Last changed on
Mon October 28, 2024 at 11:57 AM CDT
Hi guys! I am currently a Sophomore and extemp captain for Seven Lakes High School. I mainly compete in Domestic Extemp(2x TFA State qualifier, NIETOC qualifier, and TOC qualifier), Original Oratory(1x TFA State qualifier + 1 TOC bid), and Informative Speaking, but I am fairly comfortable with most speech events! Warning: This is a very long paradigm, so TLDR; more focused on delivery, lay for LD and PF(I'm a speech kid)
Novice Night 2 specific comments: If you're reading this, you're already doing extremely well! Don't worryyyy, you're going to do just fine!!!! I know it can be a little nerve-racking at first, but trust me, you'll do AMAZING! Since this is most likely your first or second time competing, I just wanted to let you know that I am here to help you(not critique you on every word...). I was a novice last year, and believe me, I was terrified, but by the end of the year, it will seem like a piece of cake! My advice is to just go for it, and don't get discouraged by your ranks! Also - If you are shy, I totally get it, and I was exactly the same (and still am) but if you engage in some small talk with a judge it can make it easier to give a speech in front of them!
Extemp/Impromptu: (70% speaking 30% content) I am huge on delivery and will focus a lot on that, so make sure you are doing your best not to stutter whenever possible. Extemp is all about coming up with things on the spot, which will determine your ranks. I am not as big on content as long as what you are saying makes sense, and you are making an effort to sound knowledgeable. Also, answer the question and all parts of it! I am not expecting you to have so many sources that you spend all your prep memorizing them(it's a pain, I know), and I will not fact-check you(I won't be able to tell if you make evidence up, but it's definitely not a good habit), but if there are two people with the same skill level and delivery, sources might be the deal breaker for you. AGDs- have good energy and don't drop right into the topic. Speaking of AGDs, if you connect your conclusion back to your AGD, and you are the only one in the round to successfully do that, most likely you will get a higher rank than if you hadn't. And lastly, your impacts should be clear and persuasive. If you are giving me an entire 7-minute speech and never actually tell me why it is important, and/or how it will impact people, you will probably get a lower rank(so please add them, they are SO important!!). Impromptu specific-I genuinely think the best way to go about impromptu is to use an oratory/info or a pre-prepared speech and mend it based on your topic. At tfa state they made it to where you get 1 minute of prep, which is not nearly enough time to come up with a good speech and have good speaking, so that's my advice(don't stretch too far or I'll definitely not rank you high though)
Info: (55% speaking 45% content)I love a good AGD! Try to make it funny, and engaging!!! Have a good structure of history, current events, and implications! This can be a little flexible based on the topic, but try to focus on this basic structure. I also focus a lot on delivery here, so keep me engaged, or I will probably zone out fast:( Don't forget to have good, reliable sources, as it is a memorized speech, I will take into account if you have sources or not. Most importantly, DON'T TALK MONOTONE! This is one of the hardest things I have experienced while competing in this event, so if you can speak for 10 minutes without becoming monotone as much as possible, I will rank you much higher. Make sure your topic isn't cliche! If I hear you start off with something I have already heard before, I will probably not listen very attentively to your speech, and rank you lower just for that. PASSION- make sure you pick a topic you are passionate about, or it will sound boring. Passion can really put PIZAZZ into your info! Please please please tell me if you have specific time signals or I will default to 3 down fist at grace. Boards- I won't rank you lower if you don't have boards, but if you have a complex topic that can be hard to follow, boards are a great way to make sure I and the audience can understand what you are saying. I love interactive boards that are colorful! Boards are one of my favorite parts of info, and can really make a difference in your speech.
OO: Similar to what I said about INFO, except the structure should be the problem, impact, and solution. Your solutions should be as straightforward as possible. I like a little interp flair, but not to the point where it becomes too much. Please make friends! In info and OO, you will often see the same people, so it is great to make good relationships with those around you. These events are all about having fun, and choosing your own topic is one of the best things about it, so it would be great to see y'all supporting each other during the round! Otherwise, it kind of makes it awkward :)
LD/PF: LAY JUDGE!!! I have literally only done LD and PF once in my life(and that was my novice year, so I've never competed in these events at a tournament), so please bear with me! Since I'm more of a speech kid, keep that in mind when debating. I know the times, and the overall goal of each event, but please don't spread! I will not be able to judge fairly if I can't understand either of you. Speak AS SLOW AS YOU CAN while still getting in all your arguments! Speaks- Like I said earlier, I am HUGE on delivery, so speaks are going to be one of the biggest deciders for me in a round. I will not however give low speaks just for the fun of it, I know it can be the difference between whether you break or not, so they will start at ~28, and go up or down from there. I will dock off if you are rude, especially in cross! Please be nice to each other!!!! I can not emphasize enough how important it is to be respectful to one another! Also, I would really appreciate for each team to time the other team. I will be more focused flowing your arguments, so it would help me so much if you would time yourselves. Theory in LD- It will not make me vote for you if you say the other team "cheated" if they say one word wrong from their card! You can run theory, but again it will not be a huge decider for me. In both events, make sure you weigh! If you don't weigh, I won't know which contention is the most important for your case(I will also most likely vote for the person/team that outweighs the other). In PF, don't come up with new arguments in summary or final, I will NOT flow them!I will also most likely not disclose unless there is a CLEAR winner, because I am very indecisive, and it may take a little time for me to decide who the winner is. And lastly, NO K'S.
Worlds/Policy: I have absolutely no experience in these events and will be pretty much lost the entire time! So, please make sure that you are making it as simple as possible for me to understand.
All Interp Events(duo, duet, prose, POI, poetry, DI, HI, etc.): I have never watched or judged any Interp events before, so I will rank y'all based on who is the most confident, and entertaining. I will rank you lower if you are boring, and sound like a robot. Also, your mood should fit the event you are competing in, so for DI, it should be dramatic, and for HI, it should be funny! I also don't mind timing you, but again, just tell me if you want specific time signals, or I will default to three down fist at grace. And lastly, and probably most importantly, please make sure I can follow your piece. Since I have very limited knowledge of these events, this would help me out a lot!
Congress: (60% speaking 40% content/arguments)I will rank the person who makes the entire debate around them first(If that makes sense!). Please be nice during cross(since it is only 30 seconds, it can get a little intense, but please try to limit that.) Make sure your delivery is good! Since you have your prep, that shouldn't be such a problem, but again, I value good delivery a lot. Make sure you have sources to prove your points! PO- If the chamber runs smoothly, I will rank you fairly high, otherwise, I will rank you lower. However, don't be afraid to PO, I won't down you just for that. REMEMBER: I've competed in Varsity Congress only a couple of times(I think I had like 6 TFA points?), so I won't go into a lot of technicalities, but I do consider this a bit more of a speech event rather than a debate event(still make good arguments!). In my eyes, Congress is very similar to extemp, except you have your legal pad, it's 3 minutes long, and you have to speak in a room of 15 people. The point is that if you do extemp, I will also judge similarly in Congress. Also, if you are giving a late cycle speech and/or have bad precedence, I understand that can be difficult, but I would prefer if you don't give the same arguments the aff and neg have already given(unless you are adding something new to the debate), instead, I would like for you to bounce off of those and adapt to which one is most prominent in that round.
Any Other Side Events:For any events I have not specified, I will try my best to understand it, but I would appreciate it if you gave me a run down as to what the purpose of the event is.
Overall: HAVE FUN(while also remaining professional)! Debate is a place to have fun, and express yourself, so please do just that! I will try to write the best advice in my ballot as possible, but please don't take it personally, I want you all to be the best possible! Please try to be at the round on time, and early if possible(I understand if you are cross-entered, this can be difficult, but try your best!). Also, if you have any questions about your rank, or need advice on how to get better, I would be more than happy to help!
Thank you so much for reading this to the end(I know it's very long...)! I appreciate you taking the initiative to read it, and I hope you all have a great round! Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the journey of high school speech and debate!!
