This summer marked the 100th anniversary of the National Speech and Debate Association. Over the last few decades, the NSDA and extemp have undergone major shifts that shaped the event into what we recognize today. In the spirit of Confucius’s advice to “study the past if you would define the future,” revisiting the legacy of the event during earlier eras might offer valuable insight as we move forward into a future shaped by changing rules, advancing technology, and shifting norms within the forensics space we occupy.
Back to the Beginning
When it was founded in 1925, today’s NSDA was known as the National Forensics League. Its first high school tournament featured debate-focused events like Policy Debate, but Extemp hadn’t taken the stage just yet. That would change in the 1930s, as demand grew for an adaptive event centered on current events. Extemporaneous Speaking, then known as “Extempore Speaking,” found its first foothold at the regional level. By 1937, the Ohio High School Speech League had added Extemp to its state tournament, describing it as an event meant to: “train students to speak intelligently on questions pertaining to current events, which includes research and maintenance of information files and oral presentation of that information in an organized, analytical, and fluent manner in a restricted period of time.”
The “maintenance of information files” referred to a since-abandoned practice of filing newspaper clippings by topic, region, and date in organized boxes that competitors brought to tournaments. These files helped ensure that each speech sounded current and credible to the judge, who, in turn, would rank the speaker using another now-obsolete technology: paper ballots.
Because of the limitations of physical filing systems, extemp speeches from this era typically used fewer sources than the norm on the modern national circuit. Instead, competitors leaned more heavily on broad political theories and historical context. Due to the limitations of the filing system, speeches often referenced broader theories, historical explanations, and timeless narratives.
Still, access remained restricted. When Extemp first appeared at Nationals in 1931, it was offered only as “Boys’ Extemporaneous Speaking.” This was a stark reminder that even as the activity evolved, it reflected the inequities of its time.
Women Belong in the…Circuit
Jeremy D. Johnson, in his 2017 book, revisiting the history of American speech and debate, provides context for a time when girls interested in Extemp had no separate division. In his 2017 book Speech and Debate as Civic Education, Jeremy D. Johnson writes that “Before the mid-20th century, competitive speaking events such as extemporaneous speaking were open to all competitors regardless of gender, leading female speakers to compete in what were considered ‘boys’ divisions’ until separate categories were established.” That separation, however, wasn’t created in the spirit of equity; it was rooted in a sexist assumption that girls couldn’t carry as many files or deliver arguments with the same authority as their male counterparts.
By 1952, with the rise of women’s colleges as spaces of intellectual rather than ornamental function, and growing resistance to rigid domesticity that would later fuel second-wave feminism, the public pressured the NFL to introduce a new event, called “Girls’ Extemporaneous Speaking.” While the new division allowed more girls to participate, it did so within a stifling framework. Quasi-labels like “international” and “domestic” were applied to Boys’ and Girls’ Extemp, respectively. Girls’ questions tended to be narrative, U.S.-focused, and moral in nature, shaped by the era’s gender norms. Though digitized records of Girls’ Extemp prompts from this time are scarce, questions likely centered on community and gender roles, such as: “Is participation in civic organizations a proper extension of a woman’s role in society?”
Meanwhile, Boys’ Extemp maintained its focus on analytical, globally-oriented questions that covered topics like foreign policy, economics, and conflict, mirroring the structure of the modern national circuit. Eventually, backlash from coaches and competitors, alongside the passage of Title IX in 1972 (which prohibited sex-based discrimination in educational programs receiving federal funding), pushed the NFL to unify the divisions. In 1984, the organization formally discontinued gendered Extemp. In the years that followed, girls began to rise on equal footing. One of the first was Texas competitor Suzie Sprague, who made history as a finalist in 1989.
Co-Ed Competition
After abandoning gender-based divisions, the 1985 NFL National Tournament introduced two new categories: International Extemporaneous Speaking and United States Extemporaneous Speaking. While no longer divided by gender, the events still reflected earlier struggles, most notably a gender disparity in participation, with boys continuing to dominate International Extemp and girls more commonly competing in the U.S. category.
Additionally, disagreement over whether this new separation was necessary led many national tournaments to abandon the separate categories altogether, opting instead for a unified Extemporaneous Speaking event. In practice, maintaining two separate divisions meant double the filing workload for both students and coaches. That logistical strain soon became a rallying point, fueling a growing push for a more streamlined, efficient system, one that would simplify prep and modernize the way sources were collected and stored.
Putting the ‘E’ in Extemp: Electronic Filing Systems
In 2005, the NFL officially moved away from the traditional paper filing system and allowed competitors to use computers for prep. However, this wasn’t a full embrace of digital research as we might imagine today. Computers were permitted primarily as digital storage devices to make transporting files more compact and manageable, not as tools for live research or speech drafting during prep time. This shift also brought about the first wave of technology policies still seen in national and regional circuits today. For example, the California High School Speech Association’s rulebook on tech stated: “Contestants may make use of electronic retrieval devices to store and retrieve their subject files. Students can retrieve extemporaneous files to read, but cannot write speeches or organize their thoughts on the computers. … 1) Extemporaneous Speaking contestants shall not access the Internet. All wireless capability must be disabled. 2) Power plugs or outlets may not be used in the prep room at any time. All computers used in the prep room must be battery-operated at all times.”
The restrictions on power plugs stemmed partly from infrastructural limits in competition venues and partly from a desire to prevent students from connecting to the internet or communicating with coaches during prep, concerns that were very real in the early 2000s. Essentially, computers were treated like digital filing cabinets: competitors pre-downloaded their research and brought it with them. Many of these tech policies, such as banning live internet use, prohibiting power outlets, and limiting communication, remained in place long after this early computer-filing era, extending into modern competition rules.
As technology rapidly evolved, so did the NFL’s policies. Limits on cloud storage, proctoring of device use, and requirements for printed backups became common in a period when digital prep was still emerging. Tech equity ensuring all competitors had fair access to devices and resources, quickly became a concern. Still, digital prep brought undeniable benefits, increasing the quantity and quality of information available and making the event more convenient.
Yet, with a stronger emphasis on current and easily accessible information, the historical foundation of Extemp and thus its grounding in deep research and context was somewhat diluted. By 2010, the NFL fully embraced digital research, updating rules to allow students to use portable devices like tablets and computers not only for storage but for live information searches. Companies such as Prepd further accelerated this shift by offering refined search systems tailored specifically to Extemp topics.
Citation expectations rose dramatically during this period, as the relative ease of accessing information raised the bar for thoroughness and accuracy. The art of extemporaneous speaking shifted: the standout speech was no longer defined by the authority of rare information, now widely accessible, but by storytelling skill, humor, dramatic transitions, and narrative engagement. In this digital transformation era, the NFL also rebranded in 2013 as the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA), the organization we recognize today.
Extemp’s Ongoing Evolution
Extemporaneous speaking today has come a long way since the days of filing boxes rolling into prep rooms on dollies. The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a major shift in 2020, pioneering online Extemp with built-in timers and virtual rooms through the NSDA Campus platform. Around the same time, asynchronous tournaments featuring Extemp emerged, somewhat contrary to the event’s original, live, timed spirit, yet providing unprecedented global accessibility.
Interestingly, even as pandemic restrictions eased, major tournaments like the Stanford Invitational continued to host online competitions. This format proved logistically and financially feasible for many independent or fundraiser-style events. However, it also opened the door to challenges with integrity: competitors often consulted teammates, read scripted speeches off screens, and, in asynchronous formats, exceeded allotted prep times.
If the pandemic didn’t shake things up enough, 2022 brought a new game-changer: public access to ChatGPT, allowing users to generate AI-assisted research and narratives with simple prompts. This development led to heightened scrutiny but often inconsistent proctoring at local and regional circuits, reminiscent of early internet-era rule enforcement.
To address equity and fairness at the national level, the NSDA officially permitted the use of artificial intelligence in Extemp prep starting in 2023 This policy evolved further with the endorsement of tools like Perplexity AI in the 2025 tournament, which was met with mixed reactions from competitors.
Final Thoughts
In both the last century and last decade, the practice and tradition of extemp has evolved rapidly. Consider each article of the Extemper’s Bible blog an entry in an account of forensics history, written by and for those experiencing the highs and lows of the activity. Regardless of all these changes, extemp has stood the test of time, making competitors more informed and passionate about the state of the world.