Here is a good basic set of Spont tips from http://www.azodyssey.org.


Spontaneous problems are an important part of the Odyssey of the Mind experience. Approximately one-third of the final tournament score is determined during a 10 to 15-minute period in the Spontaneous problem room. Here are some suggestions to help make your team's trip through Spontaneous more fun and rewarding.

1. Practice as many Spontaneous problems as possible. The more practice the easier the time will be for the team on competition day.

2. Work on good listening skills - both to listen to other team members and to the directions. (Many teams do poorly in the competition room because they did not listen to the instructions).

3. Don't argue during a Spontaneous problem. It just wastes time.

4. Practice giving answers loudly and clearly. Make sure the judges understand the response. Judges are human and can misunderstand a response which means they might score it as common when it was creative.

5. Have team members take turns scoring and timing practice sessions. This helps them see and hear the difference between creative and common answers.

6. Practice brainstorming techniques:

A. No criticism - withhold judgment of ideas. Ideas are not evaluated during the brainstorming process. A critical remark or laughter from another person stops the free flow of ideas.

B. Quality is desired. The larger the number of ideas, the greater the chances of reaching the best solution.

C. The wilder the better. Asking for far-reaching ideas encourages group members to expand and be imaginative.

D. Hitchhiking/Piggybacking is encouraged. Team members should be encouraged to combine or modify ideas of others. This leads to the improvement of ideas.

7. Don't assume your team will be given a verbal or non-verbal Spontaneous problem relating to the type of long-term problem the team has chosen to solve. Any long-term problem may be given any type of Spontaneous problem at the tournament

8. Don't waste time trying to think of a creative response if the team member has a common one. Give the common response and perhaps it will stimulate other team members to give creative responses.

9. Practice teamwork skills. Many of the problems have bonus points given on how well the team works together.

10. Listen to the problem carefully. If the 'NO' word is not used, take a chance. Judges watch for risk takers when scoring creativity.

11. Practice on other types of communication besides verbal: American sign language, special gestures, etc. These can be used when the problem says verbal communication is not allowed.

12. Try tension-relieving exercises. Many teams are very nervous before they enter the Spontaneous area. Back-rubs, shaking of arms and legs, rolling of heads, telling of simple jokes to arouse laughter, are all ways to reduce tension. Also be careful with the pep talk as the team is ready to enter the competition room. Sometimes this puts more stress on an already stressed-out team. A relaxed team does much better in the competition room.

13. Work on a team uniting event such as:

A. A special team Spontaneous hat or uniform or,

B. A special song or cheer to greet the judges when they enter the problem room (not more that 15-20 seconds) or,

C. A special signal or activity for the team to give when they are called for their problem (not more than 10 seconds).

14. Make sure the team is aware that a copy of the problem is placed before them as it is read. They may consult it anytime while they are working on a solution to the problem.