Your teen comes home from the first speech and debate meeting of the season and says they signed up for extemp. You ask what that is. They say you get a question about the news, thirty minutes to prepare, and then you give a speech with no notes. You are not sure whether to be impressed or worried.
Both reactions are reasonable. Extemporaneous Speaking is one of the more demanding events for a first-timer, because the thinking, organizing and speaking all happen in one sitting. It is also very learnable. Most of the skill comes down to a repeatable routine, and a routine is something a student can practice at home with a kitchen timer.
How an Extemp Round Works
The National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) runs the format used at most American tournaments. According to its High School Event Rules Manual (2023-24 edition), a speaker draws three questions, chooses one, and then prepares a speech without consulting anyone. The speech has a seven-minute limit with a 30-second grace period, and no minimum time. Notes made during prep cannot be used during the speech, so the speech is delivered from memory.
Questions come from current events. The manual describes two divisions: a United States division covering U.S. domestic and foreign policy, and an International division covering the domestic affairs of foreign countries and the foreign affairs of all countries, including the United States. Questions are often phrased as a judgment call, such as whether a particular policy will achieve its goal, which asks for an argument rather than a summary of the news.
Students bring research with them. The manual allows published books, magazines, newspapers and articles, provided the pages are whole and uncut and carry no handwritten notes other than citation information. Rules on internet-enabled devices and on generative AI differ by tournament, so your teen's coach or the tournament invitation is the place to check before each event. The manual also says electronically retrieved evidence must follow MLA citation standards, so students should keep the source details for everything they bring.
What Not to Do
Do not let your teen answer a different question than the one on the card. The most common beginner mistake is giving a speech about the topic instead of the question. If the card asks whether sanctions will change a country's behavior, a seven-minute history of the country does not answer it. Our coaches look for a speaker who answers it in the first sentence.
Do not spend 25 of the 30 minutes reading. Research feels productive, so new speakers keep reading. A student who walks into the room with plenty of facts and no structure will ramble. Set a hard stop for reading, around 10 minutes, and use the rest of the time to organize and rehearse.
Do not write the speech word for word. The speech cannot be read, and memorizing a full script in half an hour leads to panic the moment one sentence slips. Notes should be a skeleton: the answer, the points, one example under each.
Do not wait until the real tournament to try a full 30-minute prep. The timeline feels completely different when it runs out. One or two full practice rounds at home catch pacing problems while they are still cheap to fix.
Do not overload the speech with statistics. Three or four specific, well-sourced facts that support a clear answer beat ten that the speaker half remembers.
What Works
1. Answer the question in one sentence first. Before any research, have your teen write a one-sentence answer, even if it is a guess. Research then becomes a way to test and support that sentence, and the sentence becomes the spine of the speech.
2. Limit the speech to three points. Seven minutes is enough time for an introduction, two or three main points, and a conclusion. Three points are easier to remember than five, and easier for a judge to follow. Two points with real depth are fine.
3. Attach one example to every point. A claim with a specific example, such as a named policy, a date or a number from a source, sounds credible and is easier to recall than an abstract statement.
4. Practice the delivery separately. A student can have a great outline and still deliver it too fast, too quietly or with a lot of filler words. Run content practice and delivery practice as two separate passes. Our guides on helping a child stop talking too fast and stop saying um cover the habits that show up most under time pressure.
5. Build a files habit. Extemp competitors usually keep an organized set of articles sorted by topic. Even a simple folder system, updated weekly with one or two articles, makes prep faster. This also builds a habit of reading the news that helps well beyond the event.
The Three-Point Answer Framework
Here is a simple structure a beginner can use for almost any question. It is our coaching shorthand rather than an official NSDA format, and experienced extempers adapt it.
1. Hook and answer. Open with one sentence that grabs attention, then state the answer to the question and preview the points. This takes about 45 seconds. 2. Point one, point two, point three. Each point gets a clear label, one claim, one example with a named source, and a one-sentence link back to the question. Budget roughly one and a half to two minutes each. 3. Close the loop. Restate the answer, summarize the points in one sentence and finish on a line that connects back to the opening. Keep this around 30 to 45 seconds.
That adds up to a speech that fits inside seven minutes with room for pauses. Pauses matter: a speaker who stops for a beat between points sounds in control, and the judge gets time to follow along.
A Home Practice Routine
You do not need to know the news better than your teen. You only need three things: a source of questions, a timer and a willingness to listen.
1. Find a question. Ask your teen or their coach for practice questions, or turn a news headline into a question that begins with "Will" or "Should". 2. Start a 30-minute timer. Your teen researches for about ten minutes, then writes only the skeleton. 3. Have your teen deliver the speech standing up, with a seven-minute timer running and no notes. 4. Give two pieces of feedback only: one thing that worked and one thing to change next time. Ask whether the answer to the question was clear by the end of the first minute.
Two or three rounds a week for a few weeks is a realistic starting point.
How TalkMaze Fits
TalkMaze offers 1-on-1 online public speaking and debate coaching for students ages 5 to 17. Extemp is a solo event, so a student's main chance to hear their own speech and get specific feedback is often a private session. A TalkMaze coach can run a timed practice round with a fresh question, watch how the 30 minutes are spent, and give feedback on structure, pacing and delivery while the speech is still fresh. Our debate program coaches students in the formats they compete in. Founder Ghalia Aamer is a national debate competitor, TEDx speaker and Princess Diana Award recipient, and every coach trains on the method she built for structuring an argument. If this is your teen's first tournament, our guide to preparing for a first speech and debate tournament covers what the day looks like, and our guide to Lincoln-Douglas debate covers the one-on-one debate event.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is an extemp speech?
An extemporaneous speech is seven minutes with a 30-second grace period, according to the NSDA High School Event Rules Manual. There is no minimum time. A speaker who goes past the grace period can still be scored but cannot be ranked first if all judges agree on the overage.
How much prep time do extempers get?
Extempers get 30 minutes between drawing a question and giving the speech. At a tournament, speakers draw at set intervals, and the NSDA rules describe a seven-minute interval between draws in the standard procedure.
Can my teen get help from a coach or parent during the 30 minutes?
No. The NSDA rules say the speaker prepares without consultation, and consulting anyone other than the extemp proctor between the draw and the speech is prohibited. Coaching happens in the weeks before the tournament, not in the prep room.
What is the difference between United States and International Extemp?
The United States division covers U.S. domestic and foreign policy, and the International division covers the domestic affairs of foreign countries and the foreign affairs of all countries, including the United States. At the National Tournament, a student cannot enter both divisions in the same contest year.
Can my teen use notes during the speech?
No. Students may make notes during preparation, but the NSDA rules prohibit notes, cards, briefs or other aids during the speech. This is why a short skeleton outline works better than a script.
Can my teen use the internet to prepare?
It depends on the tournament. The NSDA sets guidelines for internet-enabled devices and generative AI at the National Tournament, and districts and local tournaments may set their own. Read the tournament invitation or ask the coach before each event.
Is extemp a good first event for a beginner?
Yes, for a student who likes current events and is willing to practice under a timer. Extemp rewards structure and reading habits more than natural charisma, which makes it learnable. A student who prefers to prepare a speech over weeks may find original oratory a better first fit.
Do coaches help with extemp or is it all self-study?
Many students improve on their own with timed practice, and a coach makes that practice faster because feedback arrives right after each speech. In our experience, students who get a specific note on structure and pacing after every practice round improve in fewer weeks than students who practice alone, though this is our observation rather than a study.
The Bottom Line
A strong extemp speech answers the question in the first sentence, makes two or three points with one sourced example each, and fits inside seven minutes. Practice with a timer, read the news a little every week and keep notes to a skeleton. If your teen wants a coach to run timed practice rounds and give feedback on structure and delivery before the next tournament, book a free assessment and we will start there.
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