Written Event Preparation

Allowable Materials ” x 48” Poster Board 3 – 22” x 30” Poster Board Table Top Flip Chart Lap Top Ipad Hand held organizer

Allowable Materials II You cannot attach anything that goes outside the parameters of the board. Nothing can hang down from the bottom or stick out from the sides, etc. You are allowed to come out 3D style as far as you would like.

Appearance You are going to a business meeting and will be judged by a business professional. You need to dress in a manner that is appropriate for a professional business setting. Picture yourself in meeting with the President of 3M in their board room. How would you dress for that? YOU ARE NOT CLUBBING!!!

Do’s & Don’ts (Do’s) Do have your clothes pressed and everything perfect before the conference Do shine your shoes Do look in the mirror before your event Do make sure your tie is straight and the appropriate length. (Break the belt line)

Do’s & Don’ts (Don’ts) Rule # 1 – Don’t do anything with your dress or jewelry that can detract from your presentation!!! Don’t wear more than 6 pieces of jewelry Don’t wear big hoop or dangly ear rings Don’t wear nose rings or other facial piercings

Don’ts continued Three things judges don’t want to see on female contestants Finger nail polish –All on or all off –One color plain if using nail polish Remember this is a professional business setting!!!

Color Scheme Have a color scheme for your paper Tie the color scheme to the story you are trying to tell Tie the color scheme to the paper, your props and your dress. Example – Native American paper with a desert SW color scheme.

Note Cards You may get to State using note cards but it is almost impossible to get to Nationals using note cards. Note cards make you sound scripted and rehearsed. You have spent months on your paper. Know the material and practice enough so that you don’t need note cards.

The big entry If more than one of you introduce yourself in shifts and take a free chance to get in a little bit about your paper with the judge. Come in with a “whoosh”. Captivate your judge and tell them your story. Remember your judge is going to see 12 – 15 presentations. What can you do to stand out? HAND SHAKE & 1 ST IMPRESSION - CRITICAL Remember this is a business meeting that you are in chare of. Take charge & take control.

The BIG Intro Judge will likely not listen with rapt attention to your entire presentation but they will listen to your intro. You have to grab their attention and separate yourself from the other presenters. Remember you are working for the “close” and you start that with your introduction. See next slide for examples

Sample Intro We are really excited to have the opportunity to present to you today. We have researched and written and rewritten our presentation many times over the last several months. We truly believe that this is a great idea that will be very successful for our company and the only thing standing in the way of moving this forward is your approval. By the time we are done today we hope to have that.

Sample Intro II Thank you for taking time out today to hear our proposal. We are excited to be here. We believe that the keys to getting your approval for this project are A, B & C (give the judge your bullet points) and we believe that when we are done today you will agree that this is something that we should do.

When NOT talking/presenting Don’t look around or at the floor Don’t look nervous Stand in a relaxed posture with hands folded or at your side. Don’t fidget! Alternate looking between who is speaking, the judge & your visuals Nod & smile as appropriate

Transitions Practice smooth transitions and how you will go from one speaker to the next. Example, Presenter 1, “I think one of the best things about this project is abc” and then next partner hops in and says “And I think another great thing about this project is xyz.” Each member of your team has a role. Make sure everybody knows what everybody’s role is. You all have strengths & weaknesses. Work together to maximize strengths & minimize weaknesses.

Absolute No No’s Turning your back – From the time you walk into the judging area don’t ever turn your back on the judge. NEVER EVER! Silence – Nothing good will go through the judges mind during periods of silence. Keep things moving. Only exception to the silence rule is after you trial close the judge.

Closing Let the judge(s) know you are done. “We’d like to thank you very much for your time today.” You HAVE TO ask for their approval and close the deal. If you were running your own business and had a meeting with a client you would NEVER end without trying to get their approval to go forward so you can make $

Closing Continued Make sure you close the judge and ask him/her if you have their approval to go ahead with your proposal. Ask a yes or no question. “Do we have your approval to go ahead with our proposal” Great, "If you don’t have any other questions or concerns do we have your permission to go forward with our project?”

Sample Close We want to thank you for your time today. Again, we are really excited about this project (as appropriate very brief re- summarize) and we certainly hope to get your approval. Before we ask you to go ahead with our project do you have any questions or concerns or is there anything we can clarify to help you make a decision?

Questions Each member of your team needs to take the lead in answering at least one question. (Note – they don’t necessarily need to answer the whole question but they have to take the lead). Best to have each member answer a question as soon as possible to make sure you all answer one.

Questions continued Don’t be intimidated if they ask a lot of questions. Questions are your best chance to sell and convince the judge. How to handle flat out objections. How to handle, “I need a little more time.” How to handle a question you don’t have a clue on how to answer.” (see next page)

Question where you have no clue “That is a really good question that we have not considered. What we are going to do is as soon as we leave this meeting we are going to research that and we are going to get back to you within the hour. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Have a person to answer the unanswerable. Winging it is an option but a dangerous option.

Before you leave the judging area Remember your main objective….. That is to get the judge to buy off and agree to your proposal. Never, ever leave the area until you have asked and received their blessing to go ahead with what you have proposed. If you leave without this you will disappoint the judge and not get maximum points.

Final thoughts Everything about your written event should be done to achieve your goal. To get the judge(s) to buy off on your proposal. “Carpe diem” This is your meeting that you are in charge of. Seize the moment and show them how well you are prepared. Proper Preparation, Big Intro, Polished Performance, Answer Questions, Close.