Everything you need to know about joining, practicing, and debating with Power of Interest UK.
Key details about our workshops, age groups, attendance, and mission.
POI (Power of Interest) is a free, student-founded debate and public speaking organisation — a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee registered with Companies House (Company Number: 17391401) — based in Oxford, UK. We run online workshops and weekly in-person debate chambers for secondary school students across the United Kingdom.
POI welcomes secondary school students from Year 7 to Year 13. Whether you're just starting secondary school or preparing for sixth form and university applications, there's a place for you here.
No experience needed at all! That's exactly why POI exists. Our online skills workshops and introductory debate chambers are designed to take complete beginners step by step into confident, articulate speakers.
We run sessions both online and in person. In-person sessions are hosted weekly in Oxford at Oxford High School. Online sessions are held over Google Meet. Once you sign up, links and session materials are sent out to you ahead of time.
It is recommended to attend both online and in-person sessions, as the Sunday online webinars lay the theoretical groundwork for the in-person chamber rounds. However, we record our online webinars and distribute them to anyone unable to attend live. Our competitions and tournament entries are completely optional!
Online sessions have no fixed cap, allowing students nationwide to participate. In-person chamber sessions in Oxford accommodate up to 24 participants per cohort to ensure every student receives personalised feedback and plenty of speaking opportunities.
Yes, 100% free. POI is a student-founded not-for-profit company limited by guarantee (Company Number: 17391401, registered with Companies House) dedicated to making debate education and public speaking accessible to every young person.
All about British Parliamentary (BP) debating, motions, sides, rules, and preparation.
British Parliamentary (BP) is the world's most widely practiced competitive debate format, used at major university tournaments (like the Oxford and Cambridge Unions) and international championships. In BP, four teams of two debaters compete in each room — two teams on the Government (Proposition) side and two on the Opposition side — delivering structured, persuasive speeches to defend or challenge a motion.
We debate exciting, relevant topics that encourage critical thinking across politics, ethics, technology, education, culture, and current affairs. Example motions include:
No. In competitive and BP debating, teams are randomly assigned to either the Government or Opposition side, as well as their specific speaker positions.
This is widely considered the greatest benefit of debating: it challenges you to look at problems from all angles, think objectively, and build persuasive arguments even on issues you may disagree with personally!
In debating, POI stands for Point of Information — a short question, challenge, or interjection (up to 15 seconds) offered by the opposing team during uninterrupted speech time. For our organisation, POI also proudly stands for Power of Interest!
You don't need to do days of research in advance! In BP debating, motions are released 15 minutes before the debate begins. During this 15-minute “prep time”, you and your teammate brainstorm arguments, structure points, and prepare speeches. Our Sunday online workshops guide you through step-by-step techniques to make 15-minute prep fast, fun, and easy.
