Speech 2025

Rules, policies, and procedures for all Speech events at the Pennsbury Falcon Invitational, January 31-February 1, 2025. This document will be updated during the tournament as needed. Participants in the tournament are accountable for all rules explained within - we’re counting on you to read it, and holding you to it.

Speech lives at PHS West Orange (A-side). Click for building map. See the PHS Area Map.

Wifi: Wireless Network: PSD-BYOD; Password: Debate2025@PHS
[wifi note: the number of connections is limited to ONE device per person!]

Schedule (special notes for Double Entry, Impromptu, Supplemental Events)

Judge Notes and Expectations

Event Rules

Equity and Inclusion

Note that Speech judges may receive a Congress session - see the Congress live doc here

Contact Information

Text (DO NOT CALL):  609 474 6635

Email: pfispeechtab@gmail.com

Tab room: A Faculty Lounge

Judges lounge: E12

Please note that students should only be contacting the tournament regarding missing persons, round-related emergencies, or equity concerns. All other communications should come to tab through an adult coach.

Announcements/Updates

1/31 7:25pm - Elimination rounds update:

To Semis: DEC, DP, EX, IMP, OO, PRO

To Finals: DUO, INFO, POI, POE

1/31 6:30pm - Judges, please make sure you are waiting for all competitors to arrive and speak before you turn in your ballot and/or leave the room. If you are missing a competitor, please TEXT tab using the number above, and we will decide if you need to stay or not!

Schedule

Please be in your room at “In Room Time” with unassigned judges in the judges lounge. Starting early is OK if everyone is ready!

Speech Schedule -- MAIN EVENTS

Friday, January 31

Opening announcements: 3:45pm in the Orange/A Cafeteria - FastPasses distributed there!

A Bracket events: DUO, IMP, OO, POI, PRO

B Bracket events: DEC, DP, EX, INF, POE

Info about meals

Saturday, February 1

A Bracket events: DUO, IMP, OO, POI, PRO

B Bracket events: DEC, DP, EX, INF, POE

Info about meals

Awards at 8pm in Keller Hall (PHS West B-side)

*Elimination rounds: estimated breaks as of 1/31:

• To Semis: DEC, DP, EX, IMP, OO, PRO
• To Finals: DUO, INFO, POI, POE

Breaks out of prelims are determined by rank total and, when necessary, reciprocals. Breaks out of elims are clean slate, with judge pref as the tiebreaker (or reciprocals for 3-way ties).

Speech Schedule -- SUPPLEMENTAL EVENTS

For more info, click here!

Saturday afternoon, we will hold Supplemental competition in Radio Announcing and Improvisational Duo. Supplemental events are FREE. Any student, from any event, may participate! Improvisational Duo teams may be from different schools! Students will register for Supplementals on Saturday.

There are two preliminary time slots, which allow students to participate in both events if they wish (unless they are double-entered in the Semifinal Speech time slot, or still active in a Debate event). The top 6ish competitors in each event, excluding students who Final in a Main Event, will participate in the Supplemental Event Finals and will be recognized on stage at the Awards ceremony.

Saturday, February 1

Both Radio Announcing and Improvisational Duo run in all time slots, but you can only do each event once! If you are single-entered in Semis, you may compete in Supplementals as well. If you reach the Final in a main event, we will remove you from consideration for Supplemental Finals.

Double-Entry Rules

What do I do when I’m in two events in the same bracket?

1. Check the schematics for both events. You should be earlier in one room and later in another room. Other than Extempers who should be in the prep room, sign-in to the room where you will speak later before going to your first event. This way, the judge in your second event knows that you exist and will be back to perform. [If you are running late or your rooms are impossibly far apart, you can skip this step, but try to do it.]

1. If you are in Duo, you MUST do Duo first so your partner isn’t left hanging.
2. The only exception to that rule is that you MUST do Extemp FIRST due to prep time.

2. In your first event, tell the judge at the start that you are double-entered to make sure that you do compete early in the round so you can leave for your second event.

3. Once finished in your first event, ask to be excused to your second event.

4. When entering your second event, wait outside the room to be totally sure no one is performing (usually wait for a round of applause to indicate that someone has finished).  Then indicate to the judge that you were double-entered and had completed your other event.

5. If no one is left where the judge should be in your second event, text AND run to the tab room immediately!

But wait, I’m triple-/quadruple-entered! How will I even have time to eat? Use your Falcon Fastpass! After competing in all your events during a time slot, you may excuse yourself with the Fastpass, which will also help you jump the line in the cafeteria.

Impromptu Instructions

Judges should come to the tab room for an envelope of topics before the start of the round. Please have students wait outside the room until it is their turn to speak - and then remain in the room after if they so choose to observe their competition.

How It Works

When it is their turn to speak, the contestant will draw three prompts from the envelope. They will choose one of the prompts and return the other two to the envelope.

The contestant then has a 7-minute clock (with a 30-second grace period) to both prepare and deliver a speech based on the prompt. Provide time signals as desired by the competitor throughout the time - usually orally during prep and with hand signals while speaking. Contestants may divide their time however they choose, and there is no “preferred” speaking time, but a competitor who uses more than 7 minutes and 30 seconds may not be ranked first.

Contestants may choose to hold the prompt during their speech if desired.

Speech Format

The speech may be in any format that the speaker chooses, but should have some sort of organization or structure, and must address the prompt, though it does not need to use the prompt word-for-word (except in Semifinals). Impromptu is a creative speaking event, meaning that the speech should be interesting and entertaining, and often is more personal than informative. Impromptu is not Extemp and is not Oratory.

Themes

Many Impromptu rounds at the PFI have a theme as the round title. The theme is meant to frame the prompt for the contestants, and the speech should lean in the direction of the theme (but doesn’t have to). For example, Round 3 in 2007 was titled “Things hidden under my bed,” which provided some context for the topics, which included “old toys” or “monster(s).” This does not mean that speakers must talk about old toys under their bed, but it should help speakers and judges know what the tournament was thinking and give everyone a starting point to think about the prompt.

Judge Notes and Expectations

Judges: thank you! Tournaments do not exist without you! The following instructions will make your tournament experience easier and the students’ experience more valuable. That said, a slight threat we have learned is unfortunately necessary: You can be fined for not pushing Start Round shortly after the pairing is released. You can be fined for pushing start but not reporting by the In Room Time. You can be fined for not being on standby in the judges lounge. Late-starting rounds threaten the tournament schedule. Please communicate with tab if something prevents you from following our tournament expectations.

Before Rounds

• If you received a blast message for your round assignment:

• PLEASE CLICK TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE BALLOT. We don’t need to know when the round starts, we need to know that you know you are judging it. We trust you to start on time once you are on the way.
• ONLY THE ASSIGNED JUDGE MAY JUDGE. YOU MAY NOT (NEVER EVER) ALLOW SOMEONE ELSE TO JUDGE IN YOUR NAME. YOU MAY NOT FIND A SUBSTITUTE JUDGE.

• Once you are in your room:

• If speakers are missing at In Room Time, start without them! They may be double-entered.
• If you are judging Extemp, no speakers will be present at In Room Time. They will arrive one at a time beginning roughly at the start time.
• Start the round by the start time.
• Do not engage the competitors in small talk!

• If you did NOT receive a blast message for your round assignment:

• Double-check the pairings to be sure you are unassigned!
• Judges who are not assigned a round are on standby and must be in the judges lounge at In Room Time for possible substitutions.

During Rounds

• Keep time
• Give whatever time signals speakers request - in Extemp and Impromptu it is EXPECTED that judges give time signals from 5 down. In all events it is a sign of preparation, not lack of preparation, to ask for signals.  Examples of time signals can be found below:

• FOR EXTEMP: The speaker should read their topic, and then hand the topic to the judge for confirmation of the topic’s wording.
• DO NOT converse with the students. DO NOT give oral feedback. Welcome them, thank them, and that’s it.
• Ensure that the speaker’s name matches the spot on the ballot that you are ranking
• Type comments during performances. You can use tabroom (be sure to save comments after each speaker) or a separate doc. Please do not wait until the speaker has finished to begin typing your ballot. This can greatly delay the tournament.

After Rounds

1. Do not confer with the other judges while making your decision.
2. Dismiss all competitors
3. Enter and confirm rankings for the competitors - note that the confirmation screen will re-sort the competitors as a double-check!
4. Note that comments will remain open until the end of the tournament, though we would recommend entering your immediate thoughts before going to your next round.

Timing Rules

Each event has a 30 second grade period over its time limit (7 min in Extemp and Impromptu, 10 min in everything else). A competitor who exceeds the grade period does not necessarily have to be ranked last, but they cannot be ranked first. There is no minimum time in any event; judges may consider penalizing a shorter performance, but there is no requirement to do so or set standard to determine what is “too short.” Note that the tab room will not make any adjustments to rankings after the judge submits their ballot - it is up to the judge to assess any penalties for going over the grace period.

Judges should ask speakers if they wish to receive time signals - it is NOT a signal of lack of preparation to request time signals! In Extemp and Impromptu, judges are EXPECTED to provide time signals from 5 down. Speakers may also time themselves - this is permitted, and students should not be penalized for using their own timers.  Note that the judge’s time is the only official one for the round.

If time signals are not provided according to the competitor’s request, the judge may not consider timing in their rankings.

No shows

Please continue to hold the round until all students who are present have been heard.  If you are missing a student, and they didn’t indicate at the start that they were double entered and would return, please contact the tab room before submitting your ballot.

Rules Violations

An Important Reminder: There have been several changes in the event rules over the past several years (for example, competitors may touch the floor and get on the floor, OI binders can be used as props, restrictions on movement and selections and assigning lines to other characters have been reduced).

Please consult with tab before deciding that something in the round warrants punishment for violating the rules.  We would ask that you hold any questions about rules violations until the end of the round, and only after all speakers have performed should you bring any rules questions to the tab staff prior to submitting your ballot.

Obligations

All judges are obligated for both days of the tournament. Coaches may have arranged different days of assignments for different judges, which is fine. You are obligated for all the rounds on your day. We will not make exceptions.

Advice

• A great resource for judge training: https://sites.google.com/view/judge-training/home
• A video explaining how to use tabroom.com (debate-specific but still useful): https://youtu.be/lEHBHm5itGY
• A set of event explainers and sample rounds with commentary: PCFL Resources and Videos
• Dos and don’ts of writing a ballot: https://youtu.be/iXb9N05hl6g

Event Rules

Please see this page for example videos of many events.

Declamation (DEC) - The time limit for all events is 10 minutes with a 30 second “grace period.” A selection used in Oratorical Declamation must have been originally delivered in the form of a speech by its author, a person other than the present speaker. The speaker must have an introduction which is at most one minute and names the work, author, and describes the circumstances under which the speech was originally presented. The original speaker's words must not be altered for the presentation with the exception that cutting is permitted. The same selection used in the first round of competition must be used throughout the entirety of the tournament. Selections may include professional speeches, public orations, eulogies, and sermons. Declamation follows NCFL Rules.

Original Oratory (OO) - The contest comprises only memorized orations actually composed by the contestants and not used by them during a previous season. No visual aids are permitted. The time limit is 10 minutes with a 30 second “grace period.” Not more than 150 words of the oration may be direct quotations from any other speech or writing and such quotations must be identified in a printed copy of the oration supplied upon request of the tournament director. Extensive paraphrasing from other sources is prohibited. Oratory follows NCFL Rules.

Informative Speaking (INF) - The contestant delivers a self-written, memorized speech on a topic of their choosing for a maximum of ten (10) minutes with a 30 second grace period.  There is no mandated minimum time. The primary purpose of the speech is to inform, explain, describe or illustrate a particular topic for the audience.  The speech should not be persuasive.  The use of audio or visual aids to supplement and reinforce the message is optional. Informative follows NSDA rules; see their tips on how to judge Informative Speaking.

Dramatic Performance (DP) – The time limit for all events is 10 minutes with a 30 second “grace period.” The presentation must be from a single published play, single published script, or single fictional or non-fictional work. The same selection used in the first round of competition must be used throughout the entirety of the tournament. The presentation may not use physical objects or costuming. The selection may be dramatic or humorous, usually following a plot. The selection must be presented from memory and not refer to any notes or scripts. DP follows NCFL Rules.

Duo Interpretation (DUO) -- The time limit for all events is 10 minutes with a 30 second “grace period.” The presentation must be from a single published play, single published script, or single fictional or non-fictional work. The same selection used in the first round of competition must be used throughout the entirety of the tournament. The presentation may not use physical objects or costuming. The selection may be dramatic or comedic and may include creative movement without restriction with the exception that the two students may not look at one another or touch one another (in-person).  Focus should be off-stage. The selection must be presented from memory and not refer to any notes or scripts. Duo follows NCFL Rules.

Poetry (POE) and Prose (PRO) - Students present selections in the appropriate category – prose and poetry. The time limit for all interpretation events is 10 minutes with a 30 second “grace period.” The student must hold a manuscript and appear to be reading. This manuscript may be used as a prop in their speech. Prose and Poetry both follow NCFL Rules.

Program Oral Interpretation (POI) - Students present a speech about a topic they feel passionate about from multiple sources. The sources may be from articles, books, plays, and poetry. The time limit for all interpretation events is 10 minutes with a 30 second “grace period.” The same selection used in the first round of competition must be used throughout the entirety of the tournament. The student must hold a manuscript and appear to be reading. This manuscript may be used as a prop in their speech. POI follows NSDA rules; see their tips on how to judge POI.

Extemporaneous Speaking (EX) - Each topic will be in the form of a question. Contestants may make notes during the preparation time, but the use of notes, cards, briefs or other aids is prohibited during the speech. The time limit is 7 minutes with a 30 second “grace period.”  Extemp follows NCFL Rules.

PLEASE NOTE that speakers will receive their topics and spend 30 minutes prepping in another room; they will arrive one at a time to speak for you - they will not be there at the in room time! If no one shows up by 10 minutes after start time, please contact the Tab Room. Speakers may choose to stay in the room afterward or they may leave.

Impromptu Speaking (IMP) - The contestant will have a total of seven minutes to use for preparation and delivery of the “speech” without consultation of prepared notes. Time starts after the contestant selects his prompt. The speech should have some sort of logical organizing principle. It need not be Extemp/Oratory style (introduction, three points, conclusion) – it can be a story, but should not be a rant. It can ramble a little, but must have some direction. A “prompt” is not a “topic,” meaning that the speech must relate to the prompt, but is not necessarily a direct response to it. Impromptu is not Extemp and is not Oratory. Impromptu is a creative speaking event, meaning that the speech should be interesting and entertaining, and often is more personal than informative. The speech should not be a comedy routine, but does not have to be serious in nature. Impromptu follows PFI rules - see the Impromptu Instructions here.

Equity and Inclusion

If an equity or inclusion issue arises at any time during the tournament, please fill out the PFI equity form.

Implicit Bias Reminders

We live in a world that is filled with bias. While it may be impossible to completely separate ourselves from our worldview and the many factors that influence us on a daily basis, we can make a concerted effort to minimize the way our personal biases impact the way that we interact with students within this activity. The vast majority of adults within this activity do a phenomenal job of this throughout the season but we wanted to put out a few  reminders for everyone to take note of:

• Accents do not reflect intelligence.
• Race does not indicate socioeconomic status.
• Gender is fluid.
• There is no uniform in Speech and Debate. Your personal opinions about what a student chose to wear should not be indicated on your ballot.
• Pitch is not a personal choice.
• Positions that students take while competing don’t necessarily equate to their personal beliefs.
• Your beliefs on a topic should have no bearing on how you judge a speech or performance.
• Recognize that words do not exist in a vacuum.  Avoid using charged language on your ballots.
• You are the adult in the room. As such, please be mindful of how students will interpret what they see and hear you do. Please demonstrate respect in every aspect of the word.

Please remember that the video quality of a student’s performance may be impacted by lighting, internet, access to equipment, or other family members’ presence in the home.  To ensure a more equitable experience for our participants, please be sure your decision-making process and comments are related only to the content and quality of the presentation itself.

Content Warnings

Content warnings are intended to give speakers, judges and debaters time to prepare their minds for potentially difficult content. It is the position of this tournament that all students who might explore such content provide warnings prior to the start of the round so that all listeners can be prepared. This should not be construed as a reason to win or lose debates or to affect speech rankings, but should be done in the interests of making speech and debate as comfortable a place as possible for all participants, given the complicated world in which we live.

Please base your thinking about content warnings on the following principles:

• Announce potential content warnings before the round begins. We recommend that you follow the mantra: when in doubt, give a content warning.
• A content warning, or the lack thereof, should not determine rankings in the round. Do not punish a student who withdraws from the audience due to a content warning. Do not punish a student who reads content that you feel is too graphic or fails to include a content warning you feel should have been presented. Do not adjust your rankings based on whether or not a content warning should have been read. Please let the Equity Office know about the issue after the round so they can instruct and educate.