National Champions Running an Extemp Camp

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 […]

Extempers’ Favorite Podcasts: A Quick Survey

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 🙂

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Delivery

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.

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Wiki

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.

2021 Reflection: See Our Growth and New Direction

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!

The Extemper’s Briefing: Inflation

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.

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Extemp Content and Strategy

Practicing Before Big Tournaments

In this article, Ananth Veluvali provides a strategy for practicing before big tournaments.

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Extemp Content and Strategy

Reading Done Right: How to Keep Up With the News

In this article, Ananth Veluvali explores how extempers can read the news efficiently and comprehensively.

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Extemp Content and Strategy

A Collection of Quotes (Part 2)

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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Miscellaneous

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.

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Miscellaneous

Recruiting an Extemp Team

In this article, Ananth Veluvali breaks down how you, as a captain, can recruit people for your extemp team. This will be Part 1 in a longer series about starting, managing, and leading your team.

Weekly Quiz: July 26th – August 2nd

Are you caught up with the news? Find out with our weekly quiz! 10 questions, once per week — it’s back!

Economics 101

Economics is one of the more difficult subjects that extemp covers. In this article, Ananth Veluvali breaks down interest rates and modern monetary theory.

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Miscellaneous

5 Reasons to Join Speech and Debate

The speech and debate season is coming up in less than two months, which means it’s time for recruitment! Hopefully, this ‘sales pitch’ for joining the speech and debate team helps! This article was written by Ananth Veluvali.

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Extemp Content and Strategy

5 Steps to Improve Over the Summer

While summer is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors and the sweet feeling of freedom that comes with having no homework, it’s also a great time to improve your extemp skills. In this article, Ananth Veluvali delves into some tips and tricks for becoming a better extemper over the summer.

Free Extemp Session with Christopher Maximos!

Work closely with three-time national finalist Christopher Maximos at 6 PM CST tomorrow as he delves into what makes an effective introduction. Interested in signing up for our full camp and working one-on-one with Maximos? Check out extempinstitute.com! The link to the meeting can be found here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81140285031. The Meeting ID is 811 4028 5031 […]

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Extemp Content and Strategy

Podcasts for Extemp

Sometimes, you want to get your extemp information without having to pore over news articles and think tank reports. That’s where podcasts enter into play: you can stay up-to-date with the latest events and relax a bit! Keep reading to discover some enjoyable podcast sources. This article was written by Ananth Veluvali.

Weekly Questions: May 3rd – May 9th

Happy practicing and remember to check out our camp at https://www.extempinstitute.com/!

The Extemper’s Bible is Running Its Own Camp!

After months of careful planning and coordination with nationally-renowned extempers and extemp coaches, we have finally got our camp up-and-running! Read more to find out some details.

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Extemp Content and Strategy

Cross-Examination in Extemp

In important rounds, you may have to cross-examine your opponents. In this article, we’ll delve into what cross-examination is and how to effectively do it. This article was written by Ananth Veluvali.

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Delivery

6 Tips for Navigating Online Tournaments

With important tournaments like the TOC and Nationals coming up and tournaments likely online through December of 2021 (if not longer), we thought we’d revisit one of our favorite articles. Below is a list of different tips & tricks for navigating online tournaments that will help maximize your speaking appeal.

Last Day to Register for our Tournament!

We’ve decided to extend the deadline to register for our tournament until 7 PM CST today! You can sign up using this tabroom link: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/index.mhtml?tourn_id=20022.

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Extemp Content and Strategy

Effectively Outlining Your Extemp Speech

Effectively outlining your introductions and points can be a daunting task. Fortunately, with a little practice, you can nail your outlines every single time! This article was written by Ananth Veluvali.

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Delivery

Extemp Drill List

Looking for a list of drills to practice? Look no further!

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Interviews

Interview with Brian Zheng

In May of 2020, I interviewed Brian Zheng, the runner-up at the 2019 ETOC and the NCFL National Champion. The shortened version of that interview can be found below. The full version can be found on our podcast, the Extemper’s Bible!

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Book Summary

Book Summaries: Part 3

Citing a book is one of the most impressive things you can do in an extemp speech. Beyond presenting an opportunity to cite distinguished scholars, books typically hold complex political, social, and economic theories that add sophistication to your speeches. Below is a list of a few books you may want to cite in your […]

The Extemper’s Bible is Running Its Own Tournament!

With the extemp season winding down, we wanted to provide extempers with a high-quality tournament to help prepare for state tournaments, the TOC and ETOC, NCFLs, and NSDA Nationals. Our judges are nationally- acclaimed extempers, and the tournament is open to anyone in high school and middle school. The link to register is below — […]

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Miscellaneous

The Case for Layered Analysis

Sometimes, it’s hard to come up with three distinct points to answer a question. In this article, Ananth Veluvali lays out a potential solution: utilizing layered analysis.  

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Extemp Content and Strategy

The Extemper’s Handbook

After months of careful deliberation and thoughtful editing, nationally-acclaimed extempers Sam Padmanabhan, Kevin Bi, and Alex Yang wrote a handbook for extempers of all skill that we’ve published in this article. Enjoy!

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Extemp Content and Strategy

A Four-Step Practice Strategy for Spring Break

In this article, Ananth Veluvali lays out a four-step practice routine that novice and varsity speakers alike can follow during Spring Break to become a better speaker.

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Weekly Questions

Weekly Questions: March 1st – March 7th

Here are our weekly questions for March 1st – March 7th. Happy practicing!

Five Big Changes and Updates!

February has been an exciting month for the Extemper’s Bible. As you may have noticed, we made some big changes to our website. We’ve also been planning some awesome things under the hood. Read below to find out more!

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Delivery Extemp Content and Strategy

The Statement of Significance: An Underutilized Tool

The statement of significance is an important, albeit underutilized tool in extemporaneous speaking. In a single 10 second statement, your judge will either feel connected or distanced from your topic. Thus, nailing this part of the speech is critical to being a successful speaker. In this article, learn some tips about how to utilize statements […]

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Interviews

Interview with René Otero

In April of 2020, I was fortunate enough to interview René Otero, the 2019 IX NSDA National Champion. The paraphrased version of that interview can be found below. The full version can be found on our podcast, the Extemper’s Bible! This article was written by Ananth Veluvali.

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Book Summary

Book Summaries: Part 2

Citing a book (or books!) is one of the most impressive things you can do in an extemp speech. Beyond presenting an opportunity to cite distinguished scholars, books typically hold complex political, social, and economic theories that add sophistication to your speeches. Below is a list of a few books (with their summaries) you may […]

The Ultimate Novice Guide to Extemp

The following is the ultimate guide for novices on how to succeed in extemporaneous speaking. Covered are the following sections: what is extemp, what goes into a speech, the art of substructure, confidence in this activity, free extemp resources, and concluding commentary. Since this is an ongoing project, we will be continually updating this resource. […]

2020 in Review and a Preview of 2021

Check out our year in review, which highlights our proudest accomplishments from this year! Then, keep reading this article, so you know all of the exciting updates we’re planning for 2021!

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Weekly Questions

Weekly Questions: December 27th – January 2nd

Happy early new year! Stay tuned for some exciting updates from the Extemper’s Bible in the new few days. In the meantime, happy practicing! We tried something new this time, adding one additional novice question for both USX and IX.

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Weekly Questions

Weekly Questions: December 21st – 27th

Happy Holidays everyone! We’ll still be posting articles over the holiday season, so keep your eyes peeled for future posts, and happy practicing!

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Weekly Questions

Weekly Questions: December 7th – December 13th

Written by Ananth Veluvali. Happy practicing!

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Book Summary

Book Summaries: Part 1

Citing a book (or books!) is one of the most impressive things you can do in an extemp speech. Beyond presenting an opportunity to cite distinguished scholars, books typically hold complex political, social, and economic theories that add sophistication to your speeches. Below is a list of a few books (with their summaries) you may […]

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Delivery Extemp Content and Strategy

The Art of AGDs

Introduction The attention-getting device, better known by its moniker the AGD, is one of the most important parts of an extemp speech. Despite this, most extempers recycle the same 2-3 AGDs for an entire tournament, often resulting in strenuous ties between their opener and the topic. Fortunately, it requires little effort to produce stronger attention […]

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Weekly Questions

Weekly Questions: November 17th – November 23rd

Written by Ananth Veluvali.

The Extemper’s Briefing: Ethiopia’s Conflict in Tigray Explained

The following is a new series by the Extemper’s Bible where we’ll take a deep dive into relevant domestic and global subjects. For our very first article, we’ll examine the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. As the second largest country in Africa, if this conflict goes unresolved, the violence in Ethiopia risks […]

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Interviews

An Interview with Gary Arndt: A Nationally-Renowned Extemp Coach and Award-Winning Travel Blogger

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to interview Gary Arndt, a nationally-acclaimed former extemp coach. While coaching several state champions and national finalists is certainly an accomplishment in itself, it’s Gary’s other exploits that make him a truly interesting interviewee. From traveling to over 130 countries to running his own successful podcast (Everything Everywhere), […]

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Delivery Extemp Content and Strategy

Extemp Sources

Need some sources to file? Look no further!

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Weekly Questions

Weekly Quiz: October 19th – October 25th

How much have you kept up with this past week’s news? Take this short, 10-question quiz to find out! Answers, as well as corresponding news articles, are provided at the very bottom of this article. The questions may take a few seconds to load!

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Weekly Quiz

Weekly Quiz: October 12th – October 19th

How much have you kept up with this past week’s news? Take this short, 10-question quiz to find out! Answers, as well as corresponding news articles, are provided at the very bottom of this article. The questions may take a few seconds to load!

6 Tips and Tricks for Online Tournaments

With most tournaments through February already online, it’s clear this extemp season will be different than the past. Accordingly, your speaking strategy might have to change. Below are a list of different tips & tricks for navigating online tournaments to maximize your speaking appeal.

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Weekly Quiz

Weekly Quiz: October 6th – October 11th

How much have you kept up with this past week’s news? Take this short, 10-question quiz to find out! Answers, as well as corresponding news articles, are provided at the very bottom of this article. The questions may take a few seconds to load!

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Weekly Quiz

Weekly Quiz: September 29th – October 5th

How much have you kept up with this past week’s news? Take this short, 10-question quiz to find out! Answers are provided at the very bottom of this article.

A Thank You

Just a thank you to everyone who has made this website possible.