Extemporaneous is so gratifying—and not just because of the competition. There are plenty of outlets that provide that opportunity. What I really love about Extemp is the opportunity to expand my knowledge of the world, discuss it with family and friends, and then share that information and analysis with others. That’s exactly what I hope to do with you today. If we haven’t met, my name is Roman Hogancamp, and I honored to be the 2024 NCFCA Extemporaneous National Champion. As such, I would like to provide three tips for competing in Extemporaneous—whether in STOA, NCFCA, or just around the dinner table. Continue reading or SIGN UP for EXTEMP CLUB that starts NEXT WEEK!
Let’s begin with one of the questions I get asked most frequently: “What do I do if I get a question I don’t know anything about?” This, I personally believe, is the number one reason why many don’t choose to compete in Exempt (or even look into politics). If you are in this boat, you do not have to be afraid! You will not be familiar with every topic. It is impossible to prepare for all possibilities—and that’s ok! For example, I drew a topic focusing on why the United States should reform Carbon Capture. At the time, I had no clue what Carbon Capture was. Do not be discouraged, though. Break down what you do know and utilize your preparation (prep) time to fill in the blanks. Many competition settings will also provide you with a choice of two topics. I would recommend choosing the topic you know the most about. I have been in this situation more times than I can count. I almost always avoided some obscure name I didn’t recognize and, instead, I chose the topic I knew the most about. This is the best-case scenario.
The worst-case scenario, however, does happen on occasion, and that is drawing two topics about which you know nothing. In that case, I would recommend choosing the topic that is the easiest to break down. A prime example of this would be these two questions: “Is Taylor Swift causing inflation in Europe?” and “Should the United States buy Greenland?” Personally, I would choose the Taylor Swift question. The reason being is that I can explain inflation to my judges once my prep time provides some quick context to the question. So, even though I don’t really know much about Taylor Swift, I can break down the question rather quickly.
Once you have chosen your topic, the next step is research. There are several programs that download articles and provide an off-line database for you to access during your preparation time. Two programs I would recommend checking out are Extemp Genie and Prepd. The biggest thing you are looking for during your prep time is context! If you can acquire context into the question, then you will be able to answer the question and make a recommendation based on that background. It all relies on context, though. You may not be familiar with every question, but if you can break down the key terms and actors through your research, then you will be good to go!
Now that we have addressed the biggest fear, let’s go over pre-competition preparation. This really comes down to one thing… The more familiar you are with current events, the better off you are. Being familiar with both domestic and international news will provide you with a ton of context—before you even draw your first question. I would recommend the following three ways to increase your news knowledge… The first is to take thirty minutes a day and ‘cut’ or save articles to your Extemp prep program. The programs download thousands of articles each day. Cutting or saving articles, though, provides you with an opportunity to research and become familiar with the issues of the day when you are not on a preparation time clock. Cutting articles also adds to your off-line library, which you can use during competition rounds. If you do this, then you will have tons of articles and a vast knowledge of the current events. This is the best thing you can do to help with your pre-round knowledge.
The second practice I would recommend would be to listen to political podcasts. Personally, I love the Micheal Knowles and Ben Shapiro podcasts. I would like to clarify. You do not have to listen to every episode to have a basic knowledge. What I would recommend is listening while doing activities such as mowing the lawn, doing the dishes, or folding clothes. I also like to listen to my podcasts in the car. Think about it. You could have thirty minutes or more in a car that you could put to good use—and mowing the lawn has never been more fun than when Ben and I go to work. A good podcast makes the time fly by and helps increase your pre-round knowledge.
Finally, if you want to go off the deep end, I would recommend downloading multiple news apps to your phone. Check out the notifications provided as time allows. The apps that I prefer are: Daily Wire, Fox News, Reuters, Axios, and Newsmax. These apps provide a constant and varied stream of news articles that will help keep you up to date as to what is transpiring in our world. This news stream will provide you with a wide range of information and scope on multiple issues.
My final tip for this article is a presentation recommendation—one that could be controversial. I advocate using two points instead of three. The reason behind this decision is because I find that I do not have enough time for three points. You also have to consider that almost all of the questions you will come across are two-part questions. Let’s look back at the question, “Should the United States buy Greenland?” This is a perfect example. The first part needing to be addressed is the history and background of U.S. and Greenland relations and the prospect of sale. This is going to be a large chunk of your speech. I personally recommend background information encompassing three and a half to four minutes of your speaking time. This background will be beneficial as most of your judges will not be familiar with the fact that the U.S. has tried to buy Greenland four times. It is our job to explain the necessary background and context, and that takes time.
My second point always focuses on the interrogative word, or the word that asks a question. This is often the first word in the question. This word requires a specific answer. In the Greenland example, the key term is ‘should.’ Answering the question, ‘Should the United States…’ becomes your second point, one which your lengthy background information should help to set up. In this second point, answer the question and break down the reasoning behind your conclusion. This will probably take one and a half to two minutes. That is why I personally only recommend two points. With an intro, you already have roughly six and a half minutes accounted for, and that is if everything goes as planned and you don’t go long or add in anything.
With that presentation tip out of the way, I do have one final recommendation to leave you with… Just try it! As with anything, intimidation wanes and skill grows the more you practice. Extemp is an amazing speech category! It is an extremely rewarding speech for both competition and personal growth. I only had space to share with you just three tips, tricks and theories (of an almost unlimited number). If you would like to grow more in Extemp, I would highly recommend joining Patrick McDonald and I for Lasting Impact’s Extemporaneous online club. The club will meet on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. EST, beginning on October 3. We will meet for an hour to review work and refine your Extemp skills together. This is an amazing opportunity to learn from two national champions who deeply care about your success and are excited to share the knowledge we have gained through the years. I hope that you will join us!
God Bless,
Roman Hogancamp
Roman will be teaching alongside NCFCA legend, Patrick McDonald in Lasting Impact!’s 8 Week Extemp Club. Club starts next week! Hear more about the ins and outs of this awesome speech and debate event and receive feedback and practice! Remember, all clubs are recorded. Sign up HERE!
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