hello! do you have any tips for doing POI? like any at all? I'm kinda lost. thanks!
Hi! I will preface this by saying that this is my first year doing POI (and speech and debate in general). I am no expert, I am not the all knowing authority of POI, and I have VERY, VERY LIMITED experience in POI. For further reference you may wanna reach out to or look at the page of @pepper-m00n, who got to be on the finals stage at the National Speech and Debate tournament in 2025 for POI with one of my all time favorite speeches, Thrown To The Wolves, that I'll link below.
Anywho, quick disclaimer -
This post is about high school level POI and applies NSDA (National Speech and Debate Association, formally the NFL or National Forensic League) rules, and may not be accurate to other levels of the event or other associations that offer the event. I have NO experience in any type of POI besides this! Sorry!
Firstly : The Basics
You may or may not already know the following, but it is useful none-the-less.
This section uses paraphrased information from the NSDA's "Getting Started Guide - Program Oral Interpretaion (POI)" which can be accessed through the NSDA website for free. Not all of it is, but majority of it is.
A *Very* Breif History - POI (Short for Program Oral Interpretation) started out as an event in college level forensics, and was added as a offically recognized NSDA event in the 2015-2016 season. Since then it has became increasingly popular with high school and middle school students across the country.
POI is a Interp event in which you make a program out of atleast 2 of the 3 following generes - Prose (books, articles, ect), Poetry (including song), and Drama (plays usually, may or may not include TV and movie scripts, refer to your state/districts personal handbook)
POI is extremely unique as an interp event, because of it's use of multiple pieces to make one cohesive speech. I personally see it as a public address event (OO, extemp, ect) for the creative.
A POI has usually has 6 parts, and commonly follows the dramatic structure, while it is recommended, it is not required.
A POI usually includes -
A Exposition or Teaser (introduces your pieces/characters and your topic/argument through use of those pieces)
An Inciting Moment (end of teaser, introduces conflict or issue)
A Introduction (states your topic/argument and the pieces in your program, this is the only part the NSDA requires to be memorized, though memorization is key to any good piece, and your state/district may have different rules)
Rising Action (conflict or issue grows)
Climax (usually 7-8 minutes into a program)
Falling Action (may provide a possible resolution to an issue or resolution to characters)
An Intro usually has 5 parts, though I personally have seen many people stray from this and do great. As long as you have your pieces and authors clearly stated, anything can work.
An Intro usually includes -
An Observation (A statistic, a quote, a fact, or an idea)
An Explanation of the Observation (how does this observation relate to your piece?)
An Application (Apply your Observation to your topic/argument)
A List of Titles and Authors (Usually organized by genre, prose, poetry, and drama)
An Affirmation (Impact statement or something for the audience/judge to remember throughout the piece)
Second - How to Choose a Topic
You probably already have a couple topics in mind, but if you don't or don't know how to choose one of them, here's how.
POI topics are usually, but not always, political in some regard (mainly social issues). This is true for most things when it comes to speech, as public speaking is a way to advocate for a cause for many people. This does not mean your topic can't be non-political , it is just best to keep in mind that the majority of POI you will see and compete against will be political. It also tends to be left-leaning in its arguments, but again, most things in speech are, and your speech does not have to be.
When choosing a topic, you should ask yourself one or more of the following -
What motivates me?
What upsets me?
What change do I wanna see in the world?
Who/what do I want to lend my voice to?
It helps to choose a topic that you are deeply passionate about. Is there a topic that you-
Have done extensive research about?
Can talk for 10-20 minutes+ about?
Have read a variety of books on/listened to music about/watched movies and shows about/ read news articles on? (This can help with finding the pieces you use for your program!)
Have experience in / have been impacted by?
After asking yourself a few or all of these questions you will probably have a topic or a few topics picked out. Next you should think about -
Will I be able to find prose, poetry, or drama about this topic?
Do I know of any prose, poetry, or drama about this topic?
Can I safely and easily access any prose, poetry, or drama about this topic?
Can I safely perform a program on this topic? (Consider the area you live, the people in your school/school's speech team, the people in your speech and debate district/circuit, and absolutly anyone who may see your piece.)
Can I perform a program about this while adhereing to my school/districts rules?
Can I perform a program about this and not be tone-deaf or offensive?
If you said yes to all of those about your topic, you're good to countinue! If you said no to any of those questions, choose a new topic and ask yourself these questions for the new topic.
Once you have a topic, you can now start actually making the program!
Thirdly - Making The Program
This section will have three subsections based off of the NSDA's judging ballot. This may stray away from the ballot and criteria your speech and debate district/circuit uses, but many districts/circuits use the NSDA's ballot as a base criteria.
The three subsections will be -
Programing ,
Blocking ,
And
Characterization
The subsections will follow a Q&A format/FAQ format.
Programing
Programing, is the selection and use of literature in the 3 generes. If there is a question you have that is not answered below, please ask it and I will add it to this post!
Q - "How do I find the liturature for my piece?"
A - You can find it in a bunch of different places!! I would start at a school libary or a local libary, and I would also look at digital book/poetry resources and archive.org. Another great resource the NSDA list of approved resources (Has news sites and think tanks) and list of scripts for DI/HI/DUO! Please note that some districts/circuits/states may not allow digital resources when crafting a POI, and that you are required to have atleast 2/3 generes in your POI.
Q - "How do I cut and piece together a POI?"
A - You can do this in a lot of different ways, but how I have done it is that I start with finding what I want the climax of my piece to be and then I build around that. I also would recommend that you cut up your pieces instead of having full paragraph after paragraph and full poem after poem. There is nothing wrong with doing that, but I believe that a POI should be you making a new piece out of a selection of other ones, not so much you reading pieces with the same theme back-to-back.
Q - "How many pieces of liturature should I have in total / of each genre?"
A - I would recommend having atleast 3 but no more than 12 in total. As for amount of each genre I would recommend to try to have an even-ish distribution, but logistically you will most likely have more of one genre than the others. It would be really hard to find 3 dramas on your topic to use so you have 3 of everything. My current POI has 3 prose and 5 poetry pieces.
Q - "Can I remove/replace any words or phrases?"
A - Words/phrases usually can be replaced or removed for transitional purposes or to remove profanity, but your district/circuit/state may have additional requirements.
Q - "Can I use a piece of liturature to convey a message different than what the author wrote it to mean?"
A - Yes, there is no rule that states you must use liturature how an author meant it, as all liturature can be conveyed in many ways and can mean anything you want it to. Though I wouldn't use for example a poem about bullying for a program about climate change, but in theory you could make it work?? I don't know man if you can make it work and it makes sense do it.
Q - "If I use a song, do I have to sing?" Or "Can I sing a poem, even if it's not originally sung?"
A - You do not have to sing if you use a song and you can sing a poem if you wish to. A good example of the latter is Isabella Royer's 2024 nationally championing piece, where she sings the words from the childrens book/poem Life Doesn't Frighten Me by Maya Angelou.
Blocking
Blocking is the use of your stage / performance area, and your binder durring your speech.
Q - "Is there any requirements or guidelines to how I can use my stage or binder?"
A - Yes there is, the NSDA states that the binder must stay in control of the binder at all times durring the performance, meaning that it can not leave your body (you can not throw and catch the binder, but you may use it as a hat) You also may not show the judge or audince the contents of your binder durring the duration of your performance. Stage wise the NSDA does not mention much, just think of the obvious things. Don't pick up things in the room, don't touch people in the room, don't leave the room, ect, ect...
Q - "What considerations should I make when making my blocking?"
A - There's 2 big things I would keep in mind. Firstly, blocking should add to your piece and is usually used to aid in transitions, it is not meant to distract from it. Your speech should be able to have almost the same amount of impact without any movement or use of the binder. Secondly, keep it appropriate, this is a much more personal thing, but keep in mind that your judge is almost guaranteed to be an adult and you are most likely a minor. In one of the first POI speeches I ever saw, the performer used his binder to imitate the sound of skin hitting together durring a certain act, and he put the binder over his crotch. An adult can not and would not ever consent to see a child use a binder in that way. Do not use your binder for things like that. Please.
Q - "Can I sit or lay on the floor?"
A - The NSDA states that you can not be disqualified for sitting or laying on the floor. However, Some judges may rank you lower for sitting or laying on the floor.
Q - "Do I need my program in my binder?"
A - Yes, you are required to have it in your binder according to the NSDA, but district/circuit/state rules may be different.
Q - "Can I read from the binder?"
A - Yes, for everything besides the introduction which is your own writing. But your judge may rank you lower for lack of memorization and some districts/circuits/states may require memorization of the whole piece.
Characterization
Characterization is the differentiation between different pieces of literature in your program. I have the least amount of help for this.
Q - "How can I differentiate between characters/pieces?"
A - You can differentiate between characters/pieces in many ways! Different accents, different vocal tones, different posture, different way of holding/using the binder, and probably a bunch more stuff that I'm forgetting right now.
Q - "What should I not do to differentiate between characters/pieces"
A - Mainly common sense stuff. Don't give yourself a speech impediment, don't do stereotypical or racist accents, don't pretend to have a disability, don't do a mocking impression of a group of people, pretty much just don't be a dick.
Final Notes
I really hope this helped!! I don't think this was exactly what you may have been looking for, but I tried! I will add more to this as I think about it!!
