2024 Extemporaneous Speaking Champion
The Extemporaneous Speaking contest is designed to enable the student to speak in an integrated manner on a central idea, organize ideas in a pattern which is meaningful to listeners, and orally communicate his/her ideas effectively. This contest is similar in some respects to impromptu speaking in that the word extemporaneous is used to mean “on short notice.” It differs, however, in that although the specific extemporaneous speech has not been prepared in advance of the contest day, considerable preparation in terms of gathering, analyzing, and organizing information about state, national, and international current events has gone on. A student may prepare for this contest by reading a variety of news sources, either online or in print.
- Divisions:
- There shall be two divisions: United States and International.
- Preparation and Materials: After the contestant has chosen a topic, the contestant shall withdraw to the preparation area and plan the speech without conferring or exchanging information with anyone. No pre-prepared notes, or outlines, or speeches may be used by the competitor. Contestants may refer to files containing books, book excerpts, periodicals, online retrievals from mass media publications, and/or photocopies or digital copies of any of the above. Information retrieved from internet websites must include the URL citation. Competitors may not cut or paste articles into a single document. Once a contestant has chosen a topic, they may neither change from nor alter that topic. No visual aids may be used in the delivery of the speech. Contestants must present their topic slip to the judge(s) prior to speaking. Violation shall result in being disqualified from the event.
- Time Limit: Time limit is seven minutes maximum with a thirty-second grace period.
