In natural pageants such as Miss American Coed (MAC), National American Miss (NAM), and other pageants similar in format, there is a required 20 or 30 second onstage personal introduction that you need to deliver to the judges.
The purpose of the introduction is [Read more…]
Where are the reality TV crews when you need them, right? If the media really wanted the public to know why women participate in pageants and the true benefits of pageantry, they should follow me, or thousands of other pageant queens, around for a day when we are living our lives as titleholders.
You see, a pageant crown and sash isn’t merely [Read more…]
The secret to standing out from a field of highly accomplished pageant contestants is having more [Read more…]
At the suggestion of one of her college professors, Ellen Bryan competed in her first pageant when she was a sophomore in college. He thought the Miss America system would be good experience for the telecommunications major. With her eyes set on the goal of becoming a news anchor, this future TV broadcaster began her three year journey to the Miss America stage.
In preparation for the 2008 Miss Lake Festival preliminary, she [Read more…]
What did she just say? Words that are mispronounced and poor grammar can influence people’s opinion of you and your education level. For example, just because the word “ain’t” is in the dictionary doesn’t mean you should use it. The dictionary will tell you if the word is spelled correctly. That doesn’t necessarily mean the usage of the word itself is “proper” or viewed in a positive light if you say it. Over the years, many slang words have been added to our dictionaries.
I am not an English major, but here is my shortlist of mispronounced words: [Read more…]
The words you choose and what you put on your pageant paperwork will either build up or destroy your credibility in the judges’ eyes. Everything and anything you put in writing is fair game in the interviewing process.
If you put one thing on your resume hoping inside that the judges won’t ask you about it, there will be at least [Read more…]
Congratulations. You’ve won the pageant title you’ve worked so hard for. Woo Hoo! Now what? One choice would be to do very little and show up the following year to crown your successor; or you can make the most of your opportunity leaving a lasting legacy. You can be either a [Read more…]
You’ve just had your crowning moment. Suddenly, you dream of being a celebrity, going to glamorous events, and making countless appearances. Great! How are you going to make that happen? Yes, I said YOU. Your primary responsibility is [Read more…]
A pageant platform is a cause that a contestant chooses to volunteer her time to either bring awareness to, raise money, or implement a program she has created that will help address the problem. There are so many needs in the world today that finding a cause you feel passionate about in your community is just a matter of looking around or talking with a few business leaders. In our society, the media and public are drawn to people who hold titles or have celebrity status. As a titleholder, you can use this to your advantage to get your message out in a bigger way if you’re prepared.
“Don’t ever question the value of volunteers. Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers; the Titanic was built by professionals”-Unknown. Occasionally I’ll encounter a person who has the attitude of ‘I’m only one person. I can’t make a difference. Besides, I don’t have the time, money or education to make things happen’. Okay, you might not; however, you know people who do. And those people know different people who know other people. They’re just waiting for you to ask them for their help. You don’t need to micro manage or run the entire project by yourself. Just make the mission and needs known to people.
There is strength in numbers and the more people you can include in your plans, the better. Think of a candle light service you’ve been to. It starts with one candle in a dark space. Then, one by one, the flame is passed along until the entire area is a blazing light. Most of the time people aren’t even aware of a particular need in their community. All it takes is one person speaking at a function, or a single newspaper article, to spark the fire needed to begin the change.
In choosing a good pageant platform, follow Stephen Covey’s advice “Begin with the end in mind.” What is the specific result you want to achieve? Is it to raise $50,000 for a new piece of safety equipment for your local fire station? Or is it to start your own foundation? The key to choosing a platform that will inspire you is the depth of personal experience you have with it. There must be a deep seeded reason why you want to spend countless hours serving a particular project. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one, or a family pet. That event moved you to want to reach others who are experiencing the same pain. Maybe you want to prevent a problem from happening. Maybe you’ve experienced something so wonderful, or painful, that you want others to know about it so they can either join you in your joy, or avoid the pain.
Either way, it starts with looking inside and listening to your heart- not your head. We take action when we are emotionally charged, not because something is logical and makes sense.
Here is just a beginning list of ideas, examples and topics from the last two years of Miss America contestants that might spark your interest in looking for your pageant platform.
The ability to answer questions about you, your purpose, current events, and controversial topics in a clear way is an important life skill that everyone can benefit from. The more you practice, the better you will get. These handy interview cards are a great way to practice with a partner or use by yourself to get you thinking about the topic.
The Beginning 10 Questions are the staple interview questions everyone must know the answers in an interview situation. Then each month you will receive a new card in the mail with fresh questions.
Now preparing for your interview is easy and for a limited time FREE.
Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and a member of the International Coach Federation. She created Winning Through Pageantry® to partner with pageant contestants and their support people to provide complete pageant preparation, achieve winning results in life through pageantry, and to Succeed From The Inside Out®. She has over 30 years experience in the pageantry world as a contestant, judge, emcee, staff member, mother of daughters who compete, Mrs. Ohio America 2005, and has held multiple titles at the local, state and national levels.
Rhonda graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in Musical Theater from The Ohio State University and has performed on stage in 15 countries on the Asian, European and American continents. This mother of three home educates their children and has been married 21 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Virtual Academy. She and her husband perform original contemporary Christian music. Their music CD entitled Cana is available through www.cdbaby.com/cd/shappert or on her website. For more information on Rhonda, visit www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .
In the game of darts, it’s important to locate the target before you start throwing. In darts, your goal is to hit the bull’s-eye for maximum points. The more skilled you are at aiming the darts, the more rewarding the game will be.
The same is true in pageantry. The first step you need to take is [Read more…]
