You're the Expert Or not! In this fun, no prep event you get to create all the answers to a series of 5 questions asked in an interview format after choosing from three different, possibly made up, "expert" titles. Occupations range from the silly to serious to mysterious: "Belly Button Lint Expert" to "Great White Shark Expert" but you don't need to know a thing about either one! You get to decide what the expert knows and does because you're the expert! Pick your prompt and convince us you know it all!
You're the Expert is a "fling" category that is not offered in every tournament. If a tournament will be offering You're The Expert, it will be announced in the invitation.
You're The Expert: In this solo event a student will pull 3 "expert" titles/professional expertise areas written on the outside of folded, sealed interview questions from a master envelope and quickly select one expert to portray (without opening or pre-reading the questions). The other two expert papers should be returned to the master envelope. The student should then hand the chosen folded interview questions to the judge and move to the front of the room. The judge will open the expert interview questions paper, start the timer and read the interview questions, one at a time and pause to allow the student to answer each in turn. The paper will have a total of 5 questions to ask the "expert" about her/his selected field. Knowledge of the expert's field is not required and the responses may be humorous or serious in nature, however, students should strive for a natural, realistic and convincing portrayal. Content and delivery should both be evaluated.
Time Limit: 7 minutes with a 30 grace period or 5 questions, whichever comes first. A student should strive to present utilizing the following skills: CONNECTION TO AUDIENCE: creates interest and holds your attention; appears poised, confident and comfortable during the presentation. VOCAL VARIATION: effectively varies volume, pitch, speaking rate, tone, pauses, emphasis and mood. PHYSICAL VARIETY: uses eye contact and varies facial expressions, gestures, and body language to support their responses. EFFECTIVE CONTENT: The student constructed and presented well-organized responses; avoiding slang, poor grammar, and mispronunciations. The student has utilized a rich vocabulary and varied their word choices. CONVINCING PORTRAYAL: Whether the student chose to use actual knowledge of the expert field or creatively interpret and invent their responses, did they deliver a believable and convincing portrayal?