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If you’re a regular reader of Extemp Central, chances are you’re familiar with Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). The startup that has built popular apps for Extemp and Congress recently launched Generation 3, a brand new version of its debate technology. I caught up with Ian Panchevre, the founder of Prepd. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
by Ian Panchevre
A typical prep room experience does not involve recognizing someone from the nationals final round video. At the Glenbrooks, however, this sort of encounter is typical. The Glenbrooks can be an intimidating tournament. But you will learn that the excitement of the tournament can easily overcome most apprehension. The Glenbrooks offers an incredible learning opportunity and I hope to share with you what I got out of it, but in order to do so, I’ll have to break the spirit of extemp. Instead of covering three distinct points, I will begin by addressing the sort of preparation I did and then precede to reveal the attitude that I had throughout the tournament. In the process, I hope to address specifics about the tournament.
While preparing, it is important to keep in mind what really matters. You have a limited amount of time and therefore you have to be selective in regards to how you devote yourself.
Reading is obviously important. I encourage extempers to increase their reading load before a tournament such as the Glenbrooks. However, be realistic about how much you can read and what sort of knowledge will be useful in rounds. Reading a journal article about the fishing industry in Fiji will have little applicability. Moreover, trying to go through an entire book is probably unrealistic. In addition to regularly reading The Economist and Foreign Affairs, I would read the entire domestic and foreign section of The New York Times for about a week and a half before a big tournament. Also, while filing, I would set aside articles that clarified situations I did not completely understand to read at a later time. If you have the time to read a journal, go for it. Otherwise, stick with more general news.
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