Individual events (speech and debate)

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Individual events is a type of speech competition characterized by individuals competing in a variety of different events. These events span the areas of public speaking, acting, reading and interpretation. Sometimes confused with competitive Debate, Individual Events is actually a unique form of competition, often referred to simply as Speech Team or Forensics. Organized competition takes place both on the high school and collegiate level. Speech and Debate competitions are subsets of Forensics competition.

Contents

[edit] Individual events: the events themselves

There are many types of events included in any Individual Events competition, and these events vary by state and/or conference. A brief overview of these event types is given below.

[edit] Public address events

[edit] Original oratory

Original Oratory, or simply Oratory, is one of the most common speech events. In Original Oratory, a competitor prepares a speech addressing a problem and suggesting a solution Original Oratory can also be referred to as Persuasive Speaking. Original Oratories are not meant to inform. Oftentimes, a competitor may use only one speech for the entire season. The purpose of Oratory is to inspire belief or reinforce conviction.

Several approaches are permissible: praising or condemning an action, eulogizing a person, or solving a problem. The most common approach is to first define a problem and to then build a solution, in such a manner that an audience acknowledges the severity of the problem and is convinced that the speaker is providing a logical solution to it.

This speech event is generally memorized. At the high school level, speeches are generally eight minutes in length, but the best speakers (national level) should be able to do a ten minute speech. At the college level, the event is referred to as Persuasion, and speeches are ten minutes in length.

Major Competitions featuring Oratory: High School - NFL (National Forensics League), NCFL (National Catholic Forensics League)

College (Persuade) - AFA (American Forensics Association), NFA (National Forensics Association)

[edit] Informative

Informative Speaking is a speech meant to inform the audience. This speech can take on topics ranging from the newest, high-tech inventions from around the world that hope to cure cancer, to more light-hearted topics such as Wikipedia itself. The topic should be one that is timely and interesting, making it something that the general audience doesn't readily understand. Essentially, the topic should be one that is difficult to understand. It is the job of the speaker to make it easy to understand. In intercollegiate competition, the speech time limit is ten minutes and typically memorized. In high school competition, the time limits will vary among different states. Informative Speaking is also referred to as Expository Speaking.

Major Competitions featuring Info: College - AFA (American Forensics Association), NFA (National Forensics Association)

[edit] Entertainment

Entertainment is an original speech that is only meant to entertain the audience, and may or may not have any educational value. The topics can range from nearly anything, but are usually of a humorous nature. Nearly everything thing is allowed in this speech as long as is stays on topic and is provided in easy to understand points. Entertainment is limited to a few states on the High School Circuit and is not an event on the collegiate level. The time limit is always eight minutes and the speech is typically memorized.

[edit] Declamation / Memorize Speech

Declamation, or Oratorical Declamation, or Memorize Speech is the interpretation and presentation of a non-original speech. These speeches may be historical (Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech, etc.), adapted from magazine articles, or any number of other adaptations of non-original material, including forensics speeches from previous years. Declamations tend to be persuasive, and competition is similar to Original Oratory. As in Oratory, the length of a speech is generally about eight minutes. Memorization is usually a requirement in Declamation. It is also termed 'Oratorical Interpretation'. This is not a college event.

[edit] Communication Analysis/Rhetorical Criticism

Communication Analysis, or Rhetorical Criticism (frequently shortened to CA or Rhet Crit) is perhaps the individual event that is least understood by the general public. The speaker (or rhetor) has ten minutes to present the speech. The speech structure usually consists of: an introduction, presenting a rhetorical artifact, a discussion of a communication theory or model, application of the communication theory to the artifact, implications of that analysis, and a conclusion.

The artifact may be anything that has rhetorical significance: a book, a speech, an advertising campaign, a protest movement, etc. The rhetor identifies the goals the artifact seeks to accomplish. He or she then selects a model form of analysis - typically borrowed from communication scholars - to determine the effectiveness of the artifact in reaching its goals. For instance, in analyzing an anti-smoking campaign, the rhetor might opt for a model discussing the most effective methods of employing fear in persuading a mass audience.

The rhetor would then apply the model to the artifact and draw various conclusions about the artifact's strengths and weaknesses, the success or failure of the model as an analytical tool and other insight gained from the analysis.

Most high schools do not compete in Crit.

Major Competitions featuring Crit: College - AFA (American Forensics Association), NFA (National Forensics Association)

[edit] Special Occasion Speaking

Special Occasion Speaking is similar to Oratory, but focuses on lighter subjects. Comedy is seen frequently in Special Occasion Speaking, but should not detract from the message the speaker is trying to relate. The speech is not as strictly persuasive as in Oratory, but can be designed to inform. Speeches typically run about eight to ten minutes long. This event is limited to some high schools and is not a collegiate event.

[edit] After Dinner Speaking

After Dinner Speaking is a public address event meant to take an important topic and make greater sense of it through the use of humor. It can take the form of any of the accepted public speaking structures but often takes the form of an Informative or Persuasive speech. This event covers a variety of topics, but the use of humor is central to the execution of the event. The After-Dinner speech should not resort to the base forms of humor. The humor should be topical and relevant to the idea presented. This type of speech is found at the collegiate level and is typically eight to ten minutes long. It is also known as ADS. A very similar event, often interchangeable with ADS, is Speech to Entertain.

Major Competitions featuring ADS: College - AFA (American Forensics Association), NFA (National Forensics Association)

[edit] Limited Preparation Events

[edit] Extemporaneous speaking

Extemporaneous Speaking, Extempore Speaking, or simply Extemp, is a speech given at a tournament with little preparation. Extemp is a mainstay at most speech competitions. At the beginning of any round of extemp, competitors are given a question relating to current events to prepare a speech on. The competitor have a preparation period, usually referred to as "prep time", during which they use periodicals they brought to the tournament to prepare the speech. This "prep time" usually lasts between thirty and forty-five minutes, and at the end of this time, competitors must present their speech. Note cards may or may not be used to aid in the presentation of this speech. Extemp speeches range from four to seven minutes in length.

Certain high school competitions subdivide Extemp into Domestic and International categories. Few collegiate-level competitions practice this subdivision.

[edit] Impromptu speaking

Competitors are given a topic, usually a single word or phrase, that may be a person, thing, well-known saying, a less well-known quote, or an object. They then compose a speech based on the prompt. Impromptu speeches generally run about four (the minimum required speaking time at most tournaments) to six minutes in length, with anywhere from 15 seconds or three minutes of "prep time". Judging typically focuses on overall speaking ability (enunciation, pace, vocal variety, etc.), creativeness (pre-made or "canned" speeches are generally frowned upon), and overall balance of the speech (points of roughly equal length, appropriate length of intro, conclusion, etc.).

In the Ohio High School Speech League competitors choose three quotations at random from an envelope. They have a total of seven minutes to "compete." These seven minutes can be divided into whatever the competitor chooses such as 3 minutes to prepare and 4 to speak or 2 minutes to prepare and 5 to speak.

[edit] Radio speaking

Radio speaking is the preparation and delivery of a five-minute newscast. Scripts may be prepared the day preceding a tournament, or in a thirty to forty-five minute "prep period" before performance. Usually, competitors are given a packet containing international, national, and local news, one or more advertisements, sports news, and a weather forecast. Competitors then have the "prep period" to compose a newscast, using the most relevant news possible, and organizing it in the best fashion they can. At the end of the "prep period", the performer delivers the newscast to a judge, usually over a microphone. The time limit is very stringent in Radio, and going beyond a five or ten second grace period above or below the five minute limit results in disqualification. Competitors may use a stopwatch to keep track of their own time, and the judge and/or timer keeps track of time as well. Radio is not a college event.

[edit] Acting and Interpretation Events

[edit] Dramatic Interpretation

Dramatic Interpretation (often shortened to DI) is an event in which the competitor interprets a selection of a dramatic work. A single competitor plays several parts, which are differentiated using "pops" between various positions and voices, each representing a different character. "Pops" are supposed to be as clean as possible, and each character should be clearly distinguishable from any other character. At the High School level, DI will sometimes include Humorous Interpretation (HI).

Major Competitions featuring DI: High School - NFL (National Forensics League), NCFL (National Catholic Forensics League) College - AFA (American Forensics Association)

[edit] Humorous Interpretation

Humorous Interpretation (often shortened to HI) is the humorous alternative to DI. In this event the competitor will perform an eight to ten minute selection of a literary work of a humorous nature. It is sometimes combined with DI (taking the name of DI). As in DI, characters are distinguished through the use of "pops" and voice work. HI is not event at the collegiate level, as it is expected to include humor in a DI piece.

Major Competitions featuring HI: High School - NFL (National Forensics League), NCFL (National Catholic Forensics League)

[edit] Duo Acting

Much like DI and HI, Duo pieces have at least two parts, to be performed by two people. The principles are generally the same, except there are two people performing instead of just one. In Duo Acting, the actors generally do not make eye or physical contact, but in some states (for example, Illinois), Duet Acting events do allow contact of these types.

[edit] Prose / Poetry Interpretation / Read Speech

Prose Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation, or Read Speech is also called Literary Reading, and sometimes referred to as Verse, consist of an interpretation of another author's work. Competitors read the material from a small binder or book they use in performance. Memorization is generally helpful, due to the need for eye contact and audience involvement. The reason for this is that although the event is called "Reading", most of the time, competitors will be interpreting the literature via facial expressions and eye contact, hence, they interpret the material they are presenting. Time limits for these events range from six to ten minutes, depending on the organization hosting the event.

[edit] Improvisational acting pairs

Improvisational Acting Pairs is an event where two competitors team up and are given a scene on a small piece of paper. After two minutes of planning, they perform their scene.

[edit] Individual events tournaments

Individual events tournaments usually take from six to twelve hours to complete, with the longest tournaments lasting multiple days. One model of a tournament schedule usually starts around 8:00 or 9:00 A.M. (typically on Saturday), at which time competitors are given schematics for the day, which tell them which rooms they are competing in for each round. Another model begins the tournaments on the first day between 3:00 and 5:00 P.M. (typically on Friday) and continues through the next night (Saturday); there is typically no scheduled competition between 11:00 P.M. Friday and 7:00 A.M. Saturday. This model is typically used when an Individual Events tournament is hosted simultaneously with a Debate tournament.

There are several preliminary rounds in a tournament, which then cut to a final round, and sometimes semi- or quarter- final rounds as well. The tournament ends in an awards assembly, in which medals and/or trophies are presented to the finalists in each event, and team awards are given to teams which get the most points all day. (See Scoring, below).

[edit] Speech rounds

A speech round consists of the performances of between five and eight competitors, who are then ranked by a judge that watches the entire round. Competitors from the same school usually do not compete against each other in preliminary rounds (although this situation can occur if a school enrolls numerous contestants in an event or paricipation in a tournament is low), and competitors should not know what schools their opponents are from, as codes are randomly assigned to each school at the beginning of the tournament. For example, if a competitor's school code is "L", they may be "L3", "L38", or "L308", depending on how many competitors are at the tournament, and how the schematic is set up. This system is designed to help prevent bias on the part of judges. After the preliminary rounds, the top speakers are tabulated and a list of speakers who have "broken" (advanced) to the next level is posted. A normal speech round has six competitors, and final rounds are "broken" with the goal of having six speakers in the round.

[edit] Scoring

Performers compete individually and for their teams during Individual Events competitions. In any given round, a competitor earns points for themselves and their team according to their rank from the judge. Usually, a competitor receiving a rank of "1" scores 6 points, a "2" earns 5 points, a "3" earns 4 points and so on, with any rank of "6" or below scoring 1 point. The top two competitors from each team in each event score points for their team. Usually, only preliminary rounds count toward a team's point totals to increase the importance of team participation, and for logistic reasons. Sometimes final rounds may be included, or preliminary rounds may be excluded altogether.

At the awards ceremony, medals or trophies are given to individuals, and team awards are given to the top teams. If there were no final rounds at the tournament, then the individuals scoring the most points for themselves in the preliminary rounds are each given medals - usually the top three competitors in each event. In tournaments with final rounds, the finalists in each event are called on stage, where they are given their medals. Team awards are also given for the five teams with the most points.

[edit] External links

[edit] High school links

[edit] Some state forensic organizations

[edit] Some high school individual events teams

[edit] College links

[edit] Some college individual events teams

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