Learn Pageant Interview Tips From Televised Beauty Contests

Written By Dr. Stephanie Raye

Yes, it’s fun to see the dresses and root for the beauty from your state, but if you are a pageant contestant keep your eyes open and your thinking cap on as you watch pageants. If you pay attention you’ll learn some potential “do’s and don’ts” to apply to your own pageant choices, especially in regard to pageant interview tips.

Here are just a few things on which to keep your eyes:

• Notice when the pageant evening gown outshines the contestant. The pageant dress, and your off-stage pageant interview suite, should help draw attention to YOU, not be the focus itself.

• Notice if the information that is shared about the contestant (often drawn from pageant application forms and paperwork) seems well-chosen and helpful, or at least neutral, to seeing the contestant as the titleholder.

• Notice how the contestants handle the on-stage pageant interview question.

This last one is the most important. Why? Because unless you made a truly terrible wardrobe choice, if you make it to the finals and don’t place or win, it’s probably something you said.

In other words, when it gets down to choosing between equally beautiful pageant contestants, what you say and how you say it matters. It can be the fraction of a point difference that loses or wins the crown.

So how the pageant contest handled her in-person interview – a behind-the scenes part of the pageant that many viewers forget happens – can come rushing back to the judges’ memories. And, clearly, what is said in the on-stage question can seal the deal.

So as you watch notice if the contestant truly paid attention to what was asked. Did she “get” the spirit of what they were asking, or did she seem to miss the point?  Did she zero in on something key in her response, or did her thoughts wander around leading her to give a rambling, powerless answer?

And sometimes the questions can be a little controversial, or at least have a hint of something that is debated tucked into one or more of the parts of the question.  If that’s the case, did she at least acknowledge that there is a potentially tough issue there?

If she doesn’t want to take a public stand on an issue she doesn’t have to, but did she at least say something diplomatic? Or did she side-step the hard part of the question so completely that you wonder if she heard the question at all?

Did she inspire confidence in you that she’d be a good queen and handle questions from future appearance audiences or the media with intelligence, grace, and ease?  Or not?  Look past her beauty, did she show that she has a good brain? A good heart?

It’s easy to get so wrapped up in fitness and fashion that a contestant forgets to prepare and practice well for personal interview and on-stage questions. Don’t let it happen to you!  At least start by truly paying attention when you are watching local or televised pageants. Make note of the pageant questions. After the pageant, practice answering the same questions you heard. Do so out loud. How do you do?

There’s great support to prepare effectively for interviewing—skills that will serve you well even outside the pageant. After all, a pageant is just the beginning.  Don’t lose out on the crown because you think you’ve got interview preparation and on-stage questions covered. Be SURE you do. If you haven’t done so, check out my individual Kindle books on different angles of pageant interview tips or the collected series called Pageant Interviewing Success: The Collected Series.  These resources are well-developed and will make preparation easier and more effective.

There’s so much useful and easy-to-use information in that resource, including critiques of the answers that Miss America, Miss USA, and Miss Universe hopefuls gave in response to their on-stage pageant interview questions. We must respect them for getting that far in their pageants and realize that we have a lot to learn from what they did well, and not so well, at that last critical step on their way to the crown.

Have fun and shine your brightest on your path. The Pageant Interviewing Success: The Collected Series will help a ton:  And keep reading blogs like this and using other tools to assist you in maintaining your good habits or improve.

Also, check out the YouTube channel and follow us on social media like on Twitter @PGNTIntrvwQueen for practice pageant interview questions, etc., to help you prepare and tips to remain inspired to follow your dreams. :-)