Important Takeaways about POI from the NIETOC

POI is not just a speech event. It is a stage for truth. A space where stories fight back. Where characters are not just played, they are exposed. And when it is done right, POI can be one of the most powerful events in all of speech and debate.

After studying several nationally acclaimed POIs, I want to give you five big takeaways. Along the way, I will include original examples to help you better understand how to bring these ideas to life in your own work.

1. Start with a Metaphor, Not Just a Message

Yes, you need a message. But the best POIs do not start by asking, “What do I want to say?” They start by asking, “What does this feel like?”

Great POIs center around a strong metaphor. This metaphor becomes the spine that connects every piece in the program.

Example:

Imagine a student builds a POI around the metaphor of a vending machine. They explore how society gives people limited options for identity, and those options are preselected by those in power. One piece may show the pressure to "choose" a gender identity from a list. Another may examine how students of color are funneled into specific roles in school. Each source explores a different "slot" in the machine, while the performer gradually builds the argument that we need to stop asking people to fit into categories someone else designed.

Lesson:

Find the object, image, or story that feels like your truth. Then build around it with intention.

2. Do Not Just Read the Words. Perform Them

The most impactful POIs are not just read. They are performed with full commitment. That does not mean overacting or shouting. It means knowing when to slow down, when to sit in silence, and when to break the moment wide open.

Example:

A student performs a piece about police brutality. When portraying a mother speaking to her son before he leaves the house, she uses a soft, almost whisper-like tone, letting the silence between her sentences carry the fear. Later, when playing the role of a protester, she uses controlled rage. The contrast gives both characters weight.

Lesson:

Map out your emotional arc. Every character deserves a distinct voice, energy, and purpose. Let your performance choices add meaning to the words.

3. Mix Genres for Maximum Depth

Strong POIs blend prose, poetry, drama, articles, songs, and more. This variety helps keep the audience engaged and also mirrors the complexity of your message.

Example:

In a POI about the mental health crisis among men, a student uses a spoken word poem as a cry for help, a magazine article that outlines the cultural stigma, a drama where a father refuses to seek therapy, and a satirical piece that mocks the idea that "boys do not cry." Together, these create a mosaic of emotion, facts, and critique.

Lesson:

Look for sources that do different things. If one piece breaks your heart, let the next one punch your brain. Balance emotion with information.

4. Say Something That Actually Matters to You

The best POIs feel personal even when they are not autobiographical. That is because the speaker clearly cares. They are not reciting a script. They are fighting for something.

Example:

A student does a piece on fatphobia. She is not just sharing statistics. She includes a monologue of a girl being humiliated during a doctor’s visit, then transitions into a conversation between two mannequins in a clothing store. She performs it with such honesty that the audience is left rethinking the assumptions they hold about bodies.

Lesson:

Choose a topic that matters to you. You do not have to tell your own story, but your passion should shine through every line.

5. Finish With Intention

The ending of your POI should not feel like a curtain call. It should feel like a final strike. A truth delivered with clarity. Something that makes the audience pause before they clap.

Example:

A student builds a POI around the metaphor of broken clocks to discuss generational trauma. The closing line brings it full circle: "Maybe the clock was never broken. Maybe it was just waiting for someone brave enough to reset it." Then she looks up and says nothing more. The silence speaks.

Lesson:

Bring your metaphor full circle. Let the ending echo the beginning, but with a deeper truth revealed.

Themes That Bring These Lessons to Life

If you are ready to start building your own POI, here are five powerful theme ideas that follow the blueprint above. Each one centers on a metaphor, invites authentic performance, and gives you the chance to say something that truly matters.

1. “The Report Card”

Theme: Academic pressure, student identity, and the cost of achievement

Metaphor: A report card is used to measure value, but what does it leave out?

Why it works: This metaphor opens the door to exploring mental health, school inequality, learning differences, and how students are often reduced to numbers. You could use personal essays, spoken word poems, teacher narratives, and data reports.

2. “The Assembly Line”

Theme: Systemic racism and generational oppression

Metaphor: Society functions like an assembly line, sorting people into roles before they can choose their path.

Why it works: This theme can spotlight how institutions like education, law enforcement, and employment reinforce social hierarchies. The metaphor allows you to show how people are treated as products, not people.

3. “Return to Sender”

Theme: Immigration, identity, and belonging

Metaphor: A letter that keeps getting returned, symbolizing rejection from a country, a culture, or even a family

Why it works: This theme lets you humanize immigration debates and amplify the voices of displaced individuals. You can pull from court transcripts, family letters, poetry, and cultural commentary.

4. “Terms and Conditions May Apply”

Theme: Digital surveillance, privacy, and the illusion of choice

Metaphor: The "terms and conditions" we blindly accept online represent the unspoken social contracts we agree to in life

Why it works: This approach allows you to blend humor and seriousness while critiquing tech culture, manipulation, and how people are commodified online. You could incorporate satire, social media posts, tech journalism, and dystopian literature.

5. “The Mirror Has Two Faces”

Theme: Gender expectations and body image

Metaphor: A mirror that reflects not who we are, but who the world wants us to be

Why it works: This theme provides a compelling path to explore femininity, masculinity, trans and nonbinary experiences, and self-worth. A blend of visual metaphor and emotional storytelling can make this incredibly powerful.

Final Thought

Your POI is not just a collection of pieces. It is a story you are choosing to tell. A voice you are choosing to raise. And a space you are choosing to claim. Build it with care. Perform it with courage. And never forget that the most powerful programs are not just heard. They are felt.