Ten Steps Towards Pageant Success

One of my favorite episodes of Pageant Talk Radio, hosted by Valerie Hayes, is her "Make 2009 Your Best Pageant Year Ever!" episode. This episode was created for the new year. Although we have just started August, it's not too late to take advantage of her wonderful ideas. I encourage you to listen to the episode on your own in order to interpret her content in your own way. However, you can simply read my perspective and summary if that is what you would prefer to do. (As a note, my descriptions mainly reflect Valerie's own words, but occasionally I may add something of my own. I do not write word-for-word, but I strive to maintain her point and emphasize the purpose in my own style as well.)

Valerie describes ten steps to help you improve as a pageant contestant. Please follow each step carefully for ultimate results.

The first step is to make a list of all of your accomplishments. You can list accomplishments from the previous year and possibly include the year before. This step will help you truly acknowledge what you have already accomplished instead of focusing on what you need to do in the future. You can list pageant successes - even if you did not make it into the top ten, something as simple as wearing an evening wear gown in a flattering color and style can count as an accomplishment. Try to include as many positive accomplishments as you can, and ask family and friends for their opinions if you need to. You can list academic and extracurricular accomplishments as well. Finally, recall the accomplishments you have made in your personal life, such as becoming more organized.

The second step is to list the character traits, skills, and abilities that you possess that enabled you to accomplish the achievements in your first list. You want to acknowledge how you accomplished those things. Your organized nature, your patience, your discipline, etc could have played a role. Be as thorough as possible! Ask family, friends, teachers, coaches and others if you are having a hard time determining these qualities.

The third step is to choose two areas for improvement that you think will make the biggest impact on your pageant performance. These areas are what you need to work the most on. Do not choose the areas that you are interested in - for example, selecting your pageant wear gown even though you don't necessarily need to improve in that aspect. You want to choose the areas that you are the weakest in. It may be helpful to ask a qualified pageant individual that can provide constructive criticism and feedback, such as a pageant director.

The fourth step is to write down three action steps for each one of your two areas of improvement. For example, if you wanted to improve your interview, your three action steps could include developing your platform, practicing questions on a regular basis, and becoming more informed about current events. After you have chosen your action steps, go back to step two and focus on how you can use those skills and abilities to accomplish the action steps you have put down.

The fifth step is to get your own contestant fan club. A fan club consists of people who cheer you up and cheer you on at the pageant. These people will not tell you how you need to improve, correct you, criticize you, compare you to other contestants, or provide any form of negativity. Your fan club will provide you with provide energy to help you stay in a positive mindset during the competition. A pageant coach would not be in this club. Your coach cannot help you by only providing you with positive encouragement that you would need to hear from members of your fan club. Your fan club may be composed of family members, your best friends, pageant friends, or any other positive supporters. Constructive suggestions can be tolerated (for example, this person would tell you to choose a different dress color for your next pageant instead of telling your that your gown color is hideous), but you want to do your best to be surrounded by positive, uplifting people that believe in you.

The sixth step is to find high-quality pageant friends. You may compete with other girls, but develop friendships with some of them at the same time. You may not keep in touch frequently, but you will care about each other and touch base a few times throughout the year. Pageant friends are wonderful to have because they also understand the pageant process of preparing and competing. You want to connect with contestants whose skills sets are equal to or greater than your own in order to inspire you to become the best contestant you can be. These friends will motivate you to keep moving forward in your pageant career. These girls genuinely understand that competing is a personal competition. They want you to be the best you can be so they can push themselves to becoming their personal best as well.

The seventh step is to regularly read and/or listen to inspirational materials. Preparing for a pageant can consume a lot of your energy. You may not realize that your energy is draining until it is too late. With inspirational and/or religious materials, you can maintain your energy at a healthy level as you prepare for the pageant. These materials can help you become positive, focused, upbeat, and relaxed for the competition.

The eighth step is to create your own defensive shield against negative energy. This does not mean that you ignore the negativity, but that you will not dwell upon it constantly. Competing for a pageant is an emotional challenge, and this "invisible bubble" will protect you from destructive negativity. If you receive constructive criticism, use the information to change and move on. If you receive feedback that is not valuable and helpful, let it go immediately. Do not stress about things you cannot control or things that are irrelevant to the competition. Remember that you can mentally lose the pageant before it even begins by focusing on the wrong details, such as believing your shoe choice will cause you to lose the pageant.

The ninth step is to develop confidence by practicing your skills. You need to prepare for the competition in order to be successful. The best way to approach practice is through frequent but short intervals. For example, you could practice answering interview questions 4 to 5 times a week for 10 to 15 minutes a day. You will see amazing improvement in your pageant skills.

The tenth step is to consider hiring a coach or other expert to help you improve. Make sure you choose a professional that has worked with contestants in your pageant system and age group, and has worked with contestants that possess a variety of personal styles.

Also, never assume that you have won. The other contestants have the same opportunity and an equal chance of winning the competition. You need to always compete at your top game, and to keep competing at your best level until the winner is crowned. If you give up or give less during the competition, your can affect your chances of pageant success.

These ten steps will help you improve as a pageant contestant if you use the information to your advantage. I wish you the best of luck in utilizing this knowledge for your next competition!

-Miss Pageant Prep