Coaching Philosophy:
In my years of competing, I’ve found that Extemp has gained an interesting reputation as the event where the political brainiacs of the speech and debate world will go and spout off boring facts and numbers for seven minutes. The reputation is understandable, we Extempers often try and deliver speeches overflowing with numbers and statistics, that adhere to a rigid, and formulaic structure at the expense of bringing authenticity, character, and humor into our rounds. My goal as a coach is for each and every one of my students to achieve a perfect balance and consistently deliver extemp and impromptu speeches that stick to the structure and norms of these events, but that is simultaneously engaging, entertaining, and brimming with not only humor but personality. I can assure you even in high-level rounds at some of the most difficult tournaments on the national circuit, these speeches will prevail. Not only will they be far more fun for you to perform, but exponentially more engaging for your judges and the spectators no doubt present in the rounds you’ll make it into. In short, I believe extemp doesn't have to be as cookie-cutter as many in the speech community perceive it to be, and that while it is important to follow the structure, and established norms to an extent, injecting your speeches with humor, passion, and personality goes a long way when it comes to your competitive success and your enjoyment of the activity. While Extemp is in large part about topic analysis and persuasiveness, I believe your delivery, personality, and passion play an equal role when it comes to your success as a competitor. As a coach, I look forward to working hard in order to ensure both of these elements come together to make you the best extemporaneous speaker you can be!
Miles Morton
Impromptu, Extemporaneous Speaking
Short Bio:
My name is Miles Morton and I’m currently a freshman at Western Kentucky University, studying political science on a forensics scholarship. After transferring to VIP (Valley International Preparatory) High School I fell in love with speech and debate towards the beginning of my junior year. While specializing in spontaneous speaking events (Impromptu and Extemporaneous Speaking) I also competed in Oratory, Parliamentary debate, Public Forum debate, and student congress. In two years of competing I accomplished the following:
-
28 championships
-
2018 NSDA Impromptu National Champion
-
2019 NSDA United States Extemp Finalist
-
5x Stanford Invitational Finalist (Extemp, Impromptu, Oratory)
-
2x James Logan MLK Finalist (Extemp, Impromptu)
-
2x California State Finalist (Extemp)
-
NCFL Outrounds (Extemp)
-
TOC Outrounds (Oratory)
Competing predominantly in limited preparation events has allowed me to truly understand the intricacies that go into successful spontaneous speaking. I’m excited to share my methods, experiences, and look forward to assisting you in becoming the strongest speaker you can be.
Expertise:
-
Bringing polish and fluency to limited prep speaking.
-
Properly implementing passion, humor, and personality into speech events typically devoid of such traits.
-
Best utilizing your preparation time (How to organize your speech, and how you should allocate your time during your 30 minutes of prep) (Extemp)
-
Becoming well versed in virtually every topic area you’ll come across at tournaments.
-
Judge adaptation in limited prep events (A skill often overlooked even by high-level extemp competitors but that plays a pivotal role in your success as a competitor).
-
Finding fun and interesting introductions and transitions applicable to various extemp topic areas in order to add some humor to your speeches.