Extemporaneous Speaking
Extemporaneous Speaking is a speech event where students are given a current events question and 30 minutes to prepare a 7-minute speech answering it. It’s a fast-paced, challenging event that pushes students to stay informed about what’s happening in the world while learning to think critically and speak clearly under pressure.
Extemp combines strong research skills with the ability to organize thoughts quickly and communicate them in a compelling way. Over time, students become more confident speakers and more thoughtful, informed individuals. They learn how to break down complex issues, form opinions backed by evidence, and explain their ideas in a way that makes sense to any audience.
Because topics can come from anywhere in the world—politics, economics, foreign affairs, and more—students in extemp gain a wide understanding of global and domestic issues. And like other speech and debate events, extemp brings together students from all over, building a community that values curiosity, awareness, and public service.
Free Group Coaching
Key Features
~2 weekly group coaching sessions with different members of our elite coaching team
One-hour group coaching sessions will generally occur between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM PT on weekdays
Sessions rotate in format among mock rounds, topic lectures, skill lectures, office hours, and more
The best part comes next….
Cost: It’s Free! To promote access to high quality coaching, we’ve made Ascend Academy Group Coaching totally free!
Ascend Academy Overview
If you’d like to learn more about Ascend Academy Group Coaching (it’s free!), please access the below document.
Ascend Academy Best Practices
Please review the below for guidance on how to best leverage Ascend Academy to grow as a debater!
Community Guidelines
All participants must abide by our community guidelines that seek to ensure a safe learning experience.