By: Harleigh Claussen
Are you getting ready to compete in a district, state, or national STAR competition? As someone who has competed in many STAR competitions, in-person and virtually, I know how stressful the month leading up to competitions can be. Here is a checklist to help!
- Practice! Read your speech with an audience daily. Your audience could be your family, friends, or even your dog!
- Record yourself presenting your speech! Listen to your speech when you are completing daily tasks. Recording your speech will also allow you to pick up on gestures that you can add or take away from your speech.
- Do you have a portfolio? Have another trusted pair of eyes check for any errors in spelling and grammar. I would also recommend practicing with your portfolio as a lot can change when you add another component into your speech.
- Does your STAR project require an interview? Ask someone to interview you! You can provide them with basic information about your project and they can form general questions for you to answer. This will help you feel better prepared for your interview come competition time.
- Host a chapter STAR Presentation night. Invite your family and community members to watch you give your presentation. This will hopefully alleviate some of your nerves when it comes time for competition.
- Get your official dress ready. Look sharp when you present at your district competition!
- Make sure to get all of your materials ready the night before the competition! This will relieve worries and stress the morning of your presentation.
- Most importantly, take care of yourself. Make sure you are getting enough sleep and drinking enough water. It is also very important to not overwhelm and stress yourself out.
- Last but not least, breathe. Practicing breathing exercises can relieve stress and make you feel confident.
I hope that this checklist will help you when competing at your STAR competition. If you have any questions about competing at STAR competitions, please reach out to me at vpdevelopment@nebraskafccla.org! I look forward to hearing about all of the successes at STAR competitions this year.
