Sometimes when you’re trying to be poised and articulate you forget to also be human. When you come off as overly rehearsed, you can sound like an infomercial.
You know if you’re doing it when you snap into “pageant mode” – when I was a kid, I was overly dramatic and would frequently act out stories as I told them…truth be told, this still happens today. I had a friend who always told me I was in “actress mode” – it was funny because it was true! My voice changed, my posture shifted and suddenly I was acting.
This is widely known in the pageant industry as being a “Pageant Patty.” It happens a lot when you’re asked a question you get all the time or when you memorize your response to on-stage question. It happened to me after competing for a few years. I simply got good at delivering a put-together thought. The problem was, it was void of emotion, which left my audience absorbing nothing.
It wasn’t until I began speaking to audiences more and more that I developed this exercise to stop sounding like an infomercial so my audience would better comprehend what I was saying.
I’m going to teach you how to add excitement and emotion into your speech so you don’t sound like a pageant patty.
It’s a simple process, but if you are un-doing a bad habit, it may take a lot of practice. Stick with me, I promise…your future audiences will thank you.
Step 1 – break down an understanding of what you are saying
Step 2 – connect emotions to each phrase/sentence
Step 3 – practice over-doing it with emotion/expression
Step 4 – communicate with inflection for audience understanding
EXAMPLE:
“When I first started competing in pageants, I had no idea what I was getting into. I quickly learned that pageants had an incredible power to impact people all over the world. To this day, my goal is to leave a lasting impression of positivity and encouragement.”
BREAKDOWN WITH EMOTIONS NOTED
+ When I first started competing in pageants – restful
+ I had no idea what I was getting into – ridiculous confusion
+ I quickly learned – anticipation
+ that pageants had an incredible power – boldness
+ to impact people all over the world – magical
+ To this day – excitement
+ my goal is to leave a lasting impression of – hope
+ positivity and encouragement – happiness
And that, ladies, is how you win a pageant!
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