particularly ones that are at the core of the debate. Gigantic caveat, I will struggle to vote on an argument just because it is dropped. The concession must be relevant and compelling to the debate. I will also be hesitant to vote on arguments that fly in the face of reality.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Here's what I like: I like what you know things about. And if you don't know anything, but get through rounds cause you say a bunch and then the other team drops stuff - then I don't think you have a great strategy. Upside for you, I truly believe you do know something after working and prepping the debate on the topic. Do us both a favor: If what you know applies in this round, then debate that.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Good luck!.