Minnesota High School Speech
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Minnesota High School Speech refers to the competitive forensics system in the state of Minnesota. These activities are currently coordinated and organized by the Minnesota State High School League, otherwise known as the MSHSL.
There are thirteen categories of Minnesota High School Speech, many of which differ greatly from their National Forensics League counterparts. It is important to note that Minnesota High School Speech and Minnesota High School Debate, while both organized by the Minnesota State High School League, are independent activities with different tournament schedules, seasons, awards, and procedures.
Minnesota High School Speech, as organized by the MSHSL, is composed of thirteen highly varied activities, which can more or less be placed into one of two larger groupings: Public Address, or Interpretive. The exception to this rule is Discussion.
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[edit] Public Address Categories
The Public Address categories consist of Extemporaneous Speaking, Great Speeches, Informative Speaking, and Original Oratory.
[edit] Interpretive Categories
The Interpretive categories consist of Creative Expression, Dramatic Duo, Humorous Interpretation, Extemporaneous Reading, Serious Interpretation of Drama, Serious Interpretation of Poetry, Serious Interpretation of Prose, and Storytelling.
[edit] Creative Expression
Creative Expression is a category in which the speaker will write their own speech, and then give it however they like. Many times the speech will be humorous, but it can also be serious or dramatic. This is one of the more interesting categories to watch, simply because of the sheer amount of freedom the speaker is given in writing their speech.
[edit] Dramatic Duo
Duo is a unique category in the fact that it allows for two people instead of one. Speakers will often deliver certain lines together, or use different gestures to make the speech more entertaining. These speeches can be humorous or serious.
[edit] Humorous Interpretation
The name speaks for itself; Humorous interpretation means the speaker will give a Humorous speech! Sometimes these speeches will be acted out, like a play, or it could be just a monologue. Whatever the topic, make sure it's funny!
[edit] Extemporaneous Reading
One of the three "Draw categories", Extemp. Readers will get a book to read out of at the beginning of the speech year. When rounds begin, the first person will be called to draw three slips of paper out of a bag or a hat. Each slip of paper will have a page number and will tell you what to read from the book. Readers will choose one, then get a space of 30 minutes to practice. When the 30 minutes is up, they head to their rooms and deliver the passage to the judge with feeling and emotion.
[edit] Prose, Poetry, and Drama
These three categories are very much the same, the only difference being that the scripts will come from different places. In these categories, you will memorize a speech, and then give it in front of the judge when it is your turn in the round. Drama speeches will come from plays, possibly dramatic monologues. Poetry is somewhat self-explanatory; you will get your speeches there from poems. Often speakers will combine a few shorter poems that are based around a common theme. Prose will get their speeches from a book, or published work.
[edit] Storytelling
Storytelling is one of the most fun categories, but it takes a great deal of acting skill. It, like Extemporaneous Reading, is a draw category. This time, however, you will memorize the plot of 15 stories from a book of short stories, and then pick three out of a hat. Once you decide what you are going to do, 30 minutes are taken to rehearse and practice, and then you're off to give the judge your story. What makes this category so fun is that you are allowed to throw your own jokes and give the story your own touch, as long as you follow the plot of the story.
[edit] Discussion
Discussion is, by far, one of the rarest categories found in the world of competitive speaking. In Discussion, or "Disco", six to eight competitors come together for up to sixty minutes to reach a consensus concerning a task provided for them. Discussants are measured on their performance by their candor, wit, and ability to pull together a group to reach common ground based on individual research.
Because Discussion is so unlike every other category, it becomes much more difficult to evaluate or place neatly into a grouping of either "public address," or "interpretive," of which it is clearly neither.
[edit] Competition
The Minnesota State High School League organizes only three divisions of competitive speech tournaments; all other invitationals and tournaments are organized by schools and teams themselves and are without central coordination.
[edit] Independent Competition
Independently organized tournaments, for the most part, adhere to Minnesota State High School League-sanctioned rules, although many schools now host tournaments specifically ruled by those set by the National Forensics League, whose rules and categories differ wildly in many areas. Invitational speech meets usually follow a certain form, with three preliminary rounds. The top six, seven, or eight will advance to a final round, which is judged by three judges. The final round scores are usually the only scores counted when determining final placement.
[edit] MSHSL Competition
The MSHSL currently divides all Speech teams into two classes:
- Class A, which is composed of schools with enrollments of 0-610 students.
- Class AA, which is composed of schools with enrollments of 611 or more students.
Class designation is highly important in regard to competitive Speech, as Class AA competition is undoubtedly more challenging, though not without exception. Further, Class A competitors are required to pass an additional hurdle that Class AA competitors do not--that of the Subsection Tournament.
The MSHSL currently coordinates three levels of competition:
- Subsections, at which only Class A schools compete. At Subsections, all Class A competitors are invited to compete for a place at their Section tournament. The best six, seven, or eight competitors in each category at the subsection are chosen to move on to a final round, out of which the best-performing four to six competitors move on to the Section tournament.
- Sections, at which all Class AA competitors and previously-selected Class A competitors vie for competitorships at the State Tournament. All Class AA competitors are invited to compete at their section tournaments, although each competing school may enter only three competitors per category. Class A students selected by their subsection compete at separate section tournaments. The top six, seven, or eight competitors from each category travel to a final round where their performances are critiqued and reviewed, with the top three competitors from each Class A and each Class AA Section in each category moving on to the Class A and Class AA State Tournaments, respectively.
- State, at which Class A and Class AA competitors compete on separate days in their respective categories. (Class A and Class AA students never compete against one another in MSHSL competition, and their tournaments are held on separate days.) Owing to the limit of only three competitors per class section, and the fact that Minnesota is divided into only eight sections, each category has exactly twenty-four competitors. The top eight in each category travel to a final round where they are scored and placed in accordance with their performances. The final rounds at the State tournament are the only rounds not critiqued.
