Interpers are no strangers to making strange noises. When you're forced to perform without stages or props, you have to get creative to get your audience engaged. We've all certainly heard our fair share of odd sounds coming from classrooms.

Bleep Blap Boop is a charming short film that turns sound effects into a battle of the sexes. With a variety of prompts, the filmmakers ask people to do their best to replicate the sounds. They're not professionals, but they certainly try their best. 

Which team do you think did a better job at making sound effects? What was the most creative sound effect you've heard in a performance?

Memorizing a new piece or speech is one of the least glamorous parts of forensics (next to waking up at 5 a.m. on a Saturday). People have different methods. Some folks record themselves reading it aloud and listen to it on repeat. Others try writing lines over and over until it sticks. Memorizing smaller sections then adding new ones on is another strategy. 

If you're lucky, memorizing lines comes quickly and easily to you. However, that doesn't mean some of us don't struggle with remembering tricky lines of poetry or certain statistics in an oratory. That's why this list of strategies to improve memory can be really helpful early in the season. From self affirmations, associations, and grouping to proper nutrition, mental exercises, and breathing techniques - there are plenty of ideas on how to make more room in your brain for your events.

Happy memorizing everyone!

 TRY THIS is part of an on-going series of ideas, suggestions, experiments, and exercises coaches and competitors can utilize to expand their skill set. 

Image via BrainPickings

It's hard to do oral interp if you're not using your vocal chords. There are times, however, when we take our voices for granted. We expect all the power and emotion to come from our mouths. We shout. We laugh. We cry. We forget what our faces and bodies are doing when we're 'in the moment.' Unless we video tape ourselves or have someone point it out, our physical presence may not always be what we think it is. 

Bear Despair is a charming illustrated story that follows a bear's obsessive pursuit of its stolen teddy. There's anger! Revenge! Desperation! It's an excellent opportunity to try using your face and body to tell a wordless story. If a coach or team-mate watches, have them rank the intensity of your performance. Maybe your face isn't as expressive as you think it is. Perhaps you could have more power in your physical choices. Different circuits have requirements on the amount of movement one can use in a performance, so it is also a great chance to see how much you can convey while obeying the rules.

 WATCH THIS is a new series that presents you with videos meant to spark ideas and discussions (and in some cases – can be used for competition).

“Maybe there are cartwheels in your mouth.
Maybe your words will grow up to be gymnasts.
Maybe you have been kicking people with them on accident.” – Andrea Gibson

 You may want to cover your chin with bandages before you watch poet Andrea Gibson perform. What is amazing on paper becomes jaw-dropping when you watch her speak with vibrating passion and urgency. Though many of her poems deal with complicated topics such as gender, identity, diversity and adversity – her “Letter To A Playground Bully…” speaks to anyone who has had to cope with an unpleasant or aggressive person. Unfortunately, that may apply to more of us than we'd like to admit.

A quick search on YouTube will allow you to watch several of her performances. If you're interested in reading more of Andrea Gibson's poetry (or using it in competition), you can order her books and cds through her website, Amazon or Write Bloody Publishers. 

Customers using SpeechGeek's poetry and prose interpretation for selections in University Interscholastic League (UIL) competitions during the 2011-12 season should download a copy of our Author Verification Letter.