Please don’t make this costly pageant mistake. If you are competing in a pageant where you have to submit paperwork for the judges to see, have two other people and finally your coach look it over a couple of weeks before your forms need to be turned into the director. All too often I find what a contestant meant to say and what comes across on the paper are conflicting. Once the pageant paperwork is turned in, it’s too late to change things.
My heart sinks when people send me their paperwork to review and when I see items that need to be changed, THEN they tell me “but I’ve already turned it in.” At this point, you’ve gone from playing offense, where you score points, to defense.
Misspelled words, punctuation errors and improper grammar are just the tip of the iceberg of the mistakes I see on contestants’ fact sheets. Formatting, word choice, and tone on your paperwork will make or break you in the interview room.
Your photo and paperwork create your first impression. Your second time to capture the judges’ attention is when they see you face-to-face. If the contestant they see in person is inconsistent with the woman on paper (or in her headshot), you’ve just created doubt in the judges’ minds. That’s not what you want. You want the judges to be looking for you, and eager to meet you.
The quality of the information on your judge’s sheet will determine the type and quality of the questions you are asked during your interview. Think of your contestant fact sheet as bait. You want to lure the judges in to ask the specific questions you need so you can catch their hearts and votes with your answers.
It takes hours and more than one draft to create a judge’s bio that will get the highest scores in the pageant. Haste makes waste. If you wait until the last minute to start on your paperwork, I guarantee you will not create the proper first impression you want or do your best.
Start a month before it is due. Work a little bit on your paperwork each day. Then when you have it to the point where you think it is perfect, have an English teacher proof read it. Once she is finished with it, have another professional adult look it over. Finally, have your pageant coach read it before you submit it to your director. By taking the time and going through many filters, not only will typos be caught, but your message will be clearer.
If you want a different set of eyes to look over your paperwork, I’ve created a Paperwork Review Session. It consists of two mini-coaching sessions. In the first call, I will share with you my first impressions about your photo and bio; conduct a 5-minute mock interview based on the paperwork you have provided to me; tips on how to improve your paperwork; and a second mini-call after you have made corrections from our first call. This will be the best $50 investment to strengthening your first impression and to building a solid foundation for your interview. To get the most from our time together, have the exact forms your pageant system uses filled out to the best you can. Then,click here to purchase your session. Once payment has been received, you will then receive an email to schedule your private telephone session with me.
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Rhonda Shappert is an expert pageant coach, an iPEC Certified Professional Coach, an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner, and an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF).
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.
