Is EXL for you? Maybe!
EXL is not designed for every type of student. We’re a small, focused lab and thus we cannot meet the needs of every type of student out there. We’re mostly aimed at intermediate to advanced competitors who already have some familiarity with extemp.
We do not teach students new to extemp; we’re not set up to teach the basics of speaking and preparing speeches. Students should have at least a year of Extemp or a similar event under their belt. They should already understand roughly how to structure an extemp speech, and be able to deliver a passable speech given normal 30 minutes of prep time, before coming to EXL. Students unable to do this coming into camp will not get a lot out of our program; they should instead take a look at the Extemp Program at the National Speakers’ Forum lead by Tim Scheaff.
The last requirement, which is more loose, is that students should come to camp with an open mind. EXL teaches methods and techniques outside of the mainstream, and may challenge students to try approaches and methods that they’ve never heard of before. We also believe that there are no instant results in extemp; anyone who claims to deliver a complete extemp education in only two weeks is selling snake oil.
Instead, we’re focused on giving students the tools to advance how they learn in the long term; we teach them how to learn, how to read books, and how to get themselves into a sharp anaytic framework and speaking style that suits them individually. Thus the camp is different every year, depending on the students who come; students should be ready to participate and be engaged in that process.
If you have any questions, please contact Chris Palmer at palmer@summitdebate.com.
