Leatherstocking Forensic League Albany Diocese NCFL Qual
2023 — NSDA Campus, NY/US
Extemporaneous
Event Description:
1) The speech should be an original synthesis by the contestant of the current fact and opinion on the designated topic as presented by numerous sources. Source materials should be represented with relative accuracy in the speech. The speaker is responsible for the ethical use of source information.
2) Topics concerning events within the second semester of the academic year of the Tournament should be used.
3) Selection of the general topic areas and preparation of 12-15 topics in each area should be made by the Second Vice President of the LEAGUE.
4) The contestant should be held accountable for strict adherence to the precise statement of the topic selected and should be penalized for any obvious shifting to a quite different topic.
5) Information presented should be well-chosen, pertinent, and sufficient to support the central thought of the topic.
6) The speaker is permitted a personal opinion or interpretation of the subject. Speakers must not be penalized for expressing views with which the judge happens to disagree.
7) Material should be organized according to some logical plan to produce a complete speech within the time allowed. The speech must be extemporaneous and delivered without notes. If the speaker refers to prepared notes of any kind or a script during the presentation, the speaker will be disqualified. Positions other than standing should not be excessive in length or dominate the performance.
8) Speakers shall be allowed to bring to the preparation room the following printed materials and only these: magazines, newspapers, dictionaries, thesaurus, reference indices, newspaper and/or magazine clippings - files organized under general headings, almanacs and appropriate reference books, books and/or pamphlets. Participants in Extemporaneous Speaking are given the option of using battery operated lap top computers when in the Preparation Room. Materials can be on files on their computers or retrieved from an attached flash drive. Prepared speeches will not be allowed.
9) All material brought into the preparation room by speakers will be subject at any time to scrutiny of the Tournament Committee and staff responsible for this event.
10) Speakers may share reference materials; however, any collaboration on speech preparation is forbidden.
11) When the speaker's code number is called, s/he draws 3 questions from among those prepared for the specific round. After consideration, the speaker returns 2 and gives the Director of the event the number of the question s/he has chosen to answer. The Director notes the topic and time, and the contestant begins to prepare the speech. The speaker must remain in the preparation room until sent to the competition room by the Director of the event.
12) Speakers will have thirty (30) minutes of preparation time. Upon leaving the preparation room speakers must relinquish all preparation materials except the drawn question. During the preparation for, and during the competition round, students must not access any research materials, oral, written, or electronic, outside of the preparation room.
13) Time limits: Maximum - 7 minutes. If the speaker goes over a 30 second grace period, that contestant must not be awarded first place. No minimum time.