Tag: Jonathan Carter

Strategy: Question Analysis

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On September 16, 2008

In Strategy

by Jonathan Carter

strategyOverview

What is the first rule of extemp? Answer the question.  In the majority of rounds if you are able to answer the question, you will be one of the top extempers in the round.  When I say answer the question, I mean this very specifically.  Answer every aspect of the question, don’t just use it as a prompt to talk about what you want to discuss.  Because answering the question is so important, this brief is going to explain how to break down a question so that you know exactly what it is asking.  Once you know this, you can formulate a speech that is a direct answer.  Away we go, into how to answer the question land.

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Strategy: How to Write An Introduction

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On September 9, 2008

In Strategy

strategyby Jonathan Carter

Overview

Before you can really get going on the season, there are a few fundamental that are always worth noting.  Many judges will tell you they can get a sense of where a speaker will place in the round within the first minute of the speech.  To that end we are going to focus more on theory and strategy.  In that vein we are going to start with analysis on how to write a quality introduction.  In extemp, a good introduction is supremely important, without one a good speech is impossible.  In a good intro you will set up all of the background for the speech and justify why you speech is the most important in the round.   Moreover, the better the introduction the less work you have to do in the body of the speech.  Follow this formula and your intros will be golden in no time flat.

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Strategy: The Rhetorical Point

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On June 17, 2008

In Strategy

by Jonathan Carter

strategyOverview

Well, NFL fans, it’s time for the last brief of this competitive season. For those of you still on the g,o here is another brief dedicated to adding one more brilliant point when you have run out of ideas.  Rather than focusing on a global issue that affects anything this week, we are going to examine a secondary way to analyze all issues.  While we tend to focus on the direct impacts of things–what the leaders did, what the laws mandate, how the battles are being fought, etc.– we can also analyze the messages that are sent along with those actions.  For every mandate a law has, it also sends a message that effects people that may have no tangible relationship with the law.  Thus, when you are in a pinch you can always look at the rhetorical element of the question and add a brilliant extra point.  This brief will teach you how to pull off this particular rhetorical flourish.

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