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.

Trust me. If you put one thing on your resume hoping inside that the judges won’t ask you about it, there will be at least one judge who WILL. If you reference a website or an organization in your paperwork, know that some of the judges will go online to check it out as well as look at your Facebook wall.

That’s why it is so important to be as clear as possible when creating your paperwork. Your written paperwork is not the place to be cutesy. That personality trait is best shared in the face-to-face interview. Remember, the interview must feel like a conversation not a speech. Talk with the judges, not at them.

The written documents must be straight forward, filled with enough factual information so the judges can ask you quality questions, and all information must be completely truthful. Never try to mislead people by making something appear bigger than what it is.

On the other hand, there are often golden pieces of information that contestants leave off their resumes because they don’t feel they are “special or unique” enough to share with the judges. This is also a mistake.

You cannot leave filling out your paperwork until the last minute. When creating a judge’s bio, I often go through three or four drafts with my clients before we get to the final copy. This takes hours, not minutes to do. If you want to get better interview results, this is one area where it will be well worth your time and money to find a qualified professional to assist you. Let me know if I can be of service to you in creating a written resume that reflects your unique invisible qualities in their finest light.

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

INTERVIEW CARD

The ability to answer questions about you, your purpose, current events, and controversial topics in a clear way is an important life skill. The more you practice, the better you will get. This handy interview card is a great way to practice with a partner or to use by yourself.
The Beginning 10 Questions are the staple interview questions everyone must know the answers in an interview. 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 22 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. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

Don’t misunderstand me. I love pageantry. But with all of the logistics that go into running a pageant, there is a lot of room for things to go wrong. Being self reliant will eliminate certain stressors and you’ll have a more positive pageant experience. Less stress means you will feel more relaxed and confident in your abilities. The more relaxed and confident you are, the greater your chances are of sharing who you are and winning the hearts of the judges.

At first glance what I am about to say may seem negative, but it’s not. This thought process has saved my sanity and skin countless times. Here it is: Look at the pageant schedule, and think of every possible thing that could go wrong and create a plan for what you would do if that were to happen. Get detailed. Let your imagination run wild. Think of the worst things that could happen to you and plan out what you would do in that situation. By doing this, not only will you be more prepared; but you will eliminate the fear factor because you’ve worked it out ahead of time.

It would look something like this. What if I get there, and rehearsal runs late and there isn’t enough time for my makeup person to do my makeup? Or, what if the pageant provided stylist does my hair and makeup and I hate it? Solution: Learn how to do your own makeup. This might mean taking private classes and practicing weeks before the pageant so you can master putting on your own makeup.

What if I get there and they have lost my paperwork? Solution: You always bring copies of everything with you to the pageant. Mark my words, the one time you think it is not necessary is going to be THE time you wish you would have brought it.

• Hair and Makeup- Stylists are wonderful; but you need to learn how to do your own hair and makeup. Sometimes the schedule does not allow enough time for you to get your hair and makeup professional done before the show. Plus, some stylists over book themselves, get sick, or no show you. Even if the pageant says they will provide people to do this, never totally depend on them. Taking classes from a professional makeup and hair artist to show you how to do your own hair and makeup will be one of the best investments you can make.

• Wardrobe- In half of the pageants systems parents, coaches and stylists are not allowed into the dressing rooms. You need to practice getting into your clothes by yourself. Keep this in mind when shopping for gowns. There is never enough hanging space for your clothing so bring your own hanging rack. I ordered the Dritz Ironing and Drying Rack (# 10688323) from Joann.com for $30 (but I used a 40% coupon) and LOVE it! It’s lightweight, folds into two pieces and fits in the bottom of my big suitcase. It extends up to 64 ½ “and says holds up to 33 garments. But 9 adult sized pageant garments is all I put on it. Bling is heavy.
  

• Food- Pack your own supply of water and food. Pageant supplied food is not healthy or satisfying. You need to be able to eat on the run because rehearsals run late, restaurants get crowded, and you need to invest more time in getting your outer appearance ready for competition than hunting for food in an unfamiliar environment.
  

• Accommodations – Even if the pageant is local, I stay in the event hotel. You need a safe place to rest, recompose and get ready for events in private. People, it is not professional to change your clothes and do your hair and makeup in the public restrooms of the hotel. The extra $100 for a room is worth its weight in gold so build it into your budget. I’m speaking from three decades of experience as a contestant, pageant mom, and judge. Get a room.

• Paperwork, CDs, DVD, Photos, etc.- Bring extra hard copies of everything. That includes your music CD if you’re doing talent (I always have three separate discs), all paperwork you mailed in ahead of time, headshots, judges bio, and copies of your cancelled checks, credit card statements or receipts from the pageant showing what you have paid for.
  

Arrive early, observe everything that is being said and happening around you, and have your backup plans in place. Follow the Girl Scout Motto “Be Prepared” and the Swedish Proverb “The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.”

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

Now's The Time to Brush Up On Your Interview Skills

INTERVIEW CARD

The ability to answer questions about you, your purpose, current events, and controversial topics in a clear way is an important life skill. The more you practice, the better you will get. This handy interview card is a great way to practice with a partner or to use by yourself.
The Beginning 10 Questions are the staple interview questions everyone must know the answers in an interview. 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 22 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.  For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

Before The Pageant:

• A smile and saying hi to the judges when you accidently meet them in the hallway, elevator, restaurant, parties or restroom is okay. The judges will be staying in the same hotel with you. You will meet each other at some point during the pageant. This is not the time to try to impress them or engage them in conversation. At the same token you don’t want to be rude and ignore them either. Treat them with the same respect and manners you would anyone else you pass in a public place. Please don’t stalk them or try to bump into them on purpose thinking the more they see you, the more you’ll be remembered. Drawing too much attention to yourself off stage can back fire on you.

During The Pageant:

• Over the top hoots, whistles, and shouts during the pageant could hurt you and not help your chances of winning the pageant. The only exception to this is if the pageant system is giving an award to the contestant whose fan club is the loudest. In this case, the judges are aware of the fact and can block out the excess noise. However, very few pageant systems offer such an award. After the initial applause of when a contestant’s number or name is announced, if one or more people continue to shout things and make a ruckus the whole time their contestant is on stage that becomes distracting. You do not want the judges distracted. 
  One time when I was judging, there was a contestant who had a family member who would shout her name every time it was quiet during the pageant. When she was on stage it was a constant stream of noise. We couldn’t hear what the emcee was saying over this group’s commotion. At that point, my attention was not on the contestant but instead on how disrespectful and rude the members of her family and friends were acting by disturbing the pageant environment. I certainly didn’t want the director to have to deal this group of people for a whole year, so it affected the scores I gave that contestant. There is a line between being supportive and being obnoxious.
  A couple seconds of cheers and applause is great. Then stop. You want the judges to be focused only on the contestant.

• Give the judges space. Don’t sit right behind them or get to close to the table during the pageant. And by all means, don’t stand or walk in front of them to take a picture or video tape your contestant. In some pageants, your contestant will be disqualified if you take photos or video tape the pageant. Seriously, don’t be tempted thinking, well no one will see me. Oh yes they will. If the announcement is made “no photography or videotaping allowed” they mean it.

After the Pageant:

• Never approach a judge face to face, send an email, call them or Face book them after the pageant for justification , feedback, or scores of the pageant results. This goes for your family and friends contacting the judges, too. It’s a small world and by doing so, you could be jeopardizing your chances at the next pageant. It is solely the discretion of the director as to if judges comments or scores are shared with you. Whatever comments and scores you receive; you should gratefully and humbly receive them. But remember, all judging is subjective and everyone has a different opinion.

Never make any assumptions because you could be putting yourself in a very awkward position. Let me briefly explain.

After I judged a pageant the newly crowned queen came up to me, thanked me for my vote, told me how excited she was about going to nationals, and went on and on about how hard she had worked and how she deserved this opportunity. I simply congratulated her and wished her the best for her upcoming year and let her experience the excitement and joy of the moment.

You see, the woman crowned was not my pick for the title. In fact, the second runner up was my favorite throughout the entire pageant and had my final vote. Rarely, is the judging panel unanimous in the final vote. You have no idea which contestant was each judges favorite. Sometimes even the judges are surprised at the end results when all the numbers are added. But the end results are the final decision.

Do you see how devastated she would have been if I had replied, “Oh, I didn’t vote for you because of this, that and the other thing.” Although she looked and moved the part, my reasons for not choosing her were I felt she lacked humility and a gracious spirit towards the people around her, which was exemplified by her actions after the pageant. This may or may not have been true, but it is how I perceived and interpreted her actions and the manner in which she spoke to people. But I was just one judge on the panel.

After a pageant emotions are very high. Everyone but the queen, to some degree, is feeling disappointed. Act like ladies, be respectful towards the people around you, and wait until you’re alone to release your emotions. And ideally, I mean totally alone, in the bathroom with the door locked where your mother, your husband, family and friends cannot hear or see you. Here’s why.

You need to release and process whatever feelings you have at that moment just to get them out of your body and mind. Sometimes that’s all you need is a couple minutes by yourself to just let it go and you’re good. Or if your coach is with you, release to him or her.

If you do this in front of those who love you, they could possibly get even more upset than you are and say or do something that will make the situation worse. No one likes to see someone they love cry or hurt. They immediately want to try to fix it. So before you know it, they are on a quest to find the judges and the directors to get some answers as to why their contestant didn’t win.

Immediately after the pageant is not the time. The director hasn’t had a chance to talk with the judges nor see the scores and can’t help you at that time. Disappointment is part of life and learning how to deal with it in a healthy and sportsmanlike conduct is vitally important.

Now, it is an entirely different story if a judge seeks you out afterwards and chooses to talk with you. That is their choice. But whether you win the crown or not, do not initiate talking to the judges. 

At this point, you might be thinking, “well how am I to know what to do to get better results if I can’t talk to the judges?” After 7-10 days, reach out to the director to see if she can share any scores and comments with you. If your coach was in the audience, ask her. Judge a pageant yourself. You’ll be amazed at the insight you will receive being on the other side of the table. And in some cases, experience is the best teacher.

After a lifetime of being in and around pageants, I’ve learned a lot. A key question I ask myself and of my clients is this, “If you knew for sure you wouldn’t win the crown, would you still do the pageant?”

You see, in a fair pageant, no one can guarantee the end result. If your only focus is on winning the crown, you’re setting yourself up for a lot of hurt feelings. No one wins the crown every time. Instead, the contestants who focus on the benefits of the process are usually the ones who have a positive and rewarding pageant experience.

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive  my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here or at the top of this page to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

Pageant Season Is Here!

Now's The Time to Brush Up On Your Interview Skills

INTERVIEW CARD

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 22 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. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

The mark of a good pageant judge is their ability to quickly size things up, be decisive, and score according to what is taking place in the moment.

Whether I’m judging a pageant, a show choir competition or interviewing people for a job, I make my decision within the first 5-10 seconds. The remaining time is usually spent confirming my initial impression.

There are all kinds of studies and documentation supporting that a person’s first impression is made within 1 to 10 seconds. The numbers vary depending on the report you read, but the truth is people make a judgment about you within seconds, not minutes, of seeing and speaking with you.

The following excerpt is from The Tesh Media Group and I found the short article to be interesting and to the point.

“A man named Roger Ailes, a media strategist, famously said, "You have just 7 seconds to make a good first impression." And he was pretty much right. Our primitive ancestors needed to be able to size up a situation quickly and decide if they were faced with a friend or a foe. And we do the same thing today.

According to Yale University psychology professor Marianne LaFrance, 90% of a first impression is based on appearance, posture, facial expressions, and tone of voice. So here’s how to put your best foot forward.

First, know this, when you meet someone new, your hair style will get noticed more than your facial features. Long hair says, "My looks are important to me". Short hair says, "I’m confident and successful". And shoulder length hair says, "I’m intelligent and level-headed".

Next, your handshake matters. The Yale study found that people who make eye contact while offering a handshake that’s firm, dry, and vigorous – as opposed to clammy, limp, and wimpy – not only makes a better impression, but makes people believe you possess the qualities associated with your grip. Also, here’s something just for women.

Your instincts about other women are more accurate than your instincts about men. Why? Because women are programmed to want to make a connection with a man, so your opinions aren’t as harsh. Chemistry throws off your radar.

Now, what about charm versus cheekbones, which goes further? A good looking face or a charismatic presence? Charisma wins over beauty. If you seem confident, open to new experiences, and interested in others, you’ll get better marks than the good looking guy next to you.

But here’s the one thing you need to remember – a first impression is less about you, and more about making the person you meet feel good.”

I tell my clients time and time again: most of what you tell the judges will be forgotten by the time you walk away from the table. It’s more important how you say things than what you say. The feelings you evoke within the judges are what will stay with them as they cast their scores.

It’s very important to continually tweak your outer style and develop your inner qualities because the winning combination occurs when both your outside and inside images match.

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive  my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here or at the top of this page to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

DEADLINE TO ENTER THE

WTP RELAY FOR LIFE PAGEANT IS

MAY 5, 2011

If you are experiencing problems with the links and want the pageant information emailed directly to you, please send me an email atRhonda@winningthroughpageantry.com and
I will send you the registration form.

• Do you need practice for your summer pageant?

• Are you looking for a pageant with no swimsuit or talent requirement?

• Do you like the idea that 20% of all the money raised from this pageant is going to the American

Here's your opportunity.

• Every contestant will go home with a crown and prizes valued beyond the registration fee.

Click here for full details about this opportunity and share it with your friends.

INTERVIEW CARD

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 22 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.  For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

Understanding the scoring and judging methods of a beauty pageant can be confusing at times. Sometimes, members of the audience, or even the judges for that matter, walk away from a pageant scratching their heads wondering how the end results came to be. The first step to demystifying pageant judging is to understand the different ways the scoring can take place.

Ranking

• The judges have a ballot with 5 lines on it. In each phase of competition, they put their favorite contestant number or name on line 1, second favorite contestant on line 2, and so forth. The auditor will give the contestant on the 1st place line 5 points, 2nd place gets 4 points, and so on. The queen is the one with the highest points. This is comparison judging because the judges are asked to compare contestants with each other in order to determine ranking.

Numeric scoring

• Each contestant is given a score from 1-10. Some pageant systems use a higher scale. Each contestant is given a numeric score from each judge for every category of competition. The score can be either in whole numbers or in decimals, like 7.25.
• In some pageant systems, the contestants will carry the scores all the way through the pageant. The queen is the contestant with the overall highest cumulative score.
• In other pageant systems, the points that contestants earn during the preliminary competitions determine the top 5. At that point, all scores are dropped. The judges are asked to rank the top 5 in the order they believe each contestant should finish.

Mentions

• No numeric score is given by the judges. Instead, they circle the names of the contestants they like. Each time your name is circled, you are given a point by the auditor. For example, if there are 50 contestants, the director will tell the judges to circle a total of 10-15 names on their ballot. The more often your name is circled, the greater your chances are in making the top 10. Once they have their top 10, they are asked to circle their favorite 3 contestants' names. Finally, they circle the one name they feel should be the titleholder.

Consensus

• The judges take notes throughout the competition. Then they go into a closed room, talk about the competition, and all must agree on the queen and her court. There can be a lot of negotiation with this form of judging but not always. You see this form of judging at many festival level pageants.

The titleholder is determined by the average of all the judges' scores. Just to illustrate what could possibly happen at a pageant, let's say there are 5 judges on the panel. Contestant number one receives the following scores: 10, 10, 8, 9, and 8. Her average score is a 9. Two of the judges marked her as the winner (10's), one judge as the first runner-up (9) and two judges as the second runner-up (8's).

Contestant number two receives one 10 and four 9's so her average is 9.2. The crown goes to contestant number two, even though two of the five judges had contestant number one as their pick for the title.

There are a couple other things that can factor into the scoring.

• Dropping of the highest and lowest scores can impact the final results.

• Sometimes, members of the pageant staff have a vote in the outcome of the pageant.The staff is with the contestants all the time. They hear and see things that the judges don't. Remember, the directors want a well rounded titleholder that won't behave in a way that would embarrass them or the pageant system. The test of one's character is how you behave when no one is watching, or when you think no one is watching.

You need to be consistent on and off the stage. I'm not saying pretend to be someone you're not. Just know everything you say and do factor into the pageant experience.

To get the highest scores possible, hold nothing back during the preliminary competition especially with your hair and makeup. You won't make finals if you don't bring your very best during preliminaries. Then when you do make finals, turn it up a notch. You don't want to drop your energy level.

When it comes right down to it, you need to be at your very best at all times. Things are always changing in pageants. Directors learn lessons from one year to the next and make changes to make the experience better. There are so many possible varieties in the way the scoring is done that it would drain you if that's what you focused on. Instead focus on the one thing you know, you. Be your very best and enjoy the experience.

Request my free special report, 10 Insider Secrets to Winning, and receive  my free award winning newsletter weekly. Just click here or at the top of this page to GET YOUR FREE REPORT.Then fill out your name and email address in the boxes.

DEADLINE TO ENTER THE

• Do you need practice for your summer pageant?

• Are you looking for a pageant with no swimsuit or talent requirement?

• Do you like the idea that 20% of all the money raised from this pageant is going to the American

Here's your opportunity.

• Every contestant will go home with a crown and prizes valued beyond the registration fee.

Click here for full details about this opportunity and share it with your friends.

INTERVIEW CARD

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 22 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. For more information on Rhonda, visit  www.WinningThroughPageantry.com .

Seconds after the announcement of the top 10, and again at the naming of the court, one question runs through the minds of every contestant BUT the queen, “What could I have done to get better results at this pageant?”

This is a perfectly normal response for a goal oriented person who wants to excel. A self critique can certainly be useful for future events if used in a constructive fashion.

There is one principle that participants of all pageants must accept: Judging is subjective. It is not based on fact but rather on the opinion of the person judging. People have different values, likes, dislikes, biases, and the list goes on. So, you could do everything perfect and it still may not be enough to win the crown because the queen is selected subjectively.

Let’s say you have a panel of five judges. Four of them love you and give you high scores. But for some reason, one judge doesn’t connect with you and scores you very low; it may cost you the crown when the scores are averaged out. This is a reality you need to mentally prepare for.

One person’s opinion DOES NOT determine your value as a person. It’s only their opinion. Because it’s impossible to get into the mind of another person, it’s a waste of your energy to try to figure out why they didn’t like you. Accept the fact that you have no control over another person’s thoughts or actions and move on.

I’ve seen a contestant receive the comment “too polished and rehearsed” from one judge; from another judge on the same panel “needs more work- not professional enough”; and from a third judge “don’t change a thing. Perfect.” I mean, really. Are they listening to and looking at the same person?

That’s opinions for you . Everyone has one and it’s subjective.
Now, let’s talk about some of the possible objective reasons that may have influenced your final placement.

• Interview - You need to continually work on your speaking and communications skills. Every day events happen to you that cause changes in your lives. From year to year, you’re a different person and this should be reflected in your interview skills. What worked for you last year may not work this year. Here are some possible areas of change that you’ll want to be aware of so you can adapt your interview skills.
  • Aging Up a Division - If your age division last year was 7-9 and you were 9, you were one of the most mature girls in your group. This worked in your favor. However, this year you’re 10 and the span is ages 10-12, now you’re at the bottom of your group. The maturity level between a 10 year old and 12 year old can be huge in today’s world. The expectations are higher. With each age bracket change, the substance and quality of the communication skills needs to increase.
  • Changing pageant systems - Each system has a slightly different focus and purpose of the interview. For example, if you’re used to a 40 second interview with each judge, it’s a whole different world interviewing for 5 minutes with a judge, or switching to a panel format.
  • Different type of interview - Panel, one-on-one, on-stage and press style are all different types of interview styles you’ll encounter at a pageant. It’s important to know what type of interview it is and how long it will last. Many contestants have made the mistake of thinking they could just walk into a pageant interview, be themselves and talk normal. After all, how hard can talking be, right? Wrong.

• Walk - There are different walking styles for glitz, natural, and runway style pageants. If a contestant has done nothing but glitz pageants from ages 0-12, that bouncy, side-to-side glitz walk is not going to cut it if she decides to do a natural pageant. Or if you’re used to a natural walking style and enter a pageant where the walk is more fashion forward (more like runway) you’re not going to score as high.

• Personal Styling - Your hair, makeup and clothing all need to be appropriate for your age and the pageant system you’re participating in. I agree, it would be wonderful if we could use the same gown, swimsuit, interview outfit and casual wear outfit for every type of pageant we entered. However, that’s not always the case.

The bottom line is this, judging is totally subjective and outside of your control. One, and only one, contestant will have the title for the year. That means everyone else in the pageant will have to deal with their feelings after the pageant.

The only thing you have control of is your thoughts, feelings and actions. If you can walk away from the pageant knowing you’d presented your very best to the judges, and learned something new about yourself that will better your life, then you’ve won something more important than a crown from the pageant.

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On a personal note, my grandpa’s funeral is today. He was 100 years old. Incredible to think of everything he experienced in the past 100 years- cars, TVs and computers. Give those close to you an extra squeeze and tell them you love them. 

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 educate s 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 .

This week I decided to wear my judge’s hat and share with you important insight into the mind of a judge. Well, at least this judge :). I feel if the contestants had a better understanding of what the judges were looking for, it would help them prepare better for the pageant. As a general rule, judges are looking for a titleholder that is:

1. 1.  Unique, articulate, diplomatic, polite, respectful, friendly, intelligent, talented, well-rounded, photogenic, and beautiful.

2. Going to be the best public relations person and representative for the pageant system, city, state or country.

1. 3. Ready to compete and have the best chance of winning the next level of competition.

Most people don’t realize the importance of number three. The judges are looking for the lady who is ready to handle the responsibilities right now. There are many contestants that have lots of potential; but a qualified and experienced judge knows that after the state pageant, there is very little time to develop skills that are not fully mature to handle the responsibilities of a titleholder. Their decision must be made based on the “here and now” performance of the contestants.

Your physical condition and communication skills must be at their peak at the time of the pageant. After the crowning moment, there are media interviews, obligations to pageant sponsors, scheduled appearances, and preparations for the next level of competition in addition to any school, career, family and community obligations you may already have. Judges know that the titleholder will be speaking to business leaders, government officials, members of the media, and the general public on a regular basis. She will be interviewed on the radio, for television, and photographed frequently for the newspaper. There simply isn’t time for major growth to take place.

Judges score each category of competition separately. So ladies you have to be at your best at all times. Don’t make the assumption that just because you had a great interview that the judges will overlook the fact that you’re not as toned as you should be in your bathing suit, and vice versa. You are being watched on and OFF stage. Each category gives the judges an opportunity to evaluate different areas of the contestant’s personality. They are looking for the whole package.

The Interview: Up-close and Personal

This is when the judges get to see you up close so no huge hair or over the top makeup. Jewelry is to be kept to a minimum and tasteful. Your clothing needs to fit you perfectly (which means not to tight, not to big) and be an appropriate color and style for your age, body type and personality. Clothing choices need to bring attention to the person in the clothes, not the other way around, so avoid anything too ornate or flashy. Make sure your wardrobe fits the rules of the pageant system, as well.

The bulk of your interview score will come from the judge’s first impression of you when you walk through the door. The way you walk, the energy level surrounding you, your attitude, clothes, hair, makeup, and posture ALL create an instant snapshot of who you are. Most of the time, the public only gets a glimpse of a titleholder or has less than a minute of time with her. Your ability to make a positive connection with people quickly is critical. But looking the part isn’t enough. It just simply opens the door. Now comes the true test.

Your ability to share your thoughts, opinions, values and personality in an honest, concise and articulate way is what will earn high points in the interview. Key point here, THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER TO ANY QUESTION YOU ARE ASKED. When I judge, I ask questions to fish for high quality information from the contestant so I can quickly get to the heart of what is important to her. It’s not about what I think or my opinions. It’s all about the contestant. Because I have competed and judged for decades, I feel I have the inside track on helping my clients create judge’s bios that elicit high quality questions from the judges.

In the personal interview judges are looking for a winner that is in control of the situation, feel great about who she is and what she stands for, and uses humor appropriately. The vocal quality of your voice, along with your vocabulary, grammar and diction are essential elements. The interview is not the time for a standup comedy routine, nor do you want to be giggling the whole time. That demonstrates a lack of maturity; but, humor is very important. This is a balance that I work very closely to achieve with my clients.

On Stage: The Wow Factor

Every time you take the stage, you want the judges to say “Wow! There she is. That’s our winner.” The women that elicit that “wow” factor don’t try to be wow. They just are. There is an easy confidence about them that comes from the inside out as they walk on the stage and connect with the judges first, then the audience. Arrogance and cockiness turn people off. These two qualities are defense mechanism for very insecure people and that is not the image that businesses will eagerly endorse. When I’m judging, if I get the feeling that a contestant thinks she’s “all that and more”, that’s not my high point winner.

There is pressure and responsibilities that come with holding a title. When I judge, I will ask hard questions of contestants that I feel are title contenders to test them. My questions are always age appropriate; but I do this is to test the contestants ability to maintain her composure in the face of extreme stress. I want to discover what’s really inside and how much depth there is to the person in front of me.

I find that a person’s true character comes out when they are exposed to pressure. So if you have ever walked out of an interview feeling like you’ve just been grilled, take it as a compliment. As a contestant, once I understood this, I wanted to be asked the hard questions. I welcome the opportunity to share who I am at the core. Know that you will occasionally encounter a difficult judge that is simply that- difficult.

The fact is there are difficult people everywhere and as a titleholder you will come across not one but many people who will challenge you. Their behavior has no effect on you unless you allow it to. The more you understand who you are, what you believe in, and why that’s important to you, the less you will feel under attack when asked to explain your stance on an issue.

Remember, judges are looking for the lady who is ready right now. The more prepared you are, the greater your chances are of being offered the opportunity of a lifetime. My free special report and interview card are great tools to get you started. If you want to be totally prepared, contact me at Rhonda@WinningThroughPageantry.com and we can create an action plan that will put you on the path to winning.

Beyond The Pageant

My three children are all home educated. They are in the 9^th, 7^th, and 5^th grades. Science lab days can be really fun and very insightful for us. For example, take carbon material and add heat and pressure. Heat and pressure will naturally break down material. However, different materials start to form depending on the amount of heat, pressure and time added. Add a tremendous amount of heat and pressure, and you’ll get coal. Coal has a definite value to our life as most of our energy comes from coal. But add an extreme amount of heat and pressure and a diamond is produced, the ultimate mineral and most important gemstone of all.

Does the pressure in your life simply break you down, or do you allow time so the pressure can develop the coal, and eventually the diamond? The heat is your attitude, and your attitude will determine if you develop dust, coal or diamonds. The choice is yours.

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Rhonda Shappert is a pageant expert, personal development life coach, and owner of Winning Through Pageantry™, a business she created that not only helps her clients achieve winning results in pageants, but helps them Succeed From The Inside Out™ in their lives. In the pageant world she has held multiple local, state and national titles. 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 who has been married 20 years to her husband Stephen, is the former mayor of her community, and is 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.