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Point of Information (or “POI”)

  • Date 2022-07-21

General Definition: A point of information is a question or statement posed to a speaker during the unprotected time of their speech. Questions offered should be limited to 15 seconds in length and should not be offered more than once every 20 seconds during an opponent’s speech time. See also “Protected Time” and “Golden Rule of POIs“.

  • Public Forum: Not used in PF, where “Crossfire” and “Grand Crossfire” are used for asking questions instead.
  • World Schools Debate: In WSD, POIs should be asked only during the middle six minutes of the constructives, rebuttals, and summaries. Speakers should accept at least two points of information (POIs) during their speech, taking one POI early and one later.
  • British Parliamentary: In BP, POIs can be offered in the middle three minutes of a speech in high school, and the middle five minutes of a speech in university. Speakers should accept at least one, and no more than two, POIs during their speech.
  • Canadian National Debate Format: In CNDF, POIs can be offered in all but the first and last minute of the first two sets of speeches (see also “Time Limits“).