About
Interpretive Reading
Interpretive Reading is an event that allows you to present a variety of literary pieces in such a way that it is joined by a common theme and becomes something more for your audience. With your voice and (minimal) gestures, you can bring the piece to life; with your theme and connections you can bring it to THEIR lives. it has the potential to be whatever you wish, whatever you happen to find important. if you have been wanting to get a point across or spread the word about something, turn it into a theme and use the words of the professional authors to help you out. it really is an easy thing to do and can be very personalized.
Some basic rules for IR. Upper body movement only and keep it limited. IR is more about how you distinguish characters and use your voice then your body language. Remember to be reading the piece while occasionally looking at the audience. If you look at the audience too much you lose the feel of reading. The one step rule is probably the biggest rule. When getting material usually one prose and two poems is a good formal. Kammi’s was more and it worked very well however some competitors have ten very short pieces and it becomes very difficult to follow the theme. The only part that has to be memorized are the transitions. One advanced rule that a judge told me. At the end of the piece you close your book, take your step and go into a transition. figure out ahead of time if you want to close your book before you take your step or after. decide and stick to it. judges who know this event well will notice that. in novice most competitors don’t have their transitions memorized so if you can it puts you ahead of the game. It’s a very fun event I recommend everyone try it at least once.
Because this is a reading event, a huge emphasis is placed on clarity in speaking and emotion in voice. This is not an event for those with a monotone.
Original Oratory
Original Oratory (often shortened to "OO") is an event in debate in which competitors deliver an original speech on a subject of their choosing, though the speech must be factual. An Oratory must be written and memorized by the performer if the competitor is in Open level, a script is permitted in Novice. No more than 150 words can be quoted. This speech should be highly persuasive and is normally about a slightly controversial topic.
Even though it's your original work, Oratory does require some kind of preparation and steps. This is what sets Oratory appart from Impromptu. These steps can greatly affect your speech deliverance, whether good or bad. The following are recommended steps in delivering a good Oration:
1) Intro Hooker: The best way to deliver an Oratory is to grab your audience and make them want to actually listen to you what you as the speaker have to say, and not just hear another figure trying to persuade. You can do this with a story, startling fact, question, and especially a joke. Telling a story needs to have something to do with your topic.
2) Body: If one wants to keep an audience's attention, add facts and startling figures. Make your subject relevant to the audience. Though you do indeed want to add facts and startling figures, humorous examples and jokes also can help in explaining your topic. This is probably a more effective way of keeping the audience's attention, however, to write an award winning oration, both facts and humor are necessary.
3) Conclusion: If one did not make a good impression on the audience before, chances are slim that one will not recover with a smashing conclusion. Reiterate, go over the main points of the speech and make it memorable for the audience.
Expository Speaking
Expository (Expos) is a 10 minute speech that explains an idea, a process, or a theory. Visual aids are appropriate and encouraged. No manuscript is allowed but a note card may be used. Experienced Expository speakers will sometimes have multiple visual aids such as posterboards, models, and other physical items. The speech is the focus of the judge, however.
"Out there" topics are generally rewarded by more interesting speeches and thus higher scores. This should not be a political persuasive piece, but rather one that explains an interesting concept. This event is great especially for someone new to debate who wants to sink her foot into the water.
