Be True to Yourself...

When I coach all of my clients, one of the first pieces of advice I share with them is to be true to yourself. As a Pageant Coach, I am just one of many people offering my advice to contestants on a daily basis. One vital lesson I learned as a contestant is that you will receive advice from many people who truly have your best interest in mind; Directors, Photographers, Pageant Coaches, friends, and oftentimes many other contestants you will be competing against. The most important thing to do is to stay true to who you are and what you believe in. I have heard more and more from contestants in different systems that they were instructed to change their platform at the last minute because someone didn't feel it either suited the pageant or there were already too many contestants with the same platform as their own.

I believe this is not a piece of advice that you should listen to unless the advice instinctively feels right for you. Pageant platforms are designed to take a cause that a contestant is already promoting and help her take that passion to the next level. A contestant should not develop a platform because she wants to enter a pageant, rather she should enter a platform oriented pageant because she has a cause that she wants to promote with her title. If you are asked to change your passion/platform, it almost negates the work you have been focusing on and makes you question your beliefs and your cause. This is something I am discovering the more I speak to contestants. If you don't know how to promote your platform, then find a pageant coach who has the skills to develop what is important to you and shows you how to market your platform with or without the title.

Never sell yourself short when you compete in a pageant. Stay true to who you are and what you believe in and when the time is right, everything will fall into place for you and your efforts will be rewarded. Keep reaching for your pageant dreams!

Suzy Bootz Pageant Coach - Keys to winning the Judges Interview

As I prepare contestants for 5 national pageants next month, I have been inundated with questions from contestants in different systems regarding how to shine in their judges interview. I have been very blessed throughout my pageant career because the Judges Interview portion has always been my strength. In fact, I primarily competed in pageants that 50% of the scoring came down to the Judges Interview, because I knew it would carry me through the pageant to at least get me into the top 10. Having almost 17 years of Media Sales & Marketing, I learned very quickly how to sell myself in an interview and used the techniques I applied from my career into my pageant competitions. Selling an intangible product, I would joke that I sold “air” for a living, which I did. The only difference is that I learned how to sell an idea and a concept to complete strangers on a daily basis when I met with local, regional, and national buyers for very large company’s. This in turn, allowed me to sell myself in front of five complete strangers in a judges interview room in less than five minutes. Pageantry is no different…

The Judges Interview portion of your competition is no different than what I did everyday for 17 years. It is about selling a concept (your platform) and an idea (why you are the best representative that should win the title) to a group of strangers (your judges). This area of competition sets the tone for the remainder of the pageant, although winning the judges interview doesn’t necessarily guarantee you winning the pageant – it will get you noticed as a spokesperson and a contender for the title. It is up to you to polish all of your strengths so you can be the “complete package” the judges are looking for. In other words, focus on delivering a top-notch interview, develop your platform, and take your on-stage presentation to the highest level. The contestant who has succeeded in developing all areas of competition will more than likely be that contestant that walks away with the title – in any pageant! For more information on my Pageant Coaching services, please visit my website at www.suzybootz.com

I am honored that such a wonderful article was written about me - thank you Angie!

http://godusesbrokenvessels.blogspot.com/2009/11/courageous-beauty-mrs-international_18.html

Pageant Tip -" The key to being a successful competitor is to compete against yourself. Understand that a pageant title does not define you - instead you define the title." A vital part of realizing your dream as a pageant competitor is to understand that you are not fitting into a certain mold to win your ultimate title. You must define yourself first. Who are you and what do you truly represent not only as a titleholder and role model, but what do you represent as a person? The gift of pageantry is to celebrate your uniqueness and to utilize your potential as a role model and someone who can truly make a difference with her passions. Remember, you can change the world one person at a time and in the process you will cause a ripple effect that will affect others. What kind of ripple do you want to create?

There's only 6 more weeks until the Mrs. International Pageant! I have been so busy coaching so many contestants and am looking forward to a week where I can pamper them and be there for them in every way. To ensure all of my clients are pageant ready, I am providing them with "Pageant Tips" to ensure they are mentally, physically, and emotionally prepared to achieve their dreams.