Wonnacott,+Mark

=
Hi, I'm Mark. I debated policy for 4 years in high school, American parli and NFA-LD for 4 years in college, and have coached parli, LD, and policy at the college level for the past 6 years at McKendree University, University of Central MIssouri, and University of Kansas.=====

=
I see myself as a facilitator, seeking to provide and enhance the competitive/educational experience competitors want to have. Debates are best when they are specific, researched, civil, and relevant to the lived experiences of the participants. Debates are worst when they are exclusionary, non-communicative, unwelcoming, or hostile. I'm specifically concerned with the exclusion of identities, and am sympathetic to claims that traditional debate practices exclude women, people of color, people who perform queer sexuality, people with disabilities, etc. =====

=
I'm actively involved in research and preparation for my own teams, so the literature base surrounding each topic is fairly familiar to me. Technical, field-specific jargon is not a problem for me. Where I struggle is when debaters assume the meaning of debate-centered god terms. Frequently, when debaters think they win and they lose, it's because they assume the meaning of some term is universal when it is not a language the judge shares. If you believe something is important, explain its importance in terms of the ballot. =====

=
I don't care about speed, but ask you respect your opponents' requests to become more clear. You should also be willing to provide your opponent with a written or digital copy of what you have read. If I can't follow you, I'll say something, but that hasn't happened yet. =====

=
I used to go through lists of issues in my paradigms and pontificate on their importance. I have stopped doing so in more recent years. In part, this is because I've gotten lazier. In part, I have learned that debaters prefer to make certain kinds of arguments certain kinds of ways, and it's my job to follow them through their logic as best I can. Here is what I propose: make a genuine attempt to communicate, and I will make a genuine attempt to listen charitably. =====