Seven Reasons You Might Bomb Your Onstage Question and One Good Reason Not to Panic by Kristina Rowe

Kristina Rowe
Ms. United America Ambassador

Seven Reasons You Might Bomb Your Onstage Question and One Good Reason Not to Panic 

Top 5 Miss USA 2015

You’re sleep deprived.

The onstage questions we see most often are at the televised pageants. The contestants have been busy in a whirlwind of activity for a week or two and they have had little sleep. No matter how well versed they are on current events, it’s easy to draw a blank when you are exhausted.  Be sure to practice onstage question when you’re at your worst as well as when you’re at your best.

You’ve missed the latest updates on trending news items.
During those busy two weeks, you may have missed the latest news.  Try to build in time during pageant week to check the news on your phone , or have a newspaper delivered to your room in the hotel.  If you don’t know out trending news  items because you didn’t practice at all, then shame on you!

Fifteen million (or more) people are watching.

This is probably the most high  pressure moment you have ever experienced in your life. Practice under pressure, and practice choking (on purpose) so you can practice recovering.

You didn’t hear the question.

It can be really loud in the pageant venue. If you need the question repeated, ask that right away, not as a save if you get lost in the middle of an answer you’ve started.

You went blank and went into panic mode.

You started answering and you just lost it.  If you can recover verbally, wrap up as quickly as possible. If not, just do the best you can and whatever you do, keep smiling. Keep your posture proud and confident and pretend you just said something worthy of Einstein.

You rambled on too long or veered off topic.

I’ve seen this happen in live streamed pageants. The televised pageants will cut you off. But you must absolutely practice with a timer, even if there’s not change you’ll be buzzed to stop onstage.

You didn’t practice.

There’s just no excuse for this. No matter how good of a speaker you are, you HAVE to practice for this once in a lifetime moment.

Why you shouldn’t panic

The best answer does not necessarily win. It is not supposed to. Based on the scoring of the pageant, it is only ONE factor that judges consider. It’s usually more of a pass-fail thing. Can you keep your cool under pressure? If you can, you’ll be a great titleholder, even if you weren’t the most eloquent. In most cases, a bad flub will take you out of the running, but even that is not guaranteed. So keep smiling. Make eye contact with the judges. Practice having something intelligent to say in any situation and under varying amounts of stress. And then go out there and kill it in onstage question.

Miss USA 2015
Olivia Jordan