Extemporaneous Speaking Rules

Contestants will have thirty minutes to prepare and seven minutes to deliver a speech addressing one of three topics. Once a student’s speaking time reaches 7:00, overtime penalization is at each judge’s discretion. The questions for each round will be themed; topic areas will be posted to the TOC Extemp website on May 1st. All questions will be taken from newspapers and magazines from January 1st through the day of competition.

Laptops will be allowed in the prep room.
To ensure fairness, all laptop users must comply with the following rules:

1. Students using computers must do so in the designated prep room; computers may not be used to prepare in other locations.
2. No Internet access is allowed at any time in the prep room, nor are computers allowed to network to other computers.
3. Printers are not allowed in the prep room.
4. Students are prohibited from accessing outlines and speeches that have been written prior to their draw time.
5. Any student using a computer must be prepared to show prep room or tournament staff what they are accessing at any time.

The TOC Extemp reserves the right to disqualify any student that is found in violation of these rules or that resists a reasonable request by prep room staff. Schools using computers are encouraged to provide one machine for each student, as multiple students from the same school may draw simultaneously. Speaking order will not be adjusted to accommodate computer use.

Preliminary Extemp Rounds

Competitors are guaranteed six preliminary rounds. Rounds I through III will be randomly assigned, while rounds IV through VI will be seeded using the snaking method. Each round will be evaluated by two judges, each of whom will rank competitors 1st through 5th and rate competitors on a 25-point scale. The lowest preliminary round ranking and rating for each contestant will be dropped, and the top contestants will advance to elimination rounds. Advancement will be based on (1) best cumulative rankings, (2) reciprocals, and (3) the highest cumulative ratings.

Elimination Extemp Rounds

The first elimination round will be determined based on tournament attendance. Contestants advancing to the first elimination round will be announced in the draw room as soon as possible after Round VI on Sunday morning. Elimination rounds will be seeded, and sectioning will not be broken to avoid placement of contestants from the same school in the same rounds. The tournament reserves the right to include cross-examination in elimination rounds. Advancement through elimination rounds will be based on (1) best cumulative ranking and (2) judges’ preference. All elimination rounds through semifinals will be evaluated by five judges each; the top three contestants in each section will advance. Each break is clean; no previous results will be considered. The final round will be evaluated by nine judges and each contestant’s high and low ranking will be dropped to determine final tournament results.

Supplemental Impromptu Speaking

Contestants not advancing to elimination rounds in extemp may choose to participate in impromptu speaking on Sunday. In this event, contestants will have seven minutes to both prepare and deliver a speech improvised from a provided prompt. There will be three preliminary rounds, and the top six contestants -- based on total ranks, then reciprocals, then rating points -- will advance to the final round. Topics will vary by round and section, and each speaker in the same section will speak on the same topic.

To participate in impromptu, contestants must pre-register at the time of tournament entry.
All contestants pre-registered for impromptu and not advancing to the first elimination round in extemp will automatically be slated to compete in impromptu. No impromptu fees will be refunded if students advance in extemp. Students and judges slated in impromptu are expected to attend their rounds; missed impromptu rounds will incur the same drop/missed ballot fees as extemp rounds.