John C Stennis Novice Invitational
2024 — Starkville, MS/US
Extemporaneous Speaking
Event Description:
The tournament director will prepare a list of topics on current foreign and domestic issues. The student will draw three questions and return two before he/she begins his/her preparation period.
· The student will have thirty minutes of time to prepare his/her speech. There is a 30-second grace period. Students who exceed the time limit by more than 30 seconds should not be given first place in a panel.
· The student may use one note card with a maximum of fifty words on it.
· The student is responsible for providing his/her own extemp file, which may include published books, magazines, newspapers, and journals or articles from those sources, provided they are intact originals or copies of the originals and that there is no written material on the original or the copy. The student may prepare a topical index without annotation for his/her use.
· Extemporaneous Speaking files will be inspected by tournament staff at some point before or during the competition.
· Laptop computers and tablet devices may be used by delegates but may not be used to receive information for competitive advantage from non-competitors (coaches, assistant coaches, teammates, other students, etc.) inside or outside of the room in which the competition occurs.
ANALYSIS & CONTENT: Did the speaker analyze the topic adequately? Did the content show that the speaker has
adequate knowledge of the subject? Was the content relevant to the topic?
INTRODUCTION: Did the speaker get your attention and introduce the subject in an interesting manner? Did the introduction relate to the rest of the speech?
ORGANIZATION: Were the ideas carefully selected and set forth in the speech? Did the speaker preview the main points and develop them in the body of the speech?
SUPPORTING MATERIALS: Did the speaker have adequate support for his/her assertions? Was the evidence pertinent and logically set forth?
STYLE: Did the speaker exhibit command of informal conversational style rather than stilted or formal usage? Was the language communicative rather than “memorized”?
CONCLUSION: Was the conclusion concise? Was it well-motivated? Did it effectively tie the speech together?
ORAL PRESENTATION: Was the speaker’s speech devoid of dialectical errors, mannerisms, etc., that call attention to
themselves rather than communicate the ideas presented? Did the speaker’s bodily action contribute to his/her skill of communication?