You are working on a hot topic. You have a killer idea for a speech this year. You want to try something outside-the-box in one of your interps. This is the kind of thinking I LOVE! I get excited when I have conversations along these lines with my students. But I always advise them to check the rules BEFORE they get too deep in the development.
Kristi and I both agree that we don’t know what those 5-7 random judges will want to hear or see in the final round in the middle of June (at The National Championship). Some competitors stew and anguish over picking their piece or topic. Some cut and recut, some choose new pieces all together… Mid-season!
Here is some advice when picking your perfect Interp piece… Continue reading “Picking YOUR Perfect Interp Piece”
By: Heather Neumann
You have ten minutes… That's 600 seconds to convey your Original Interp. Don't let that scare you! But you do want to make sure you answer some important questions…
By: Kristi Eskelund
STRATEGIES
There ARE things you can do at a tournament, before a round to help you have something to talk about in impromptu. The need is to have LOTS of bits and pieces brought forward to the front of your mind where they are ready for you to use them. Here are a few ways to do that:
By: Heather Neumann
This is probably one of the most asked questions for my kids and me. The fact of the matter is, I have "a vault" of stashed possible Interp pieces for future years and for kids I coach. I know Kristi has one too! Once we find a book that could be a possible speech, they go in to "the vault"... Ok so really, it's just a book shelf, but it sounds so much more exciting as a vault! So, where did find them? It's like looking for treasure...
By: Heather Neumann
Anyone with an idea or concept is capable of giving a powerful speech! But what if that theme has been done before? What if Cinderella was done last year? The Sneeches has been done thousands of times! No one can claim ownership of an idea. However you can claim ownership of your OWN Speech. And just like you are unique - the Speech you create will become uniquely yours! You don't even have to come up with a rocket science invention.
By: Chap Bettis
As a parent or a teen, you are trying to determine your priorities for the coming year. You can’t do everything. But what is best?
By: Kristi Eskelund
Not going to lie….it’s HARD to do an original work these days. If you are working on an interpretation of a piece of literature, it’s hard to find a story that hasn’t been done or made into a movie or posted on YouTube. I know! Making your interpretation original will take significantly more work than copying one you’ve seen done, but the rewards will also be far more satisfying.
By: Anna Johansen
I stood at the double doors clutching a blue folder in my nervous hands, already overwhelmed. There were hundreds of teenagers in there– confident, talented, experienced, suit-wearing, future-lawyer-type speakers and debaters. Over 400 of them. The girls wore heels and curls and lipstick; the guys hauled briefcases full of debate evidence and articles from the Economist.
By: Kristi Eskelund
What if you can't find anything you like as much as last year's speech? My family has certainly been in this place! When you find that perfect piece, the one that is just “you” to a tee, or when you’ve had real success with a particular speech, it is legitimately TOUGH to move on and try to find another! Here are a couple of suggestions I’ve used in my family. (My kids will testify this is what I made them do….)
While I was watching the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony last year (yes, I watched all three hours- I mean Brett Favre, including some other great players were receiving awards)… I was struck by two things…
Whether you feel creative or not… I encourage you to write! Make your students write! There is probably nothing more rewarding in “The Interp World of Speech” than being able to Interp your own work. Here you have the ability to create your storyline, characters, and you will be able to tweak your story whenever you want, because it's yours!
Here are some tips to help you with your Original Interp…
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