Extemporaneous: Structure and Rules

At the start of the tournament, the Extemp competitor will be told which room will be the preparation room. The speaker is to move their Extemp file into this assigned room where it will remain for the rest of the tournament. At an assigned time prior to the first round, all speakers will proceed to the prep room, receive three topic choices and choose one to write about, have thirty minutes to prepare a speech, and then deliver this speech from memory (with the aid of a note card to write an outline on) during three rounds and possibly a fourth if the speaker breaks to finals.

Rules are:

• Only published materials are to be used as resources (newspapers, magazines, books, on-line resources); no resources that are student written!
• All resources used are to be cited at some point
• Can only use a note card for aid while delivering the speech
• Extemp. files/boxes are to remain in the prep room at all times
• Only Extemp. files/boxes, note cards, and writing utensils are allowed in the prep room
• Time limit is generally seven minutes in length
• Eye contact is important
• All gestures, movements (as transitions/emphasis), facials, intonation/vocals, etc. need to be clear and help support the piece
• Must be truthful and honest
• No help from others is allowed during prep
• Topics can either be of Foreign or Domestic issues (pending on what type of Extemp. you are competing in)
• Speech must answer the question prompt, have clear introduction, support, and conclusion, and be well-researched/supported
• No fully-written speeches or previously prepared (as in outside of that tournament) material is allowed