122: Answer Pageant Questions in Interview and On Stage (a how-to guide)

Today, I want to break down how to answer questions during your pageant interview and also during your on stage question. These are both wildly important phases of competition and allow you to showcase your greatest qualities – if you prepare correctly. I’m going to give you 3 tips to be a pageant professional so you can start to incorporate these elements into your question-answering process in your pageant.

Get Organized

You heard women talk in circles as they answer an on stage question. They have no organization to their response and it ends up all over the place. Don’t do that. Instead, visualize your thoughts organized with a beginning, middle and end. I like to answer the question head-on, then use a story to explain my answer. So, my organization is Answer-Story-Smile. No matter what question you’re given, you can give an answer, tie it to something personal, then close with a smile.

For example: What is your biggest dream?

To be interviewed by Oprah. As a kid, I wanted to host a tv show. As I’ve grown up, I’ve paid such attention to the hosting style of the greats like Oprah. I’d love to experience her work sitting on the other side of the end table.

Be Real

So many women fake their answers in effort to sound poised, put-together, sweet, or compassionate. If those aren’t your star qualities, don’t try to fake them. Instead, be real! Talk about the things that no one else would talk about, but everyone is thinking. You’ll be much more relatable as a real human than as a pretend Barbie doll.

Know Yourself to Show Yourself (check yo’self before you wreck yo’self)

Pageants are all about sharing who YOU are in a way that people feel like they know you. You can’t do that if you don’t know yourself. Contestants wreck their interviews when they answer a question about themselves in a way that isn’t truly authentic – the judges see it, you feel it, and it’s not your truth. In order to really share who you are, you have to know yourself deeply. You coach can help with this a lot. The good ones are trained to point out your greatest qualities, even when you can’t see them for yourself. This level of awareness is vital in your pageant.

I’ll see you on the next Win A Pageant Wednesday. Love ya lots! kiss

Connect with Alycia:

For more great pageant training, enroll in the Free Pageant Course