Extemporaneous Speech? What is that?

Rules

Students will have 7 minutes to present their Extemporaneous Speech.
Students will have a 30-second grace period, after which they can be stopped by a judge, meaning the total Extemporaneous Speech can be a maximum of 7 minutes and 30 seconds without penalty.
Pieces significantly under 7 minutes or over 7 minutes will likely be ranked lower by the judge.
Pieces under five minutes should not expect to make it to the top three ranks of the round.
Pieces over 7:30 will be automatically ranked last by tab room staff.
Students will have 30 minutes to prepare their speeches. Being late to the preparation room will result in the student losing preparation time (i.e. the start time of the speeches will not change if the student is late unless extraordinary circumstances are at play).

Hook: get the audience’s attention; use a quote, anecdote, startling statistic, or other similar device
Motivate/Statement of Significance: give the audience a reason to keep listening (how does it affect them?)
Question and Answer: thesis statement, answer the question your topic gives
Preview: Preview your main points

Students will draw questions and choose one to speak about. They will have 30 minutes to prepare their speech and will be able to use a notecard while speaking.
It is a good idea to bring printed resources over important global topics, or topics of significant importance to the Balkan region. Students will also be able to look at resources downloaded to their devices, but a judge or volunteer will ensure the student’s device is not connected to the internet.
While the use of profanity is not encouraged, there may be certain circumstances in which students deem its use critically important to their performance. As such, students should use their own discretion to use profanity in a limited manner when necessary.

Students may have ONE notecard during their speech. They are allowed to write on both sides of the notecard.
NO props of any kind are allowed during the performance.

This includes but is not limited to, classroom furniture, poster boards, illustrations to highlight a point, costumes, etc.

Movement, in the form of two to four steps, is expected as students transition from one point to another in their speech.
Physical movement should help signify the movement from one thought to another in a speech.
Excessive movement, such as pacing, will most likely result in one’s performance being ranked lower.
Students may only move throughout the tight space in front of the room (this will vary by classroom). They may not walk around the classroom. Students may either move in a line or in a diamond shape to save space.

Students may only use original speeches they have written themselves.
Students should attempt to cite their sources in their speech.
If a speech is found to be plagiarized during the tournament, the student will be automatically disqualified by tab room staff, regardless of the judge’s feedback or rankings.
See the “Plagiarism” section for more specific information.

This is when a student takes the entire or part of a written text or speech and copies it exactly how the original author did.

This is when a student takes parts of multiple texts or speeches and copies them. The student then combines the multiple texts or speeches into one organized text or speech.

When a student takes small pieces of text (even as small as one sentence) and does not give credit to the author.

This is when a student takes the work of another author and makes very few changes to the text and presents it as their own work. Paraphrasing can involve taking a five-page essay and summarizing it into a paragraph, but not giving the author credit.

This is when a student copies the movements, vocal patterns, facial expressions and/or the selection of scenes from a piece as another performance.

The following tips are to ensure that students in BEST do not accidentally make plagiarism errors.

Always cite (give credit) to your sources.
When paraphrasing, make sure you are not misrepresenting what the author said or intended.
Students should not rely too heavily on other sources for their speeches. BEST wants to hear the students’ thoughts and voice in their performance.
Students should still use sources in their speeches, but the ideas should come from their own creative thinking first. Once a student has an idea, they should look for other sources and information.
When in doubt, cite (give credit) to the source.

If you need more information about plagiarism, please look at the BEST Plagiarism Guidebook.