Speech Formats

In Original Oratory, students craft and deliver a 10-minute persuasive speech on a topic of their choice. The speech must be memorized, original in content, and supported by evidence and personal insight. Topics range from social justice and mental health to cultural phenomena or education policy. Students are judged on argument construction, organization, delivery, and emotional engagement. Original Oratory values originality, storytelling, and performance.

Original Oratory is well-suited for students with a passion for performance, research, and public speaking.

Structure of an OO Round:

o   Students compete individually against other students in a room with a judge who ranks speakers at the conclusion of the round.

o   Each student delivers a speech no longer than 10 minutes in length.

Impromptu Speaking is a limited preparation event in which students receive a prompt—typically a quote, word, or abstract concept—and have only 7 minutes (often 2 minutes prep, 5 minutes speaking) to organize and deliver a speech. This format encourages quick thinking, creativity, and structure under pressure. Impromptu is especially useful in training students for real-world communication scenarios like interviews, classroom discussions, or civic engagement. Impromptu is well-suited for students interested in improving their critical thinking and public speaking skills.

Structure of an Impromptu Round:

o   Students compete individually against other students in a room with a judge who ranks speakers at the conclusion of the round.

o   Each student generally has 7 minutes to prepare and deliver a speech - often broken down into 2 minutes prep, 5 minutes speaking.

Interpretation events challenge students to perform published works of literature—prose, poetry, or drama—with strong characterization, emotional depth, and narrative understanding. These events blend acting, analysis, and public speaking. In Dramatic Interpretation (DI), students perform a 10-minute excerpt from a published dramatic work, such as a play, novel, or screenplay. The focus is on emotional storytelling, character differentiation, and dramatic intensity. While no props or costumes are allowed, students use voice, facial expression, and body movement to bring the piece to life. Dramatic Interpretation teaches empathy, literary analysis, and emotional discipline. Dramatic Interp is well-suited for students interested in performing and connecting with audiences on an emotional level.

Structure:

o   Students compete individually against other students in a room with a judge who ranks speakers at the conclusion of the round.

o   Each student generally has 10 minutes to deliver a prepared speech from a published dramatic work.

Other interpretation formats include Humorous Interpretation (HI) and Program Oral Interpretation (POI), but DI remains the most universally accessible and is recommended for international and cross-format instruction.