Extemporaneous Speaking
Extemporaneous speaking is an event that allows students to express their knowledge of current events in a semi-spontaneous manner. The event is generally divided into two categories: Foreign and National Extemp (also known as International and Domestic extemps). However, at some tournaments such as CFL Nationals and big tournaments such as the Berkeley Invitational, Harvard and Emory, the extemps are combined and speakers are expected to know both international and domestic issues.
Preparation for Extemp
To prepare for extemp tournaments, speakers usually keep file boxes (“tubs”) with articles on national and international current events. The rubs are usually divided up into sub topics by using hanging and manila folders. For example, in Foreign Extemp, students might use a hanging folder to create a “Russia” file within the hanging folder. The students could use manila folders to create different sub-folders for Russia (including “Putin”, “Economics”, “Corruption”, “US-Russia Relations”). These subfolders allow students to find the specific materials they need to develop speeches.
Many schools create separate national and foreign tubs.
Often, schools sub-divide their foreign tubs by different countries. Then, they use sub folders to deal with the specific area of each country (ex. Politics, Economics, Foreign Affairs). In National extemp, teams often divide their tubs by different areas (ex. US Economy, Environment, Oil and Gas) and then use sub folders to deal with specific aspects of these areas (ex. Inflation, Monetary Policy, etc).
Cutting a variety of sources for tubs is important because it allows students to have more comprehensive files and information. Some of the more common sources used are: The New York Times, The Washington Port, Newsweek, Time, The Economist, The Christian Science Monitor, Foreign Affairs, US News and World Report, Business Week and the Wall Street Journal.
The Speech Itself
An extemp speaker is given 30 minutes of preparation time to produce a seven minute speech. The topic the speaker receives is always worded as a question. It can be phrased as a yes or no question or it can be a question phrased in a way that allows the speaker to define the answer. Examples of some questions are:
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What is Vladimir Putin’s agenda in Russia? (speaker comes up with answer)
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Are economic sanctions an effective tool in US foreign policy? (yes/no)
Usually, the speaker will spend anywhere from 10-20 minutes writing and organizing the speech and use the remaining fine to rehearse it. A speech generally consists of an introduction, two or three main points of analysis, and a conclusion.
The introduction is the attention getter; it can be a quote, anecdote, story, analogy or anything that in some way relates to the topic. This should take anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute.
After the intro, speakers will usually provide some background analysis to explain why the topic is significant or why the question is being asked. This usually takes 15-45 seconds. Then the speaker poses the question, answers it and then gives the judge a roadmap of what he/she will cover in his analysis.
The speaker then goes into 2 or 3 areas of analysis which is used to support the answer of the question.
When there is about a minute left, roost speakers conclude their speeches by answering the question again and summarizing the areas of analysis they’ve covered.