Download The Guide to Speech and Debate Events

GUIDE TO CLAYTON FORENSICS (THE SPEECH AND DEBATE KIND)
To help you understand the program, we thought it would be helpful to give you a few general bits of
information about who we are and what we do. You are encouraged to call the Clayton Speech and
Debate Office whenever you have questions. The number is 314-854-6663 (Brenda Bollinger). You
can reach Dave Jenkins at 314-854-6660.
FYI
From Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th edition, 1999:
Forensic—adj. 1. of or characteristic of, or suitable for a law court, public debate, or formal
argumentation 2. specializing in or having to do with the application of scientific, esp. medical,
knowledge to legal matters, as in the investigation of crime. ---n. debate or formal argumentation
--Students who participate in the Speech and Debate program here at Clayton High School have the
opportunity to learn and practice a variety of communication skills as well as to hone research,
organization, and interpersonal skills.
--While this is generally a student-led organization, we are under the guidelines of the National
Forensic League, the Missouri State High School Activities Association, and the Greater St. Louis
Speech League, as well as the rules and regulations of the high school.
--Our areas of competition fall under three categories. Following are most of the events that could be
offered at various tournaments throughout the year:
DEBATE:
INTERPRETATION
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Policy
Lincoln-Douglas
Public Forum
Humorous Interpretation
Dramatic Interpretation
Duo Interpretation
Duet Acting
Storytelling
Prose or Poetry Reading
Improvised Duet Acting
One Act Play
Readers Theatre
Original Oratory
Extemporaneous Speaking
Radio Speaking
Impromptu Speaking
Student Congress
--Following, you will find a description of most of the events offered in the forensics program. Host
schools of invitational tournaments may opt to offer all or part of these, as well as a number of other
events not as frequently available to competitors.
DESCRIPTION OF SPEECH AND DEBATE EVENTS
HUMOROUS / DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION—
*The student entering humorous or dramatic interpretation shall:
Interpret a cutting from published, copyrighted, printed material from memory.
Give a suitable introduction for his/her cutting.
Choose material that meets acceptable literary standards.
Use no costumes or properties.
Present the interpretation from memory.
*This event is an oral interpretation. Characterization and action are to be suggested rather than represented.
*Contestants shall be required to stand in place except for minor stance alterations. Communication of the
interpreter’s understanding of the ideas and mood of the scene is of primary importance.
*The participant shall have available an original publication of his/her selection in case the material is
challenged.
*The time limit shall be no more than ten minutes.
PROSE READING—
*The student entering prose reading shall:
Read prose from published, copyrighted, printed literature.
Prepare an introduction (and transitions, if needed) to the selection or selections.
Select material from sources other than plays or poetry that includes less than 50% dialogue.
Make the printed page “come alive” for his/her audience.
*Although the material should be well in mind, it shall not be memorized and shall be read from the printed
page. The student shall stand in place except for minor stance alterations. The student shall
communicate an appreciation of the literature he/she is reading.
*The participant shall have available an original publication of his/her selection in case the material is
challenged.
*The time limit shall be no more than eight minutes, including introductions and transitions.
POETRY READING—
*The student entering poetry reading shall:
Read poetry from published, copyrighted, printed literature.
Prepare an introduction (and transitions, if needed) to the selection or selections.
Select material from sources other than plays or poetry that includes less than 50% dialogue.
Make the printed page “come alive” for his/her audience.
*Although the material should be well in mind, it shall not be memorized and shall be read from the printed
page. The student shall stand in place except for minor stance alterations. The student shall
communicate an appreciation of the literature he/she is reading.
*The participant shall have available an original publication of his/her selection in case the material is
challenged.
*The time limit shall be no more than eight minutes, including introductions and transitions
DUET ACTING-*Two students entering duet acting shall:
Present a scene from published, copyrighted, printed material.
Memorize roles completely.
Limit stage furnishings to two chairs and one table, which shall be provided by the tournament host.
Use no makeup, costumes, or properties of any kind.
Adequately introduce the selection.
Choose material that meets acceptable literary standards.
Use on stage focus.
*The participants shall have available an original publication of their selection in case the material is challenged.
*The performance time shall be no more than ten minutes, including the introduction.
DUO INTERPRETATION--*Two students entering duo interpretation shall:
Present a scene from published, copyrighted, printed material.
Memorize roles completely
Use no furniture.
Use no makeup, costumes, or properties of any kind.
Adequately introduce the selection.
Choose material that meets acceptable literary standards.
Use off-stage focus.
*The participants shall have available an original publication of their selection in case the material is challenged.
*The performance time shall be no more than ten minutes, including the introduction.
STORYTELLING—
*The student entering storytelling shall:
Perform a published, copyrighted, printed story of his/her choice, originally intended for children.
Use no costumes or properties of any type.
Have the story well enough in mind to share it adequately with the intended audience.
Prepare an introduction to the selection, which must be given in a seated position.
*The contestant shall narrate the story:
In a combination of his/her own words and original essential phrases.
Using good speaking practices with an emphasis on good conversational style and spontaneous bodily
activity.
From a seated position on a chair or stool provided by the tournament host.
*The participant shall have available an original publication of his/her selection in case the material is
challenged.
*The time limit shall be no more than eight minutes, including the introduction.
RADIO SPEAKING—
*The student entering radio speaking shall:
Prepare and present a script that contains news, weather, and sports.
Use copy no more than 24 hours old as of the tournament’s first round to prepare the script.
Follow individual tournament rules regarding the inclusion of a commercial. No commercial is to be
given in MSHSAA District and State tournaments.
*The contestant’s voice shall be pleasing. Articulation should be clear; enunciation distinct, and pronunciation
accurate. The student’s voice including quality, pitch, volume, modulation and rate should be used to
good advantage. The individual should have a thorough understanding of the material he/she reads.
*The speaking time shall be five minutes.
ORIGINAL ORATORY—
*The student entering original oratory shall:
Deliver a persuasive speech of his/her own composition with no more than 150 words of quoted
material.
Deliver the speech from memory, without notes.
Choose a subject for the speech that is interesting and significant.
Use sensible appeals and sound reasoning.
Show a lively sense of communication, using bodily action and voice to the best advantage.
Use no visual aids.
*A typed copy of the speech shall be available upon request.
*The speaking time shall be no more than ten minutes.
EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING (DOMESTIC or FOREIGN ISSUES)
*The student entering extemporaneous speaking shall:
Be well-read in leading periodicals and newspapers.
Have a thorough understanding of current problems.
Be able to speak precisely and intelligently on these problems.
Have command of adequate techniques for delivery.
Be adept at organizing his/her thoughts in such a way that he/she can put them across to an audience
with a lively sense of communication.
Use no notes in the delivery of the speech.
*The topics shall be:
From current news magazines and newspapers.
Devoted to foreign and/or domestic matters (The division will determined by individual tournament
hosts.)
*The event shall be carried out in the following manner:
A list of contestants to speak in the event shall be posted.
Each contestant shall, following the order of speaking, draw three topics 30 minutes prior to assigned
speaking time. He/She shall select one and immediately return the other two topics.
The student shall then be assigned a place to prepare the speech. The contestants may use any material
which he/she has with him/her, except electronic retrieval devices. The individual may not
consult with anyone during this period.
At the end of the 30 minutes, the student shall deliver his/her speech in the room designated for that
purpose.
*The speaking time shall be no more than seven minutes.
Policy Debate
Policy debate is a form of speech competition in which teams of two advocate for and against a resolution
that typically calls for policy change by the United States Federal Government. It is also referred to as crossexamination debate (sometimes shortened to Cross-X, CX, or C-X) because of the 3-minute questioning period
following each constructive speech. The style of argumentation features extensive use of citations and
quotations from news sources and technical material. Affirmative teams generally present a plan as a proposal
for implementation of the resolution. However, many teams also partake in alternative forms of argumentative
presentation that do not focus on the acceptance or rejection of a specific plan.
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Lincoln-Douglas Debate, is a US format of debating named after the famous series of Senate debates
between the two candidates, has two participants who compete against each other. The arguments center around
philosophy or abstract values, and thus it is also called a value debate . Lincoln-Douglas debate tends to require
less evidence than policy debate, and thus emphasizes logic and reasoning. Most LD cases center around a core
value and a value criterion, with the value representing the highest concept that can be achieved under a given
resolution and the criterion being the best way to achieve or measure the value. While there are regional
variations, most good LD debates occur when both sides agree on a set value, and then must argue their criteria
on the best way to achieve or measure that core value.
Public Forum Debate
A public forum round consists of two teams of two people. At the beginning of each round, a coin flip will
occur. Whoever wins the coin flip will have the option of choosing either their speaking order (first team to
speak or second team to speak) OR which side they will take on the topic (pro or con). If the team that wins the
coin flip decides to be the first speaker, the other team can choose which side they will take on the topic. An
example of a topic for public forum is "Resolved: That the private ownership of handguns should be banned in
the United States." The team on the pro side would argue that private ownership of handguns should be banned
in the United States, while the con side would argue that the private ownership of handguns should not be
banned in the United States. The first member on the team that is speaking first will have four minutes to
introduce and explain their stance. The first member of the second team will then have four minutes to do the
same. The two team members who just presented their arguments will have three minutes of crossfire (Q&A).
The second speaker on each team will each have four minutes to further explain their stance, while trying to
prove why their argument is stronger than the opponents. The second speaker from each team will then have a
three minute crossfire. Each team then has two minutes to summarize their arguments. All four debaters will
then participate in the grand crossfire, which will last four minutes. Each team will have one minute to spend on
the "final focus,” which allows them to leave the judge with their final thoughts.