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There are many types of events included in any Individual Events competition, and these events vary by state and/or conference. They include acting, interpretation and reading, along with the more recognizable public speaking events. A brief overview of these event types is given below.
Original Oratory, or simply Oratory, is one of the most common speech events - it exists across almost all types of competition. In Original Oratory, a competitor prepares a speech, usually around eight minutes in length, addressing a problem of some sort, and then suggesting a solution to this problem. Original Oratory could also be referred to as Persuasive Speaking, as Original Oratories are generally not speeches meant to inform. A new speech is not generally prepared for each tournament - oftentimes, a competitor may use only one speech for the entire season. The purpose of an Oratory is first to define a problem and then to build a solution, in such a manner that an audience acknowledges the severity of the problem, and is convinced that the speaker is providing a logical solution to it. This speech is generally memorized.
On the college level, this speech is called "Persuasion."
Declamation, or Oratorical Declamation is the interpretation and presentation of a speech that has been written by someone else. These speeches may be great speeches in history (Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech, etc.), speeches made from magazine articles, or any number of other adaptations of non-original material. Declamations tend to be persuasive, and competition is similar to Original Oratory - the main difference being that one is original, and one is not. As in Oratory, the length of a speech is generally about eight minutes. Memorization is usually a requirement in Declamation.
Special Occasion Speaking is essentially Oratory, but usually focusing on lighter subjects. Comedy is seen much more frequently in Special Occasion Speaking than in Oratory, but it should not detract from the message the speaker is trying to relate. Also, the speech is not as strictly persuasive as in Oratory, but can be more to simply inform. Speeches usually run about eight minutes long.
Extemporaneous Speaking, or Extempore Speaking, or simply Extemp, is a speech prepared at a tournament immediately before the delivery of the speech. Extemp is another mainstay at most speech competitions. At the beginning of any round of extemp, a competitor is given a subject, generally a world issue of some kind, to prepare a speech on. The competitor then has a preparation period, usually referred to as "prep time", during which he or she uses periodicals they carried to the tournament in order to prepare the speech. This "prep time" usually lasts between thirty and forty-five minutes, and at the end of this time, the competitor must present his or her speech. Note cards may or may not be used to aid in the presentation of this speech. Extemp speeches range from six to eight minutes in length.
Impromptu Speaking is a less common event somewhat similar to Extemp in the fact that it is prepared on the spot, but different in that the prep period is factored into the speaking time. A competitor is given a topic to speak on, usually a single word or phrase, that may be a person, thing, or well-known saying. He or she then composes a speech on, or at least loosely based on, the prompt. Impromptu speeches generally run about four to six minutes in length, with about two or three minutes of "prep time". Note cards may be used in the preparation of the speech, but the best speakers usually don't use them in delivery.