The POI Guide:
From Delegates, For Delegates
By Kendra Wuisan
Photography by Kendra Wuisan
Once a speech concludes, delegates have the opportunity to ask questions to both clarify and challenge the speaker’s points. This is known as a Point of Information (POI), an essential part of the MUN process.
Regardless of which side of this exchange you are on, it isn’t unusual to feel challenged or intimidated at times. Thus, the “Thread” asked conference attendees for their advice, creating a delegate-to-delegate guide.
Asking POI’s
In your opinion, what components make up a great POI?
Hailey (General Assembly 1): “How you present in front of the entire council… you should vary your tone [depending on the context].”
Alfie (Special Council 2): “First of all, [it should] agree with the UN charters and UN goals… a good POI must address the [speech] itself.
For delegates who may be feeling apprehensive about asking POI’s, what strategies or advice do you wish to impart?
Alwaleed (Sustainable Development Commission): “Try to practise with [your] friends or other delegates in break… Someone can say a speech and [another can] try to come up with a question to ask. Practice makes perfect.”
Alfie: “If you sound confident, loud, concise, and articulate, you are mostly 80% there, all you need to do is just the content… Throughout my years of experience, I’ve heard… amazing POI speeches due to the fact that delegates [embrace these traits].
Delegates in Action: Asking POI’s
Answering POI’s
In your opinion, what components contribute to a good POI answer?
Amaury (Special Conference on the Impact of AI on Humanity): “I like to think of POI answers as mini speeches that you can add on… it’s a good opportunity to say anything you’ve missed in your [actual] speech.”
Kaitlyn (United Nations Security Council): “A good answer to a POI has to address… every nuance of the question asked. Stick to what the [delegate] asked and not just what you [assume].
Charlie (Health and Youth Commission 1): “Take your time to really address the question and know what it’s asking… back it up with your own knowledge, preferably some statistics that you [know].
For delegates who may be feeling worried about answering POI’s, what strategies or advice do you wish to impart?
Maggie (General Assembly 2): “I’ll recommend to relax a little bit and think for a second… before answering.”
Jason (General Assembly 2): “Reply in note form.”
Amaury: “The main thing is about confidence and just accepting that the person who asked your POI is probably also very [nervous]. They had to come up with a question really quickly… so they’re not interrogating you. It’s [actually] sort of teamwork.
