NCFCA 201

Speech Round Protocols 

The information below is provided to help new competitors and families know what to expect as general practice in speech rounds. Slip ups in following protocols often happen and are not necessarily considered rule violations.  This information is provided for explanatory purposes only and is not intended to augment, interpret, or supersede our League Policies or Event Rules. 

Postings, Speaking Times, and Finding your Room

Speech event postings list all speakers, their specific speaking time, and room numbers for each event. Postings are made public 15-30 minutes before each speech round and can be found by entering the specific tournament at MyPlace.NCFCA.org and clicking on Schedule. At in-person tournaments you can find paper copies hanging in designated locations around the tournament facility.

Speakers are responsible for checking the postings and reporting to their competition room on time. Competitors must present their speech during their prescribed 15-minute slot and are not permitted to infringe on the next competitor’s scheduled time.

Entering the Room & Introducing Yourself

When it is their time to speak, competitors generally step just through the door of the competition room, quietly (because judges are often working on notes for the prior speaker).  Before taking center stage, they generally start by asking, “Are the judges ready for the next speaker?” 

• If the judges seem to need an extra minute or two, competitors generally wait to the side for an extra moment.
• Once at least one or two of the judges seem ready, OR if two to three minutes of the speaking window have already lapsed, competitors will generally move to center stage and say, ”Hello, my name is [your name], and I will be your next speaker.”

Delivering and Timing Your Speech

When it’s time to deliver your speech, you will need to have your timepiece set to count up (so that when you stop it, it will show how long you have been speaking). You will show the timer to the judges so they can see it is set to 00:00. Then, you’ll start the timer, set it on the judge table, and begin. 

When you are finished speaking, stop the timer, and show your judges the time. The Head Judge will announce the time to you and the other judges for confirmation. 

Practice in advance! It’s not a fun time to have to figure out how your timer works while you’re already nervous about your speech and standing in front of three judges!

Know your limits! The rules for each event will tell you how long the speech is allowed to be and how long you have for any prep time if applicable for the event. 

Prep Time for Apologetics, Impromptu, and Extemp

Drawing a Topic

Part of the fun and challenge of limited prep events is that you don’t know your exact topic until the round begins! You will draw a topic when it’s your specified time.

• At in-person tournaments, your two topic choices will be on a printed card with your name on it. For Apologetics and Impromptu, the topic cards will be waiting on the judge table in the competition room., and for Extemp, they will be sitting on a table in the Extemp Prep room. BE SURE to take the one with YOUR NAME!
• In Online tournaments, you will be able to draw your topic choices in the online competition room when your prep time is set to begin.

Know the prep materials allowed! Different preparation materials are allowed for all three limited prep events, so be sure to read the “C. Content, Preparation, and Presentation” section of the event rules carefully.

Know the prep-time limits! The time limits are different for all three limited prep events, so be sure to read ALL of the prep-time rules in the “D. Timing” section for each event!

Judging Speech

Speakers will arrive precisely at their designated time, so please be in the room and ready before the first scheduled speaker.

The Head Judge will keep the round moving.

You’ll want to take notes. You will be able to make notes for each competitor in the electronic ballot between speeches and/or take notes on paper.

Students love your feedback, so please use the comments sections to write notes on your thoughts for each competitor.

Completing Ballots

Competitors will announce their speech times, and you will need to record the time and mark the Timer Issue box if instructed to do so by the Head Judge.

If your ballots have a checkbox to indicate that a student used a script, you will want to check it if they used one.

You will want to rank students according to your preference. You can find more information on how to rank competitors by looking at a sample ballot, like these for Impromptu, Informative, and Open. (You can find other sample ballots by going to NCFCA.org > Resources, toggling a specific event, and selecting the Event tile.)

At the end of the round, you will want to confirm your ranking (placings) for students.

Submitted rankings are final, and the rankings (not category scores) determine placing in the tournament.