An Interview with one of our Managing Directors, Eric Qian, on his successes, future predictions, and advice.
A passionate voice on our content team and now co-director of our operations and team here at the Extemper’s Bible (keep a lookout for part 2 with Kajal), Eric’s presence has always been accompanied by humor, an upbeat nature, and an openness to the ideas of others. His efforts to build up our resource base are only amplified by his excitement for extemp, recently championing Emory’s Barkley Forum/the Glenbrooks and placing at major tournaments such as Blue Key, TFA State, and more.
Without further ado, the Q&A you’ve been waiting for…
What was your first experience with Extemp?
I started as a PFer in 7th grade; I’d always really enjoyed watching NBC Nightly News (with Lester Holt!) and was a rather feisty person. A few months in, our coach required that all PFers do extemp to fill up our Plano middle school tournament spots, so I started doing IX. My first practice speech was… definitely something, even with a notecard.
Favorite tournament and why?
TFA State – having only 2 rounds a day leaves more time for getting enough sleep and talking with teammates.
Any pre-tournament rituals or good luck charms?
I like to sleep in-between/before rounds (if you see someone faceplanted into a Hello Kitty neck pillow, that’s me LOL). I also take deep breaths before drawing the question—that’s why I’ll sometimes wait a few seconds to draw after the draw monitor says to.
What’s your practice routine? Would you recommend it to others?
Junior year, I gave some kind of speech or redo pretty much every day. I’m not sure if I would recommend it to others; I don’t think it was the most successful strategy for getting success junior year because I really struggled with extemp burnout/exhaustion then. But it’s worked out well for me this past year because things like concise wording and clean substructure have become muscle memory (even though I rarely give more than 2 speeches/week now).
What led you to pursue equity in a speech and debate context through organizations like the Extemper’s Bible?
I really enjoyed using the Bible’s resources (questions/substructure articles in particular), and I wanted to be part of the team creating those resources.
Was there any advice you received early on that you feel shaped your career as an extemper?
This was during junior year – giving every speech like it’s a final round (from Kate Lee, my coach!)
Any advice you want to pay forward to any novices out there?
That nobody’s extemp journey looks the same. I really got into my own head when I was comparing myself to people like my Plano West extemp teammates, Robert (Zhang), and Anthony (Babu); especially sophomore/junior year, I felt like I was working really hard but not even getting close to their level of success. But I’m really grateful for that period of not breaking as far as I wanted at tournaments because it forced me to reconsider why I’m in extemp. Figuring that out has been a big part of my success this year.
You definitely have a recognizable presence and style in round. Any tips for students looking to find their own voice in Extemp?
Really lean into your personality – I think that my narratives/jokes come across as genuine when they show off the empathetic/light-hearted sides of my personality.
What’s the craziest thing that has happened to you in a round?
At MBA this past year, I didn’t really understand one of the hypothetical round scenarios, which asked me to propose a candidate for the DNC/RNC to support in the 2026 midterms. So I said the DNC should support EJAE from KPop Demon Hunters and sang Golden as my AGD.
What Extemp Trends are we leaving behind in 2025?
I wouldn’t say there’s anything we’re leaving behind—I think there are a lot of different styles that do well on the circuit!
What are your predictions for the future of Extemp and Speech and Debate as a whole?
As much as I disagree with it, the increased usage of AI within the 30 minutes of prep. A huge part of extemp is learning to synthesize arguments, and using AI in prep gets in the way of that. (This, by the way, is my view and not the Extemper’s Bible’s!)
As a senior, how do you feel Extemp has shaped what you want to go on to do/ your future trajectory, both for better or for worse?
It’s definitely made me more interested in economics and international affairs—I plan to study some combination of behavioral economics and international affairs in college. I also think that extemp’s made me more resilient in anything I do: college apps, school, music, etc.
How can students reading this get involved with our team at the Bible?
Feel free to reach out through the “Contact” page on our website!