⚡ Points of Information (POIs)

Debates benefit from engagement. Our primary way to engage is through rebuttal, but sometimes we need a response to our question right now. This can be achieved by offering a Point of Information.

What is a POI?

In general, a Point of Information can be a piece of rebuttal or a question that you want the speaker to address. It is difficult to offer an example without a speech to reference. That said, here are a few:

• During a debate on the legalization of marijuana: "Can you provide evidence that legalizing marijuana leads to higher rates of teenage usage, as you have claimed?"
• During a debate about the death penalty: "Do you believe our police and justice system are right 100% of the time?"
• In a debate about reintroducing corporal punishment: "Yes, children will be hurt, but that’s why the lesson is effective. No one remembers writing apology letters."

A POI does not open the door for a back-and-forth conversation. Think of it as SMSing the hosts of a TV show. They cannot ask you to repeat your POI – so there’s a lot of pressure to keep it short and clear. You cannot answer back, except by offering another POI.

How to Offer a POI

To offer a POI, stand up and say “Point of Information, Sir/Mam”. Ensure you are loud enough for the speaker to hear. The speaker is allowed to choose if they will listen to this POI by either verbally accepting or rejecting. Please do not speak unless you have a verbal confirmation from the speaker.

When to offer a POI

A POI cannot be offered in the first and final minute of a speech – we call those periods “protective time”. This ensures the speaker has the space to start and end their speeches smoothly. A POI should not last longer than 15 seconds. We expect everyone to offer POIs in a debate, but we don’t want them to be used in a disrespectful manner. Remember to leave a reasonable amount of time between each POI offered. When POIs are too frequent, we refer to this as badgering.