Prompts for Practice from NOF Quarterly #4

We at NOF attempt to create original prompts for our competitions and after the competition is finished, we want students to have the opportunity to practice using these prompts outside of competition.

Here is a selection of Impromptu, IPDA and Extemporaneous prompts from NOF Quarterly #4:

Impromptu

• Actions speak louder than words. - English Proverb

• A large chair does not make a king. - Sudanese Proverb

• Don't sail out farther than you can row back. - Danish Proverb

• Look before you leap. - English Proverb

• It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness. - Chinese Proverb

• Don't speak unless you can improve on the silence. - Spanish Proverb

• “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” - Oscar Wilde

• “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” - Margaret Mead

• “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” – Abraham Lincoln

• “Survival can be summed up in three words: Never give up. That’s the heart of it really. Just keep trying.” – Bear Grylls

• “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

• “The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.” – Blake Lively

• “Until you understand a writer’s ignorance, presume yourself ignorant of his understanding.” -Samuel Taylor Coleridge

• “The childhood shows the man, / As morning shows the day.” -John Milton

• “Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.” -Charles Dickens

IPDA

• High School should be voluntary

• Standarized tests do more harm then good

• High School tackle football should be banned

• Online instruction does more harm than good

• College General Education requirements should be abolished

• Capitan Kirk > Captain Picard

• LeBron > Jordan

• Jay-Z > Nas

• Friends > The Office

• Thomas Jefferson > Alexander Hamilton

• The United States has a moral obligation to do more to help Ukraine

• Artificial intelligence will do more good than harm

• Horse racing should be banned

• President Biden should pardon former President Trump for all any crimes he may have committed or participated in while in office

• Climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity

Extemp/Extemporaneous

• Will Democrats retain control of the House this November?

• Who is most likely to be the Republican Presidential nominee in 2024?

• Will Justice Jackson’s confirmation transform the Supreme Court?

• Should the US phase out gas powered cars in the next two decades?

• Are efforts to start unions at Starbucks likely to succeed?

• Will consumer confidence continue to rise despite inflation?

• Is neutrality the best course of action for India with respect to the war in Ukraine?

• Can Prime Minister Boris Johnson survive partygate?

• Why are so many African leaders reluctant to support the west in Ukraine?

• Should the US adopt a universal basic income?

• What should the United States do about homelessness?

• Should mask mandates on US public transportation be ended?