Interpretive Categories  For the adventurous, these categories involve taking someone else’s work, (poems, plays, stories, etc.) and making them your own through your voice, gestures, and (for some categories) movement.

Interpretation of Prose  Solo  Interpretive / Script required  4-8 minutes  “(In this category) the reader should not try to “be” anyone else, nor act out the piece, but should strive to have the audience lose themselves into ideas which are being presented; that is, the reader’s purpose is to make the printed page come alive for the listeners.”

Interpretation of Poetry  Solo  Interpretive / Script required  4-8 minutes  “All the skills of reading aloud, including vocal flexibility, inflectional variety, clear articulation, and correct pronunciation, as well as the use of pause and rate variation, can be practiced through participation in this category.”

Farrago  Solo  Interpretive / Script required  4-8 minutes  "The challenge of farrago is to select material from a variety of literary genres (poetry, short stories, speeches, essays, drama, novels, etc), which addresses a central specific theme or emotion, and to interpret the material through oral presentation."

Storytelling  Solo  Interpretive / Memorized  4-8 minutes  “The art of storytelling is older than reading, dating back to long before printing was invented, but it is modern too. The storyteller uses vocal variation and physical movement to suggest different characters and character relationships in order to make the story come alive in the mind of the listener.”

Solo Acting Humorous  Solo  Interpretive / Memorized  3-8 minutes  “The material for Humorous Solo Acting shall be a (funny) cutting taken from drama, or other literature adapted to the dramatic format with brief narrative transitions allowed… The material may be in the form of a monologue or a selection which includes any number of characters.”

Solo Acting Serious  Solo  Interpretive / Memorized  3-8 minutes  “The material for Humorous Solo Acting shall be a (dramatic) cutting taken from drama, or other literature adapted to the dramatic format with brief narrative transitions allowed… The material may be in the form of a monologue or a selection which includes any number of characters.”

Group Acting  2-7 participants  Interpretive / Memorized  6-12 minutes  “The goal of this category is to provide a group of students the opportunity of working together to present a literary script by using their voices and/or bodies to convey the… experiences (evident) in the material they have chosen.”

Group Interpretation  2-7 participants  Interpretive / Memorized  5-10 minutes  “Movement is limited to facial expression, gesture, and positioning. Primary focus of the performers should be on the audience, not each other. Eye contact between performers, if any, should be brief and minimal.”

Speeches  For people desiring a more formal approach to speaking, there are several speech- related forensics categories.

Demonstration Speech  1-2 Participants  Original material / 1 note card allowed per participant  4-8minutes  “A demonstration speech explains how to do something while demonstrating the process at the same time. The student should choose a topic that teaches a specialized skill, shows the construction of an item, or demonstrates how an object operates.”

Informative Speaking  Solo category  Original material / 1 note card allowed  2-4 minutes  “…The speaker will present a brief, well-organized speech which has the primary purpose of informing… This category also allows the student to give an informative biographical speech about a person, living or dead, or a speech which informatively reviews a book, a movie, computer software, video or computer game, or a TV program.”

Persuasive Speaking  Solo category  Original material / 1 note card allowed  minutes  “Life situations often result in the need to convince other people - perhaps to believe differently than they do at present, to offer a solution to a problem common to the group, to take a particular action in response to a current situation, or perhaps to reinforce and strengthen current attitudes.”

Non-original Oratory  Solo category  Interpretive / Scripts allowed  4-8 minutes  “A presentation in this category should be a persuasive or inspirational speech, which has/have been written and/or delivered by some person other than the participant… the student should be cautioned to NOT attempt to mimic the original speaker.”

Original Work  For speakers with a flare for the creative, a variety of categories include coming up with your own material.

Infomercial  1-2 participants  Original material / 1 note card allowed per participant  minutes  The challenge in this category is to create and present a speech that emulates (recreates) a television infomercial selling a real or imagined, product or service. The tone of the speech should be creative, entertaining, and imaginative.

Moments in History  Solo category  Original material / 1 note card allowed  3-6 minutes  “In the Moments in History category, the speaker will prepare and present a speech on an historical topic drawn from a designated decade or era.”  This year’s period =

News Reporting  1-3 participants  Original material / Scripts allowed (need updating every 2 weeks)  5-10 minutes  “The student(s) will prepare and present a news program including news, weather, sports and an editorial. This should look more like the 6:00 News than Saturday Night Live.”  A new all-sports broadcast is now an option.

Special Events Presentation  1-2 participants  Original material / Note card allowed  3-6 minutes  “The challenge in this category is to give a speech that is brief and fits a defined occasion and audience. The tone of the speech should be creative, entertaining and imaginative.”  This year’s options are as follows:  Vacation Blog  Salute a Hero  Entertainment Reviews  Special Events Coverage  Gossip, Gossip, Gossip

Impromptu Categories  For the adventurous, certain categories involve coming up with material right on the spot.

Impromptu Speaking  Solo  Spontaneously self-written / 1 note card allowed  2 minutes to prepare / 2-4 to present  “… The speaker will present an “off the cuff” speech about a common knowledge topic to be drawn immediately before speaking. Topics may be a word, phrase, statement, or non-specific question.”

Group Improvisation  2-4 Participants  Spontaneously group written / 1 note card allowed per participant  2 minutes to prepare / 4-5 to present  "The speakers will create an 'off the cuff' presentation about a common knowledge topic or situation. Topics may be a word, phrase, statement, or non-specific question, which will be drawn immediately before speaking…. A presentation in this category may be informative, persuasive, or entertaining."