The judging philosophy form has been in use at the CEDA National Tournament since 1987, and its use at the NDT has been a mainstay for quite some time. The judging philosophy statement is a document listing a series of topic areas or common issues on which the prospective judge is to elaborate so his or her views will be known to the debate…

Discusses the ability and desirability of debate critics altering decisional filters on activities occurring in the round. States that research on paradigms suggests that a critic must adopt a paradigm, but questions this by suggesting instead that decision-making paradigms can be transient. Summarizes specific paradigms, critiques each paradigm,…

The presentation strategies used in debates are as often a factor in the outcome as the content. Rudeness and humor are important considerations in examining the effect of various delivery styles at either the National Debate Tournament (NDT) or the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) debate. J. H. Howe has elaborated on some of the…

This paper focuses on the role that electronic mail, specifically CEDA-L (the Cross Examination Debate Association listserv) and NDT-L (National Debate Tournament listserv), play in the development of debate theory. The tabula rasa paradigm is chosen as the case study. Through a rhetorical analysis of the postings regarding tabula rasa and limited…

Noting that the use and utility of judging philosophy statements have long been a contested issue in intercollegiate debate, this paper examines the rationale for using philosophy statements, discusses the effectiveness of philosophy statements, and advocates the use of such statements at Pi Kappa Delta's National Tournament. The paper notes that…

This paper focuses on the performance evaluation, a tool extensively treated in the scholarly literature that allows managers and employees to gain shared understanding about workplace behavior. The paper maintains that in the forensic community, the performance evaluation interview can also be an effective forum in which coaches can give…

The Transformational Leadership theory proposed by J. M. Burns (1978) may be profitably applied to the role of debate/forensic coach. A Transformational Leader aims to fulfill the personal needs of followers by giving them the power to think and act for themselves, thus empowering them to work toward the group vision. A Transformational Leader…