"What can I say for community involvement? I haven't done anything!"
This is the big one that everyone asks at the start - I was the same, don't worry. The first thing for me to tell you is, that you have been involved in a community all of your life!
Remember, community is not just your local community - it includes your school community, your university community, your work community, your sporting community and so on. Any charity donations and events, including fun runs (colour run, tough mudder, City 2 Surf), also come in here. Anything you have entered/any activities you are involved in at the show recently should also be included on your Form B. The focus in the interview will be on your local community involvement and your show involvement. |
Local community involvement can be anything that you have volunteered your time for - helping in kitchens, setting up events, attending community meetings, and so on. For community involvement, it can help to ask your family if you can't remember things you have been involved in. Think of it as nearly anything you have done that you haven't expected to be paid for. This is an opportunity for you to realise how much you have given back to your community, and how to give more, if you are so inclined.
If you still aren't sure, contact a state finalist through this website contact page, local show contacts, or through the facebook group page. |
"I find it hard to talk about myself to people I don't know"
It can be really difficult to talk about yourself, especially in an interview context. I have a trick that might help you.
Tell stories about yourself, your experiences, your family, your community and so on, to make it more interesting. Talk about your passions, the things you love, and how they have led you to do what you are now doing.
This will also make it easier for you to talk about yourself.
You remember people for the stories they tell, and how they tell them. And so will the judges remember the stories you tell during the interview.
Tell stories about yourself, your experiences, your family, your community and so on, to make it more interesting. Talk about your passions, the things you love, and how they have led you to do what you are now doing.
This will also make it easier for you to talk about yourself.
You remember people for the stories they tell, and how they tell them. And so will the judges remember the stories you tell during the interview.
Pictured: Bronte Doughton (Wagga Wagga), 2013 state finalist, during the on-stage interview
A good resource for leadership and public speaking is toastmasters. Toastmasters is a not-for-profit, international organisation. It aims to help develop leadership skills and communication, and I have heard great feedback from people who have attended to improve their public speaking. And it's another tick for your resume. See link below.
What not to do: Judge: "Tell us about yourself" Entrant: "I grew up at '...', I work at '...', I went to school at '...', I went to university at '...', I like '...' ..." Everything is fired off like a dot point. Link it all together with stories from your life, your passions, and so on - it becomes much easier. This is what the Showgirl Competition is all about - being able to tell your story, that of your show, and that of your local community. This is an important quality of an ambassador - if your local politician couldn't tell you anything about the area they represent, you would at the very least feel disappointed, as they are an ambassador for that area! The same applies to this competition. I highly recommend listening to Conversation Hour on the ABC, 11am weekdays (see link to website below) - you can also download the podcasts on TuneIn Radio on your iphone, if you have one, or just straight off the internet. |
Turia Pitt's story is great to listen to - she describes her passions, and tells an inspirational story about her past, present and future. These people have had amazing life experiences but they all had to start somewhere - listen to them telling the host about their life story. Practise telling yours. You will notice that most of the people being interviewed will throw in a colourful story about certain stages of their life. Telling stories is also another great help with any public speaking. If you are introducing yourself on-stage to a group of people, it can be daunting. However, if you throw in a story from your life, the audience will listen to you and you won't notice the time go by as much. And if it has a humorous or inspirational component, it is a way of breaking the ice between you, if you are nervous, and your audience. So you can throw in a story about where you live, your work, your passion, your family, and so on. Remember - short stories! Not long ones. So to describe where you grew up, tell a story about life there that people may not know about. |