This is a speech designed to persuade the audience on a fact, policy or attitude. Competitors are encouraged to tackle subjects on which there is ample evidence supporting alternative positions. This event re-opens persuasion to prepared, reasoned argument, involving logos, pathos, and ethos. Judges must be instructed to evaluate on the basis of that argument, not their own personal positions. The speaker will prepare for 30 minutes on a question chosen from three current event questions given to them at the beginning of the prep time.
Sources are optional.
Extemporaneous speaking continues to serve a valuable function in education. This is only one of two events that escape to a new schema virtually unchanged. In the tradition of client counseling, a specific situation will be role-played with judge as client and competitor as counselor. Evaluation will be based on counselor resolution of problem. This is a radical departure from impromptu, as we know it.