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Ashesh Rambachan competed for Eastview High School (MN) and was the 2012 NFL National Champion in International Extemporaneous Speaking. Ashesh was also the runner-up in International Extemporaneous Speaking at the 2011 and 2013 NFL national tournaments and was a semi-finalist in that category his freshman year. In fact, since the inception of the United States Extemp/International Extemp category split, no extemper has had a better three year record at the NFL National Tournament than Rambachan. Ashesh is also the only extemper in the history of the NFL National Tournament to win consecutive final round national championships in the same extemporaneous speaking category (2012 & 2013). Ashesh was the runner-up at the 2012 NCFL Grand National Tournament and was a two-time Minnesota state champion in extemporaneous speaking (2012 & 2013). Ashesh agreed to sit down with Extemp Central for a two part interview to share his thoughts on extemporaneous speaking, reflect on his career, and provide advice to future extemporaneous speakers. Part one of the interview can be found here.
6. What is the best piece of advice you ever received about extemporaneous speaking?
“Slow down, and explain.” My coach frequently told me this during practice and after rounds. It served as a constant reminder to make sure that both the content and delivery of my speeches were accessible to a wide-audience.
7. You have had a lot of success in your career, but what would you rank as your biggest career disappointment?
The more I look back at my career, the more I realize that I was lucky to just be able to compete in an activity that I love every single week. With that perspective, it’s impossible to have any regrets.
8. If you could change one thing about extemporaneous speaking what would it be and why?
I would increase the time limit. As I became more experienced, the more I felt that seven minutes was too short. There were so many instances in which I had to cut out valuable details, or explanations simply because of the time constraint. There are a lot of extemp questions that are impossible to answer truthfully, with nuance and sophistication, in only seven minutes.
9. What are your future academic plans and do you plan to remain involved in the activity?
I am attending Princeton University, where I plan to major in economics. I also hope to stay involved with speech and debate programs at my high school, whenever I am back in Minnesota.
10. Any final advice, especially for younger extempers?
Read, read and read some more, especially during the summer and the offseason. Use the extra free time to read books about current events and to catch up on long, academic journals like The Washington Quarterly and Current History. During the season, keep up with a national newspaper like the New York Times to stay up-to-date and think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations for fast, high-quality analysis. There is no substitute for knowledge and understanding.