League Policies

1. A. General Rules for All Speeches (see above or ncfca.org/rules/speech-general-rules/)

   B. Academic Integrity

   1.  Citations. All material presented in the speech must be either competitors’ original work or include the source(s) for any supporting material. Plagiarism is not permitted.
      1. Verbal mention. Sources must be verbally mentioned.
   2. Current Season. Speeches must be prepared and delivered during the current competitive season only.

   C. Content, Preparation, and Presentation

   1. Topic. Competitors must prepare for and speak on one of the two topic options assigned to them.  The topic must be stated during the speech.
   2. Materials. Except the unaltered topic card at an in-person tournament, no written or printed materials may be held or referenced during the delivery of the speech.

   D. Timing Rules in Impromptu

   1. PREP TIME. Preparation time is limited to two (2) minutes. Competitors must follow these steps:
      1. Show-Start-Draw. Show the timepiece (set to count down) to the judges. Start the timer and then draw the topic card.
      2. Stop-Show. At the end of the prep time, stop the timer to show the remaining time to the judges OR allow an audible alarm to indicate the end of the two (2) minutes.
   2. SPEECH TIME. Speech time is limited to five (5) minutes. Competitors must follow these steps:
      1. Show/Start. Show the timepiece (set to count up) to the judges. Start the timer.
      2. Kept running. The timepiece must be started before beginning the speech and kept running until the conclusion of the speech.
      3. Stop/Show. Stop the timer. Then show the judges the final speech time.
   3. TIME SLOT. Competitors must present their speech during their prescribed 10-minute slot and are not permitted to infringe on the next competitor’s scheduled time.

   See the head judge guidelines for timer issues here.

   E. Online General Rules (see below or ncfca.org/rules/online-general-rules/)

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