Heather’s Top Places to Find an Interp Piece

By: Heather Neumann

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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...

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You Can’t Own an Idea

By: Heather Neumann

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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.

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The Importance of Originality

By: Kristi Eskelund

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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.

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What’s in a Name: The One Thing Juliet Got Right

By: Anna Johansen

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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.

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Compared to Last Year’s Speech

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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….)

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More Tips for your Original

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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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Why do Extemp?

imageBy: Heather Neumann

Ben competed in speech and debate for seven years—the first four speech only, debate and speech the last three. The highlight of his time in the league was a successful run in team-policy debate his senior year- 2016, followed closely by competing in Extemporaneous Speaking.

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