VHSL Regions 5C and 6A Forensics 2023
2023 — Midlothian, VA/US
6A Extemporaneous Speaking
Event Description:
Purpose of Contest: To encourage students to combine clear thinking, good extempore conversational speaking and interesting presentation in establishing a definite thought with respect to current fact and opinion on a designated topic as presented by contemporary sources.
Contest Regulations:
1. Topics for extemporaneous speaking shall be chosen from articles appearing in the issues of national news magazines such as Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News and World Report or from mainstream newspapers with national circulations. Topics will be selected from these periodicals, may relate to either domestic or foreign affairs 19 and will be released at least 30 days before each tournament. Questions pertaining to topics are not to be made known to the contestants before the event.
2. Contestants shall report to an assigned area where they will, in order, draw three topics each. From these, each contestant is to choose one and return the other two. Each contestant shall have 30 minutes to prepare before he/she is to speak. Time begins immediately after the three topics are drawn. During the preparation period, the contestant must not consult with anyone or make use of previously prepared notes.
3. The speech may not exceed seven minutes in length. The timekeeper will indicate time elapsed at the beginning of the fourth minute of the speech, show progression of minutes at five, six, 6:30, and at the end of the seventh minute indicate that time has expired. Any contestant who exceeds the established time limit by more than 30 seconds may not rank first or score highest in the round. There is no minimum time requirement as long as the topic is adequately covered. Visual aids and/or props used while speaking are prohibited.
4. The speaker shall be allowed to use both sides of one note card not exceeding 4” X 6” in size.
5. Either before beginning the speech or as part of the introduction, the contestant is to read his topic in the exact words or phrasing as it appears on the paper he selected.
Examples of Judging Criteria
Appearance: speaker’s appearance is appropriate for competition
Poise: speaker is prepared, confident, composed
Organization: speech has distinct beginning (with strong thesis), middle (with supporting details and illustrations) and end (without mere restatement of thesis)
Relevance: speech is on-topic, reasoning is sound and supported with citations
Eye contact: appropriate, focused
Communication: speaker is conversational, presents material effectively in a way audience can understand content and speaker’s stance on topic; purpose (to inform/persuade) is achieved
Mechanics: diction, grammar, appropriately colorful vocabulary, pronunciation
Articulation: speaker enunciates, is understandable
Projection: speaker uses appropriate volume
Pace: pacing is appropriately varied, is not too fast or too slow
Movement: movement is meaningful and deliberate; posture is neither stiff nor slovenly; gestures are appropriate
Energy: speaker presents material with appropriate energy level, is not monotonous
Citations: speaker clearly and adequately acknowledges sources of quotes, statistics, etc.
Impact: presentation is impactful and arouses emotion in audience