When most extempers think about prep, they tend to focus on evidence, structure, and delivery. And, rightfully so. As a result, though, transitions often get neglected. And while it’s certainly important to ensure the body of your speech is fleshed out before shifting your focus to transitions, doing so can be incredibly valuable. Transitions are the glue that connect your introduction, your three points, and your conclusion. Without them, a speech can feel like three disparate mini-essays. With strong transitions, you can build a more compelling, persuasive arc unifying your entire speech.
In extemp, you’ll hear both terms: “transition” and “on-top”. For practical purposes, they’re the same thing. Some circuits call them transitions, others say on-tops, but they serve the same role: guiding your audience through your structure.
Why Transitions Matter
A transition does two jobs at once: it reminds the audience where you’ve been, and it shows them where you’re going. This helps not only with flow but also with overall clarity. A judge should be able to follow your speech without having to guess what part of it you are on.
As your judge flows your speech, your three points can sometimes get lost. Transitions help indicate to your judge when you are shifting from your introduction to your first point, your first point to your second point, your second point to your third point, and your third point to your conclusion. It allows your judge to examine each piece of your argument individually, but also see the connection between every piece. Essentially, a logical and effective use of transitions enables your speech to flow smoothly while also allowing it to be followed simultaneously.
One of the best ways to test your own transitions is to listen to speeches as if they are a podcast or radio show. For example, record one of your speeches and then listen to it with the screen faced down. If you can’t follow the structure just by listening, something is missing.
Transitions also do something else important: they wake judges back up. Even the sharpest extempers know that long analysis can at times get monotonous (in other words, boring). A clever transition, whether it’s rhetoric, a callback, or a joke, can snap the room’s attention back onto you. Transitions are a way step out of the typical confines of what an extemp speech looks like and gives you a chance to engage your judge in an exciting manner so it’s important to make the best use of them. This is your chance to be you!
Four Ways to Make Transitions Better
Let’s use a single example question to keep this consistent:
”Will India surpass China as the leader of the Global South?”
- Put Transitions in Conversation with Each Other
Generic version: “The second reason India will surpass China is demographics”
In this case, let’s say your first point in the speech was the economy. One very simple addition you could implement to improve this transition would be:
”If India’s economic growth explains why it is catching up to China, then its demographics explain why it is set to stay ahead.”
This ties Point 1(economy) directly into Point 2(demographics). Instead of treating them as separate entities, you show they’re both working together in one continuous argument. This flow can help your speech feel more natural.
- Leverage Humor (with a Link)
Generic version: “The third reason India will surpass China is its diplomatic influence.”
Better version: “If diplomacy were streaming, India would be Netflix. China? The cheaper replica, and like most replicas, was probably made in China.”
Link: That lack of trust is exactly why nations in the Global South are leaning toward India’s leadership instead.
The joke (hopefully) lands, but make sure to link it back to the main point you are arguing. Otherwise, the joke may seem out of place. In this case, India’s ability to multitask in global organizations and China’s lack thereof is the substance of your next point. Without that link, the humor is just a punchline with no actual argumentative weight.
One more thing, unfortunately speaking from experience, don’t force a joke. Both for it not making sense of the context of the question you are answering, and a more brutal truth, the joke just not being funny. But hey, I guess you never know until you try it (please test your jokes with some team members first before trying them in round)!
- Use Rhetorical Questions
Generic version: “Another reason India will surpass China is because democracies inspire more trust.”
Better version: “If the Global South is tired of China’s authoritarian playbook, then it might be time to consider which rising power they trust more to represent their interests. Increasingly, the answer is India.
Two things to note here, be careful in the use of rhetorical questions and frame it more in the form of a statement like above. The last thing you want is to confuse your judge with a question that is not the main question you are trying to answer as a whole. However, its use forces the judge to think about comparison while steering them exactly where you want them.
- Build on the Previous Point’s Facts
Generic version: “Finally, India will surpass China because it has stronger partnerships with the West.”
Better version: “And those demographic advantages don’t just strengthen India’s economy. They also make it a more attractive partner for Western nations, which increasingly see India as the stable counterweight to China.”
This prevents you from starting the third point cold. You’re pulling evidence from the previous point (demographics to stability) and logically extending it into the new one (global partnerships). It makes the speech sound like a continuous argument instead of separate essays.
The Role of the Link
The key to any of these methods, especially humor, is the link. A link is the sentence that takes whatever device you used(whether it be a joke, quote, rhetoric, etc.) and ties it directly back to your thesis.
Without that link, your transition does not fit into the context of your speech and seems like a piece of irrelevant information that merely adds “fluff” to your speech.
Don’t Overdo It
As powerful as transitions are, there’s a danger in over-relying on them. Spending too long on a transition can eat up time better used for the actual substance of your speech such as the evidence and analysis you use to actually answer the question your speech focuses on answering. Furthermore, not every point needs a full “on-top” or transition. For example, it’s often better to have two well-crafted transitions and let your third point flow naturally, rather than forcing a clunky third transition that distracts instead of helping.
Above, I simply used the “generic” transitions as a way to show you that you can elevate these transitions when given an opportunity to do so. That said, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to use “generic” transitions such as a simple “the third reason why …”
So, don’t force it.
Remember, oftentimes, no on-top is better than a bad one.
Delivery Tips During Transitions
- Wrap up, then move. Don’t start walking from one point to the next in your speech until you have completely finished that section of your speech. For example, do not start moving to your second point as you are saying the last sentence of your first point.
- No “transition walk” silence. Always talk while you move. While an intentional pause after an impactful statement or just as indication that you are beginning to transition to your next point can be effective, a genuine silence while transitioning can make you look unpolished.
- Keep eye contact. A common mistake among extempers is that they look at ANYTHING but their judge as they transition into their next point. Don’t look at the walls, your audience should always feel like you’re speaking to them.
- Pause before moving on. A one-beat pause lets the judge digest your point and your impact statement at the end of your point, resets pacing, and indicates that you are about to transition into your next point. However, after the brief second, make sure to still transition into your next point via an on-top.
- Avoid “So in conclusion.” Everyone says it. It can also “cheapen” your finish. A better alternative: “So when returning to today’s question…”
Final Thought
A good extemp speech can be thought of as an argument told like a story. A story only works if the chapters that make up its composition connect with each other. Likewise, transitions are the bridges that help your judge follow along with your speech instead of getting lost. Master them, and it can land you a smooth speech that your judge won’t forget.