Here’s a quick start-up guide to kickstart your preparation for the upcoming Extemp season. Learn how to catch up on current events, establish a practice routine, set meaningful goals, and make the most of your comeback!
Happy Practicing!
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How Democracies Die
Steven Levitsky (a professor of government at Harvard University who focuses on comparative government) and Daniel Ziblatt (an American political scientist who specializes in the study of historical economies) remark that democracies have stopped going out with a bang, but rather a whimper. In this article, Akshita Krishnan explores these “whimpers” noted in the book, How Democracies Die.
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2023-2024 Leadership Applications!
Want to write for or work at The Extemper’s Bible? Here’s your chance to join!
Over the past weekend, the very first tournament for the National Points Race commenced. The University of Kentucky’s National Speech and Debate Season Opener was held virtually (for extemp) this year, which explains the variety in competition—the tournament drew in over 40 entries from across the world, and after 4 prelim rounds, a semifinals, and […]
The Extemper’s Bible will again host a Nationals Points Race for the fourth year in a row. This point system will determine the country’s most consistent competitor across a series of nationally-recognized events. Following the model of the Extemp Central National Points Race, we will be using different tiers to determine the comparative difficulty of […]
The Extemper’s Bible’s 2022-2023 National Points Race has come to a close! Below are the champions and high placers. Congratulations to Mckinley Paltzik of the Phoenix Country Day School (AZ), on being the second ever extemper to break 5 digits on the NPR, garnering an even 10,000 points. She is also the second ever extemper […]
Arjun Raman, King’s College London Jennifer Wen, Cherry Creek High School Introduction: What happens when you take a country already suffering from a lack of industrialization, famine, droughts, and various other economic crises and then introduce a government that bans women from working, restricts NGOs from operating, and faces sanctions by the states that once […]
Constraining Dictatorship is a masterfully executed book that weaves in empirical analysis made to explain how executive constraints on autocratic leaders emerge, and the effects of institutionalization on a regime.
Between the two of them, Ananth Veluvali and Peter Alisky have won NSDA Nationals and NCFL Nationals, and they’ve also placed in the top three of prestigious tournaments like the TOC and MBA. They were also the managing director and outreach director for the Extemper’s Bible, respectively. Now, they’re hoping to help the extemp community […]
I am thrilled to share our ambitious roadmap, aimed at bridging the gap in access to speech and debate resources, specifically for middle school students and underprivileged communities. But our initiative is not just about providing opportunities; it is about building a supportive speech community for everyone. Our Summer Camp, Mentorship and Training We are […]
Our team at the Extemper’s Bible has always believed that extemporaneous speaking is, and should be, a vehicle for growth in the students who participate in it. Unfortunately, we’ve all witnessed a great amount of inequity in our event holding our fellow speakers back. In the spirit of our convictions, we are thrilled to announce […]
Over the last couple of years, the most prominent minds in American political scientists have sought to make sense of record tensions through works like Lilliana Mason’s “Uncivil Agreement” and “Why We Are Polarized” by Ezra Klein(you can read our review of that HERE(https://extempers.org/2021/04/20/book-summaries-part-4/
)). But in 2018, Barbara F. Walter intensified the conversation by evaluating an even more extreme scenario — what if the United States was heading toward civil war? Looking granularly at case studies from more than 30 years, Walter evaluates her question while giving both domestic and international extempers a framework to understand the recipe for sectional conflict.
Power outages in Texas have been increasing in the past few years, and this is “one thing” Texas just can’t handle. In this Article, Annika Anand discusses Texas’s “snowpocalypse” and why the issues behind it still remain.
In her 2021 book The Authority Gap, former editor at The Times and political correspondent at The Economist Mary Ann Seighart provides insight into the authority gap, explaining why as a society we often undermine women while uplifting men.
As the fundamental vision of the United Nations, outlined in 1945, remains as essential to global order as ever, Matthew explores pressing challenges and opportunities articulated in Ban Ki-Moon’s 2021 book- Resolved: Uniting Nations in a Divided World.
In part 2 of her “Keeping Up” series, Siri Ural analyzes the rocky history, recent developments, and future prospects of Ethiopia following their recent peace deal.
To serve as a starting point for many IX’ers, Akshita Krishnan embarks on a “Country Roundup,” beginning with a topic analysis on China, specifically narrowing into the post Zero-Covid economy.
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
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Let’s Talk Equity
Equity is an issue that’s often brushed over in the speech and debate community. In this article, Manushri Malkapurapu dives into some of the barriers that prevent true equity in extemp, before also suggesting some solutions.
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Violence Against Women in India
The violence women face in India is only getting worse by the day. In this article, Annika Anand explains the precarious situation, and unpacks the complicated history of violence against women in the country.
Happy practicing!
From local to national circuits, humor has quickly become a staple in Extemporaneous Speaking. In this article, Siri Ural breaks down humorous content in speeches, with a few added sources for inspiration.
Jack Snyder, an American political scientist and the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations at Columbia University, offers a bold perspective on systems based on human rights and demonstrates the stability of human rights depends on central power.
Happy practicing!
Good luck at Emory Harvard and Berkeley this weekend! (As you can tell, I wrote this a while ago). As you start rounds, I want you to keep something in mind. Each day you compete, you get up early in the morning and put on a formal outfit to deliver speeches to an audience you’ve […]
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NATO’s Expanding (!) Problem
Expanding NATO to include Finland and Sweden has been on the minds of global leaders for years, and the conversation has resumed with the Russo-Ukrainian War. In this Topic Analysis, Vikram Menon defines NATO and the idea of expansion in the context of modern global conflicts.
Happy practicing!
The results of the prep survey are finally here!
The Syrian Civil War continues to ravage the Middle East. Although many look for ways to fix underlying issues, it looks to be increasingly difficult as the years go by. In this article, Pranav Kalakuntla adds some preliminary background to the complex conflict, with some added reading suggestions too!
Happy practicing!
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What is the “Pink Tide” ?
Summary: The “Pink Tide” is happening for the second time, but this time different issues are being looked at. In this article, Annika Anand gives a brief introduction on the “Pink Tide” and explains what the future holds for the movement.
The debt ceiling, a primary cause of debate for partisan politics, was reached over the past week. In this topic analysis, Akshita Krishnan talks about what this means for the economy and American politics.
Happy practicing!
After a challenging tournament, an alumni and former captain penned this letter to his high school team. It addresses the most formidable challenge we face as speakers and as people: failure. Hello team! It’s 4:45 in the morning (quarter to five for my fellow Brits) here in London, but there are more important things to […]
In his 2014 memoir Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson documents his career dealing with the criminal justice system and its history of unjustly targeting and incarcerating Black Americans.
Happy practicing!
Following chaotic Speaker of the House elections, the future of the Republican party remains highly uncertain. In this topic analysis, Siri Ural investigates causes and consequences of divisions in the right wing.
The Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin, a prestigious Tier 1 ranked tournament, recently concluded (1/7-1/8). Major changes were seen in the top 15 of our National Points Race, though McKinley Paltzik (Phoenix Country Day, AZ) maintained her position in first by winning the tournament and earning 1500 points. In second, Phoena Lin (Plano West, […]
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Published in 2017, Howard W. French provides excellent historical context to understand some of the motivations behind China’s modern-day behavior.
Happy practicing and happy holidays!
In the final part to a series on using Interp to build Extemp, Akshita Krishnan discusses body language.
In the third installment in a series of using Interp to build Extemp skills, Akshita Krishnan is back to talk about humor in terms of both of these events.
Akshita Krishnan is back to discuss the technicalities of using interp to improve your extemping. In the second part to this series, she talks specifically about the emotional aspect of a speech, and how interp helps to develop passion.
Letting your personality shine in a speech is often what sets you apart from other speakers in a round, allowing you to establish your abilities as a speaker to the judge. In this multi-part series, Akshita Krishnan discusses using Interp as a way to build your speaking style.
Happy practicing!
At this year’s Glenbrooks tournament, held from 11/18 – 11/21, we had many competitors gain big points at this tier 3 tournament! Championing this tournament is this year’s current leader in points McKinley Paltzik (Phoenix Country Day, AZ), earning herself 900 points, earning straight 1s in finals. In second, also from Arizona, is Sruti Peddi […]
The Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) Round Robin is a 16 person, invite-only tournament, widely recognized as the most prestigious round robin in the nation. The tournament will take place in Nashville, Tennessee from January 7th to January 8th. Check out the invite list below and congratulations to all of those invited!
We at The Extemper’s Bible have created a quick survey that we want you to fill out about the way you prep your speeches: tinyurl.com/yckjmd5h.
As we enter an intense competitive period of the national circuit season, Siri Ural discusses the importance of utilizing context to create pathos arguments.
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
The Extemper’s Bible will again host a Nationals Points Race for the third year in a row. This point system will determine the country’s most consistent competitor across a series of nationally-recognized events. Following the model of the Extemp Central National Points Race, we will be using different tiers to determine the comparative difficulty of […]
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Guess what? We have a book now. It’s name? Well, the title of our website. By Krish Shah with Govind Pattathil and Vikram Sundaram as contributors.
Want to write for or work at The Extemper’s Bible? Here’s your chance to join!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Read here for updates on how Weekly Questions will be developed. Happy practicing!
Ananth Veluvali and Peter Alisky, two extempers who help run the Extemper’s Bible, are offering a high-quality, low-cost extemp camp in August virtually. Extempers of all experience levels are invited to learn from national champions in activities ranging from content lectures, delivery drills, substructure, strategy, practice speeches, and much more. Find more information at paramountprep.org. […]
As the 2021-22 season draws to a close, the Extemper’s Bible would like to solicit feedback on its Weekly Questions scheme to ensure that it continues being a valuable resource to all extempers. If you have a free moment, please fill out the form below. You can send any additional thoughts you may have to […]
The 2021-22 season has come to a close, and the Extemper’s Bible is ready to crown a champion! Congratulations to Daniel Kind of the Lake Highland Preparatory School, Florida for being the nation’s top Points Race performer this year with 10,750 points! Kind is the first-ever NPR competitor to break the five digit mark, and […]
Happy practicing!
Apologies for the delay. Happy practicing!
Are you a podhead? Look no further! In this article, Ananth Veluvali asks some extempers from around the circuit for their favorite news-related podcasts. Apologies in advance for the gratuitous use of emojis 🙂
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
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Wiki – Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmed
Following calls for Justice Stephen Breyer to step down, Biden has successfully nominated his first Supreme Court justice: Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Happy practicing!
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Wiki – The Sri Lankan Crisis
For once, it isn’t Sri Lanka’s cricket team that’s causing the country distress. So what exactly is going on?
Happy practicing!
Kevin asks some of his favorite extempers what they’ve done to practice for TOCs. Definitely not a last minute Spring Break grind session…
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A near-total ban on abortion is expected to go into law in Oklahoma, setting precedents and alarming pro-choice advocates.
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Wiki – Pakistan’s Democratic Backsliding
Pakistan has entered a state of political turmoil and likely democratic backsliding. Read this wiki article to learn why!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
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Hand Gesturing 101
Hand gestures are an important, albeit underutilized tool in extemp. In this article, Ananth Veluvali discusses how you can work on creating effective hand gestures.
Happy practicing!
Welcome to the fourth update for the 2021-22 National Points Race! In this edition, we discuss changes made to the Points Race in regards to replacing the Stanford Invitational, and cover the results from Sunvitational, the Cavalier Invitational, the James Logan MLK Invitational, Barkley Forum, Harvard, Palm Classic, and the Cal Invitational. January and February […]
Happy practicing!
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Wiki #3: Biden’s 2022 State of the Union
In looking at perhaps the most important domestic speech for any USX-er out there, Anirudh Prasanna recaps the most memorable moments in the third installment of our Wiki series. President Biden delivered his first State of the Union speech on Tuesday, March 1st, in which he found the nation to be “stronger today than we […]
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Wiki #2: Russia and Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine have definitely made the news cycle in the last month. So, what’s going on? And why is everyone angry?
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Wiki #1: Canada’s Freedom Convoys
On our first installation of The Extemper’s Wiki (a series where we break down important news in 175 words or less), Ananth Veluvali dives into Canada’s Freedom Convoys.
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
The Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) Round Robin is a 16 person, invite-only tournament, widely recognized as the most prestigious round robin in the nation. The tournament will take place in Nashville, Tennessee from March 5th to March 6th. Check out the invite list below and congratulations to all of those invited!
In this article, Mukta Dharmapurikar discusses how extempers can best utilize Impromptu Speaking to strengthen their speeches, all with the help of some memes!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy practicing!
Happy New Year! In this article, founder Ananth Veluvali reflects on the success of the Extemper’s Bible in 2021, while also highlighting new leadership opportunities that have opened up. This is a MUST READ!
Happy holidays! We will not be publishing questions over the next two weeks because of the winter holidays. Thanks for reading and see you in 2022! USX How can America address its youth mental health crisis? Should Congressional members be banned from trading individual stocks? Was relying on sunset clauses a good way of cutting […]
Welcome to the third monthly update for the 2021-22 National Points Race! In this edition, we discuss changes made to the tiering of the GMU Patriot Games, and cover the results from GMU as well as Villiger, Glenbrooks, UT Longhorn, and Princeton. November and December are typically two of the busiest months when it comes […]
Happy practicing!
We’ve dropped another podcast episode! Read more to find out what it’s about and where you can listen to it!
Happy practicing!
Over the past year, inflation in the United States has significantly increased. What is it, why does it matter, and what can governments do to address it? Those are just a few of the questions Ananth Veluvali explores in this briefing.
After reflecting this summer, we’ve got some exciting updates about our podcast! Read more to find out.
Happy practicing!
In this article, Ananth Veluvali provides a strategy for practicing before big tournaments.
While October only had two tier four tournaments that were in the National Points Race, we saw two familiar faces from last month at the top of both tournaments. The New York City Invitational (Bronx) was held from October 15th through the 17th. In first place was Yale champion McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day […]
Happy practicing!
In this article, Ananth Veluvali explores how extempers can read the news efficiently and comprehensively.
Few things spice up a speech like a timely quote. In this article, we’ll go over some quotes that can be used in any extemporaneous speech and go over how to use them.
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Starting an Extemp Team: Practices
In this article, Ananth Veluvali breaks down how you, as a captain, can run practices for your extemp team. This will be Part 2 in a longer series about starting, managing, and leading your team.
USX What do recent referendums on police reforms signal about the future of the Defund the Police movement? What lessons do the Democratic Party need to take away from the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial elections? Is paid family leave a winning issue for Democrats? Is admitting more immigrants the best response for America’s labor […]