Original Oratory (OO)
Original oratory would be a 6-8 minute memorized speech for middle school and a 4-minute memorized speech for elementary of original content that is intended to persuade (i.e., you should recycle more).
Informative Speaking (IS)
Informative speaking for
elementary is a 4-minute memorized speech for elementary of original content that is intended to inform (i.e., this is what happens during the recycling process).
Extemporaneous Speaking (EX)
Extemporaneous Speaking, typically called “extemp,” is a speech on current events with limited preparation time and is currently only offered in middle school. Students are presented with a choice of three questions related to national and international current events. The student has 20 minutes to prepare a 4-minute speech answering the selected question. Students may consult articles and evidence they gather prior to the contest, but may not use the Internet during preparation.