Guidelines for Participating in Extemporaneous Speech:

Each youth participant will present an extemporaneously prepared speech on a randomly drawn topic. The selection of topic, preparation of the speech, and presentation of the speech will all happen during the 50 minute convention event session.

• Participants will randomly draw a topic for their presentation. This selection will occur in the opening minutes of the convention session. After each participant has drawn a topic, participants will have 10 minutes to prepare their speeches. The order of delivery will be randomly determined by the event director.
• The pool of possible topics will be selected by the Extemporaneous Speaking event director before the convention, but will be unknown to the participants until the convention event session. Topics will be spiritual and/or Biblical in nature but may also involve contemporary issues or current events. Some form of spiritual application is expected from the participants’ presentations.
• Presentations must be a minimum of three minutes in length and no more than five minutes in length. At five minutes, the event director will stop the presentation. A speech that is under three minutes in length will not be given an award.
• Participants may use resource materials that they bring to the convention, including, but not limited to Bibles, books, periodicals, and Internet resources. Sources may be quoted in a participant’s oral presentation, but proper citation should be given.
• Participants may use written notes as they deliver their oral presentations. Notes may be kept electronically and used from a phone, tablet, laptop, or other device. Because of the constraints of time, and due to the extemporaneous nature of the event, audio/visual resources, including the use of computer presentation programs, are not permissible.
• Participants should speak loudly, clearly and expressively.  No microphone will be available.
• Spectators may not leave or enter the room while participants are speaking.
• Video- or audio-recording equipment must be set up prior to the event and must be stationary.  No participant may be taped without their advance approval and appropriate notification to the judges.
• A podium will be made available for participants to be used, but participants are not required to use it.
• Students may read from the Bible on electronic devices, including smart phones.

 

Judging Criteria:

For each participant there will be three judges appointed by the event director.

• Each judge will use the following criteria for determining the recognition give to each participant.
  1. Appearance & Poise: including the participant’s dress, posture and composure.
  2. Delivery: including voice volume, enunciation/articulation, gestures and eye contact.
  3. Content: including communicating the passage with conviction, the introduction given to the passage, and the coherency of the verses chosen–in other words, does the reading flow logically and have a clear beginning and ending?
  4. Intangibles: which are entirely subjective (as the French say, je ne sais quoi, “a pleasant quality that is hard to describe”).
  5. Time of Speech: which should be between three minutes and five minutes in length. While time length of the speech will be noted by the judges, it will not be a formal criterion for judging, but a speech that is under three minutes in length will not be given an award.
• For each category the judge will determine EXCEPTIONAL, GOOD, or FAIR.
• An award rating of GOLD, SILVER, or BRONZE (which may or may not be a reflection of the exceptional, good, or fair ratings) will be assigned by each judge.
• The event director will be make the final determination on the award presented to the participant.
• Judges will also provide written comments on the judges forms. These comments are intended to be a positive affirmation of the youth participants and to offer helpful advice for continued growth in the discipline of public Bible reading.