Back in the fall of 2018, I decided to try a new event at an upcoming forensics competition. (This is the college-level speech competitions kind of forensics, not CSI forensics.) I had never tried the Impromptu Speaking event, but figured it would be fun to try it out.
Planning a Speech in 2 Minutes or Less
In the impromptu speaking event, speakers must:
- Base a speech around a quote
- Have a structured speech with an intro, main points, and conclusion
- Write and perform the speech in under 7 minutes
- Aim for speaking around 5 minutes (or as long as possible without going overtime)
I had heard that the speech prompts at the Bowling Green State University meet would be all about space, so I was very excited. I was looking forward to slipping in as many Star Trek references as I could. I researched and felt ready to talk about SpaceX, NASA, lunar colonization efforts, or whatever else came my way. One space-related term I was sure I could relate to any speech prompt was the Overview Effect.
The Overview Effect is a psychological phenomenon astronauts experience when they see Earth from space. Author Frank White coined the term with his 1987 book, “The Overview Effect.” In Episode 107 of “Houston We Have A Podcast,” host Gary Jordan and Frank White talked about how White came up with this concept. White explained, “…the first thing that most people think about when they think about the overview effect is no borders or boundaries on the Earth. And we know that. But we create maps that show borders and boundaries. … it’s knowing intellectually versus experiencing it.” It’s more than just realizing that humanity is united across arbitrary map borders. The mere wisp of atmosphere around the Earth floating in the endless void of space brings home how precarious and valuable life is. After experiencing being in space and getting a unique perspective, astronauts realize that humanity is connected in a way that is hard to explain.
This catch-all interconnectedness was a great concept to fall back upon during the speech competition. As long as I could think of a few other relevant points, I could bring it together with this encompassing philosophy of the overview effect. Then, to my surprise, I learned that the event was not in fact space-themed.
Ah, the buzzing energy and frenetic pace of piecing a meaningful speech together in mere moments. It’s such a fun challenge! One prompt was an Elton John lyric, and another was a pseudo-deep statement about choosing our monsters. I spoke about J. K. Rowling’s writing process and dementors without ever reading a single Harry Potter book, but had heard enough pop culture commentary to understand. I made an off-hand comment about seeing life through rose-colored glasses, then laughed out loud when I remembered I was wearing actual rose-colored glasses! With pop culture references and drawing from my own life experiences, I was able to connect with my audience and create something real out of a sentence on a scrap of paper. For each round’s prompt, I rounded out my speeches with the overview effect. It lended weight to the performance and helped bring the various points together into a finished product.
This entertaining experience at Bowling Green State University proved that there is no substitute for preparation and practicing speech material. I should have done my own research to determine whether the competition would have been space-themed, but it was not a problem in the end. I knew my space-themed subjects well enough to relate them to truly random quotes. In a way, this proved the ‘interconnectedness’ premise of the overview effect.
To hear the whole Houston We Have A Podcast episode or to read the transcript:
Jordan, Gary, and Frank White. NASA, Houston We Have A Podcast, 30 Aug. 2019, http://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/the-overview-effect. Accessed 2019.
Sarah Turek Productions 