***Be on the lookout for a downloadable full Extemp guide available Fall '07.  It will be completely free.  Until then, feel free to use this unfinished guide as a starting point.

Welcome to Extemp Help, the page that explains all about the Extemporaneous speaking event and how Extempdex can be used to improve your teams performance in a question and answer format..  Feel free to make copies of this page and use it to help your students learn about Extemporaneous speaking.

1.  What is Extemporaneous Speaking?

    The Extemporaneous speaking event, often referred to as "Extemp", give students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of current events in the form of a speech that answers a questions dealing with issues or events important in the world today.  The speaker traditionally has 30 minutes to use whatever resources he or she has brought with them to do research on the topic before giving the seven-minute speech.  During the speech, the competitor is expected to not only form opinions and well-developed arguments but also to draw off of information found in well known sources.

2.  What should I be doing in my 30 minutes of preparation?

    30 minutes can go by surprisingly quickly when you have to make a speech.  Use every minute of your time to find information and construct your speech.  If you have a choice of topics, spend as little time as possible choosing which one you will be speaking on.  Then go through your resources to find information on the subject.  If you are using Extempdex, you can look in the subject column to find articles in Time, U.S. News, Newsweek, or Economist to support your speech.  Your speech team may have added additional sources onto Extempdex, giving your more choices to choose from.  Find articles that deal with your speech and read or skim through them.  You want to leave yourself enough times to create your speech, so balance your time wisely.

3.  How do I create an Extemp speech?

    A good Extemporaneous speech is well organized, well thought-out, and well supported by evidence from other sources.  Remember to answer the question given to you.  It is usually best to stand firm on one side, though concessions to the other side may help the credibility of your argument.  As a rule of thumb try to come up with at least three points you can analyze in your speech.  More or fewer points may be appropriate, but you do not want to appear to have to few points or leave some of your points under-developed.  From there, structure your speech much the same way you would an essay:

Introduction

Point 1 and evidence

Point 2 and evidence

Point 3 and evidence

Conclusion

4.  What should my introduction look like?

    Your introduction should grab your listeners intention.  You want them to be thinking "I can't wait to here what this person has to say" by the end of it.  The introduction can take many forms.  Perhaps it is an event that would appeal to your listener.  It may be an fact you discovered in your research.  It even be something that happened to you that you can relate to the topic.  Whatever it is, make sure it is not too far stretched in relation to your topic and make sure it is of interest to the listener.  After you have captivated your audience,  explain clearly where you are going in your speech.  You should state the question in some form and then answer it by quickly stating your points.  Now your listener is interested and knows what to expect.  This ensures you will not lose them in the middle of your speech.  All together this introduction should take about one minute.