Ninety to ninety-five percent of contestants have no idea how to practice correctly. They spend their time practicing in a way that doesn't actually develop their skill set. This erodes their self-confidence. The trick is to learn how to practice correctly—and practice correctly each and every time. Like practicing ballet en pointe, if you're going through the motions but your motions are sloppy, you won't learn correct technique to execute the moves and your motions won't improve. 

This is also true when practicing for the judges' interview. The interview requires a public speaking skill set; it's not just chatting. This is where the vast majority of contestants practice incorrectly. But once you learn how to practice for interview correctly, you'll realize that it doesn't have to be hard or frustrating. When you do it correctly, it's easy to do on your own. 

You won't believe how much easier preparing for your interview is with a good, qualified list of pageant questions. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will feel going into the interview. Preparation is ninety percent of the game. 

For help developing interview and public speaking skills, go to ValerieHayes.com and download DIY training materials that will help you practice at home with family, friends, or even your dog! 

 About Valerie Hayes, The Pageant Coach
When she was asked to help prepare a young woman for her interview portion of a pageant competition, Valerie Hayes put her background in psychology to work. The young woman won her local and state titles then placed in the top fifteen at the national level, word about Valerie's coaching skills spread. Soon, Valerie was coaching other contestants and decided to make the hobby into a part-time job. Part-time turned into full-time, and now, through her business The Pageant Coach, Valerie coaches twenty to thirty contestants at a time. Find out more about her, The Pageant Coach, and enlisting her to win your next competition! Click here! 

Read more about Valerie Hayes' coaching philosophy in Coaching: Everyone is Different. 

Interviewed by: Erika Fifelski, fourpoints staff writer