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One of the most fun features of BP debating are the Points of Information (POIs). These are questions that you get to ask your opposition during their speeches - and they have to respond on the spot! You don't just get to interrupt your opposition whenever you like, there are some important rules you have to follow to prevent debates simply becoming screaming matches...
- POIs can only be offered between the 1st and 5th minutes of someones speech. This means that all speakers have one minute at the start of their speeches, and one minute at the end where no one can interrupt them. There is one bell given by the adjudicator at the 1 minute mark (so the opposition knows they can start offering POIs), another single bell at the 5 minute mark (so the opposition knows to stop offering POIs), and a double bell at 6 minutes, so the speaker knows their time is up.
- When you offer a POI, you do not simply blurt out a question to whoever is speaking. You stand up and politely say "Point of Information" or "On that Point". The person speaking then gets to say "Yes" or "No" or "In a moment", and if they say yes you get to ask your question. If they say no, you have to sit down. During your speech you are expected to accept at least one, but preferably two, POIs. You should not accept more than three, as this would interrupt your speech too much.
- If the speaker accepts your offer of a POI, you must ask them a question (not just make a statement), and it must not take longer than 15 seconds.
- The question does not have to be directly relevant to what the speaker is saying at the moment you ask it, but you need to make sure that your question is simple and brief enough for everyone else in the room to understand what you are trying to get at.
- While a speaker should only accept one or two POIs in their speech, this does not mean that the entire opposition can only offer one or two POIs. You should offer more than this, and let the speaker choose which time they want to accept a question. But you cannot offer a POI every ten seconds - that would be harrassing the speaker. If you offer 3 or 4 in a speech, that would be suitable.
- You can only offer POIs to people on your opposition bench, ie if you are on the affirmative you can only offer them to the speakers on the negative. This means that the opening affirmative cannot offer POIs to the closing affirmative, or vice-versa.
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