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by Logan Scisco
Extempers have a variety of sources at their disposal when crafting a speech. Magazines, newspaper articles, journal articles, books, and articles from think tanks constitute most of the tools that an extempers has in their arsenal. Most extempers tend to use magazine and newspaper articles the most, with journal articles constituting the third most used source. Think tank articles would probably be one of the least used sources, but they would be on the fourth rung of most used sources and books usually constitute one of the least used sources in extemporaneous speaking. Since books take more time to read and digest, extempers are less likely to use them since they feel they can use the length of time devoted to reading a book to reading a large number of other sources. However, books can be an important source of information and can impress an audience if used during a round. Extempers who watch old NFL final rounds can attest to the power of books in extemporaneous speaking as many recent national champions and finalists have used them.
This strategy piece will discuss the usefulness of using books in extemporaneous speaking and how to cite them, as well as providing tips for what books to read, how to read more of them quickly, and how to file and reference book citations during prep.