How to Judge SPAR (Spontaneous Argumentation)

SPAR (Spontaneous Argumentation) at S.O.S. operates almost identically to SPAR at the National Online Forensics League.

1) Judges will receive three prompts per every two speakers via their tabroom.com ballot.

2) The judge will call up the first two speakers. One of them will be assigned Affirmative (the first speaker on the ballot); the other will be assigned Negative (the second speaker on the ballot).

If a speaker is missing, skip that speaker and move to the next one down. For example, if the first speaker is there to be assigned Affirmative and the second speaker is missing (they would normally be assigned Negative), then the third speaker will be assigned Negative and paired against the Affirmative.

3) The judge will announce the first three prompts to the two speakers. The Affirmative speaker will 'strike' a topic, saying which one they do NOT want to debate. The Negative speaker will 'strike' a second topic. The remaining topic is the one they will debate.

4) Now that the judge has their debaters and their chosen topic, two minutes of preparation time will begin. The debaters should not access the internet during their preparation time. Typically, the speakers will receive 30-second time warnings (30 seconds used, 1 minute used, 1:30 used) during preparation time.

5) The Affirmative will give a two-minute speech in favor of the topic. During the speech, they will receive visual time warnings (holding up a finger to signify one minute left, a "C" for 30 seconds, and a ten-second countdown on their fingers) from a judge or appointed timekeeper. If speakers go more than 10 seconds over their time, they should be cut off with applause.

6) The Negative will give a two-minute speech against the topic. They will also receive visual time warnings. If speakers go more than 10 seconds over their time, they should be cut off with applause.

7) The Affirmative and Negative will have four minutes to ask each other questions during open cross-examination. If any competitors (not spectators or judges) in the room wish to also ask a question to either side, they may only do so if they raise their hand and are acknowledged by one of the two speakers. They will receive visual time signals from a judge or timekeeper. If speakers go more than 10 seconds over their time, they should be cut off with applause.

8) The Affirmative will give a two-minute rebuttal/conclusion, receiving time signals. They should not bring up brand new contentions, but they may respond to the Negative's arguments. If speakers go more than 10 seconds over their time, they should be cut off with applause.

9) The Negative will give a two-minute rebuttal/conclusion, receiving time signals. They should not bring up brand new contentions, but they may respond to the Affirmative's arguments. If speakers go more than 10 seconds over their time, they should be cut off with applause.

10) The same pairing process will be applied to every other two speakers in the room. If there are an odd number of speakers, any competitor may volunteer to go again. Their volunteer performance should not be evaluated, only their first performance. Please note that every pair of speakers will receive three different topics, and every topic should NOT be handed out to everyone at the start of the round.

11) The speaker should be evaluated based on their organization (the clarity of their speech), their content (if their speeches were effectively persuasive), their argumentation (if they successfully refuted their opponent's points), their questioning (if they respectfully asked and answered relevant, thought-provoking questions), and their delivery (if their body language, vocal inflection, and facial expressions enhanced their message).

12) Between speeches, check to see if there are any people who are double/triple-entered waiting outside. Give them a moment to come in and let students who are double/triple-entered in your room leave to go to their other categories. After the last person has spoken, if there are 'missing speakers' on your list, give them an additional 10 minutes to show up before marking them as a no-show.

13) At the end of the round, the judge will thank and dismiss the speakers. Then, they will rank the speakers (first place is best, fifth place is worst), give them speaker points (100 is best, 70 is worst), and submit their tabroom.com ballots. The judge will not give verbal feedback beyond generic encouragement during the round; this feedback will be written on the ballots.