Definition: A POI is a brief interjection from the opposing bench during the unprotected middle of a speech (typically after 1:00 and before 7:00 in an 8‑minute speech).
- Protected time: No POIs in the first and last minute.
Speakers sometimes request who/when/how to take POIs. These are not binding on opponents or judges. They should not affect adjudication.
- Online rounds: Reasonable format requests (e.g., “use chat/raise hand/unmute”) should be followed.
How many?
- Aim to offer 2–4 POIs per opposition speaker. Fewer than two looks disengaged; more than four is fine if not badgering.
When?
- Offer POIs when you have a sharp point, especially during opponents’ substantive analysis and rebuttal.
- Avoid during setup/definitions and immediately after a rejection (risk of barracking).
How?
- Stand; say “Point of information.” Be calm, visible, and brief.
- Avoid labels like “point of contradiction/factual inaccuracy.” That pre‑argues the point.
- Coordinate within your team if multiple rise at once.
Delivering once accepted
- Keep it 5–10 seconds; focus on one idea.
- Prefer questions that force engagement (not open invitations to restate their case).
- Attack their case rather than defending yours; save complex analysis for speeches.
- Sit once finished; no back‑and‑forth.
3) Accepting & Declining POIs (Speaker’s control)
How many to take?
- Take two per speech. Strategically, there’s little gain in taking more.
When to accept
- After you’ve set the claim and mechanism; toward the middle of an argument.
- Not during setup or rebuttal segments; avoid on weak arguments.
How to decline
- Polite and quick: “No, thank you.” Don’t burn time.
How to accept and answer
- Finish your sentence; then “Yes?”
- Listen; answer the point that was made; keep answers concise; then return to where you were (“My second reason is…”).
- If unclear, briefly paraphrase their question before answering.
Cutting off POIs: Offerers have up to ~15 seconds; speakers may cut off earlier, but if done before the point is intelligible, judges may treat it as not taken.
- Barracking/Badgering: After a POI is rejected, wait ~15 seconds before offering another. Persistent rapid‑fire POIs are penalizable.
- Lockouts: Closing teams refusing POIs from opening bench is poor form. Whips should prioritize taking from opening. Politely flag lockout (“Please don’t lock us out”).
- Points of Clarification (PoCs): Allowed (usually to PM’s setup) but count as POIs. No special status beyond clarifying the model; ask early and in good faith.
5) Arrow & Shield POI Prep Sheets
Arrow (offence)
- Anticipate weaknesses (assumptions, logic gaps, missing warrants).
- Choose the POI type that best exploits the weakness.
- Make it short, targeted, and tied to their core.
Shield (defence)
- Map likely attacks on your model, actor analysis, feasibility, impacts.
- Prepare one‑sentence crisp replies per attack type.
- Practice pivots back to your framing and comparative.
6) Types of POIs (with quick stems)
Rebuttal (undermine a claim)
- “Isn’t this correlation, not causation?”
- “What mechanism takes us from your policy to that impact?”
Contradiction (expose inconsistency)
- “You say the state is incompetent, yet your plan relies on it—how do both hold?”
Analogy (test principle)
- “If you defend X for autonomy, do you also defend Y (edge case)?”
Whipping (revive/weight opening)
- “Can you weigh your extension against Opening’s rights framing you haven’t answered?”
Extending/Reframing (widen terrain)
- “How does this play in developing states with different institutions?”
Clarification (good‑faith model checks; early)
- “Is enforcement incentive‑based or coercive?”
7) Prepping Answers (sample motions)
THBT prisoners should have the right to vote
- Q: “Why should lawbreakers make laws?”
- A: “Voting is a right, not a reward; it drives rehabilitation and legitimacy.”
THBT environmental activists should sabotage polluting infrastructure
- Q: “Isn’t this terrorism?”
- A: “It targets property, not people; civil disobedience to avert larger harm.”
THBT developing countries should prioritise growth over environmental protection
- Q: “Aren’t the poorest hit hardest by pollution?”
- A: “Yes—hence jobs/infrastructure first; regulation sticks better after growth.”
THBT feminists should reject rather than embrace beauty standards
- Q: “Isn’t embracing empowering?”
- A: “Short‑term agency doesn’t justify entrenching appearance‑based valuation.”
8) Using POIs to Win Rounds
- Strengthen your case: Clarify mechanisms; force concessions on impacts.
- Weaken theirs: Expose feasibility gaps, actor incentives, or misweights.
- Timing: Strike after strong claims or during vagueness; avoid early setup.
- Unanswered POIs: Flag in rebuttal—refusal suggests fragility; then move on.
9) Judges & POIs
- Judges track: offered, taken, and quality of POIs and answers.
- Failure to take POIs (when offered) can lower engagement marks or swing close calls, but is not auto‑loss.
- Cutting off before intelligibility can be treated as not taken.
- Revealing your extension via POIs too early.
- Over‑long, multi‑idea POIs; invites dismissal.
- Accepting mid‑sentence or too early; derails your structure.
- Getting sucked into yes/no traps; reframe and nuance.
Drill A — POI Variety Chain
- One speaker delivers 5′. Respondents rotate: Rebuttal → Contradiction → Clarification → Analogy → Redirect. Debrief on impact and brevity.
Drill B — Arrow & Shield Sheets
- In pairs/triads, prep 5 Arrow + 5 Shield POIs for a motion. Exchange and rapid‑fire defend/attack. Debrief on which types landed and why.
12) One‑Page Checklist (copy/paste for rounds)
- Offer ≥2 POIs/speaker; aim for quality over volume.
- Take 2 POIs mid‑argument; never mid‑sentence.
- Keep POIs and answers ≤10–12s; return to structure.
- Prefer questions; hit mechanism, comparatives, weighting.
- Flag unanswered POIs in rebuttal; don’t dwell.
- Avoid badgering, respect ~15s spacing after rejection.
- Use Arrow to pierce, Shield to pivot back to framing.
Prepared by Debate Institute Africa — adapted into a crisp, teachable format for workshops and blogs.
To the http://debateinstituteafrica.com/fekal0911 Webmaster
To the http://debateinstituteafrica.com/fekal0911 Webmaster