OUR SPEECH EVENTS

DECLAMATION (WACFL ONLY)

Open to students in the 9th & 10th grades ONLY. A category in which participants memorize and interpret a speech, such as Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech. The speech must be memorized with a maximum delivery length of 10 minutes.

DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE

A single person event in which an up to 10 minute monologue or a dialogue with multiple characters is performed. Movement is limited, so facial and tonal expressions are key. Scripts are usually excerpted from plays or novels and can be serious or humorous nature.

DUO INTERPRETATION

Two partners each play a single or multiple characters in a 10 minutes memorized performance. Each character should be sufficiently developed and interact meaningfully with the other character(s) and your partner. Movement should be limited and suggested, not exaggerated.

EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING

Competitor chooses three current event topics from an envelope. The student selects one topic and is given 30 minutes to prepare a speech using evidence from published sources (like periodicals) that the team brings with them to the tournament. Students may not refer to any written notes during the speech. The maximum length of the speech is 7 minutes.

IMPROMPTU SPEAKING

A limited preparation event. Participants pick three topics out of an envelope and select one to talk about. The topic can be a phrase, quote, proverb, slogan, word, parable, famous person, or anything else. The participant is give a maximum of 7 minutes to develop and deliver a speech.

ORAL INTERPRETATION

An event with two different readings, one poetry and one prose. In WACFL, this is one event. In VHSL, Poetry and Prose are two separate events.

ORIGINAL ORATORY

Participants create their own original memorized persuasive or informative speech, that is up to a maximum of 10 minutes.

STORYTELLING (VHSL ONLY)

Participants will present a children's story, not exceeding 10 minutes in length including an introduction. This is a VHSL ONLY event. Students will be judged based on the choice of the selection, their interpretation and how the piece is performed.

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