Extemp Prep (Part 3)

         Now that you have a well-organized system for taking notes, you are ready to effectively prepare to give your speech. Today we will look at the rest of your prep time and see how to get ready for an excellent speech.

Form a concise answer

         20 minutes of prep seems like a lot of time - until you actually sit down and attempt to prep. In the midst of heavy research, one can often forget the original goal of Extemp: answering the question.  You would do well to read at least 1-2 articles that provide background information on the topic before you formulate an answer, just to get general knowledge. Once you actually create an answer to the question, the research will become more clear. For example, if your topic is “How can Ethiopia and Eritrea end their humanitarian crisis?” and your answer is for both countries to stop diverting humanitarian aid from the UN to military funding, you would probably not do well to spend 2 minutes reading over a list of every humanitarian crisis Ethiopia has endured. Coming up with a concise answer at the beginning ensures that you have a direction in the limited research time you have.

Speed Research

         Now that you have a different section of your folded note card for each point, you can start writing notes immediately. You should have spent only a couple of minutes planning your general outline and searching for articles in Extemp Genie. I recommend opening up 6 to 10 articles. You can often tell by the headline and source what the article is going to be about and what perspective it will take. Because of this, most of the time I end up reading articles in the order of my planned outline. However, if you start out by reading an article about your second or third point, or an article that addresses issues under multiple points, just turn to a different section of your note card and keep writing.

         You will not be able to read through multiple long analysis pieces in their entirety. I sometimes read all of a short piece of reporting, but for the longer think tank or analysis articles it is helpful to skim through and figure out what argument they are making, and more importantly, why they are making that argument. Take note of both the facts and the analysis presented. Explaining differing opinions can be helpful, but going beyond opinions into analysis is critical.

         Additionally, make note of any prior knowledge that you want to mention in your analysis. Perhaps you learned about the natural rate hypothesis (that inflation doesn’t help with unemployment in the long run) in economics class and are planning to mention it in your speech. Also, make a note of what analysis you are going to bring to the speech as well as  your answer to the question.

         Hopefully, you will have at least 8 minutes left of prep by the time you finish researching. You might be thinking “Why would I ever leave that much time left when I could keep researching?!” The answer is that there is one last thing to do before delivering your speech to the judges:

Practice during prep

         This is one of the most helpful parts of Extemp prep that is often overlooked or avoided. Pick up your topic card, note card, and timer, walk to the nearest wall (preferably further away from other competitors) and practice your speech. You will need to either whisper quietly or give the speech in your head but say (or think) each word to yourself as you go through, delivering it like you are giving the speech itself. This will help you to speak better the second time you give the speech (for the judges) and will also help you catch holes in your analysis. That is why we recommend taking 8 minutes for practice—it gives you a minute to pause and edit your notes as you practice.

         You are now ready to go deliver your speech to the judges! Before we close this part of the series on Extemp prep, we have one more tip:

Give more extemp speeches

         Just like history often “rhymes,” Extemp topics do as well. I (Josiah)  have done countless speeches on China’s relationship with Russia, and everyone who has done Extemp in 2022 knows that Ukraine is a common topic, as is inflation. Each time you give a speech on a topic area, you will both learn more about that topic area and become better at presenting your thoughts on that area. Doing more Extemp speeches (whether through practicing at home, practicing with a coach, or competing in Extemp at more tournaments) is key to not only becoming a better speaker in Extemp but also to understanding it better.

Do you want to master extemp this coming season? Hoping to learn more about the world around you and how to understand it? Join us for Extemp Club, staffed by Regional Extemp Champions Josiah and Luke. Learn more here.

Looking for the rest of this series? Read about the prep that happens outside of competition in part 1, and about notes and organization in part 2.