Extemp Overview

Standard NFL rules for extemporaneous speaking, available on the NFL website (www.nflonline.org), will apply: 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. Each round will be themed; topic areas will be posted to the TOC Extemp website on May 1.

All questions will be taken from newspapers and magazines between January 1, 2012 through the day of the event.

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 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.  Computers are not 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 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 for each student, as multiple students from the same school may draw at the same time.  Speaking order will not be adjusted to accommodate computer use.

Preliminary Rounds

Competitors are guaranteed six preliminary rounds. Rounds I through IV will be randomly assigned, while rounds V and VI will be seeded. Each round will be evaluated by two judges, each of whom will rank competitors 1st through 5th. The lowest ranking 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 best cumulative rankings after dropping each lowest ranking.

Elimination Rounds

Those contestants advancing to the first elimination round will be announced 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. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be evaluated by five judges each. The top three contestants in each section will advance to the next round. Each break is clean; no previous results will be considered except in the case of an otherwise unbreakable tie. The final round will be evaluated by seven judges and will be open to the entire tournament and the Northwestern community.

Supplemental Impromptu Speaking

Contestants not advancing to elimination rounds in extemp may 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 two preliminary rounds, and the top six contestants (based on total ranks, 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. Unlike in previous years, students are automatically enrolled in impromptu, unless otherwise marked. All contestants pre-registered for impromptu and not advancing to elimination rounds 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 the rounds; missed impromptu rounds will incur the same drop/missed ballot fees as extemp rounds.