HOW TO DEVELOP THE PROPER MENTAL ATTITUDE FOR A WINNING ANSWER
You must dismiss forever such negative feelings as "I become nervous when I am asked a question in public." If you expect to become nervous, then, you are guaranteeing yourself that you will become a nervous wreck and give a less than perfect answer.
On the other hand, you should make an affirmation that, "I WILL INCREASE MY CHANCES OF WINNING BECAUSE I WILL BE POSITIVE, CONFIDENT, AND CLEARHEADED WHEN I RESPOND TO A QUESTION!" If you ever say or think, "Short people never win" or "Dark people never win" or "Tall people never win" or "Light skinned people never win" or "Skinny girls never win" or "Plump girls don't have a chance", or “non-college graduates can’t win. If you stack the deck against yourself with a negative attitude, you won't win. It’s simple, you are at a disadvantage when you think you are. The negative mental attitude always places you on the losing side against any competition.
You must go into the question phase of any competition or any ordeal expecting to win. Those who expect to and want to win more than others wi11 always win.
A contestant who had just won the title of "Miss Black America" was asked by a "News week" reporter, "Did you cry when you won the title?" She responded, "No, I didn't shed a tear. It was no surprise to me when I won because I came here to win."
However, it is also unwise to go overboard with the attitude "I'll show those guys they can't stop me." This attitude insures defeat. Your aim is not to prove anything to any-body. Your goal is to relax, keep a cool head, get your point across positively - and Win.
It is imperative that you get rid of any such thoughts as "I hope the audience won't become angry at me because of my answer." Your anxiety about others getting angry will show that you've lost control of your self-importance. Another negative attitude that causes poor responses to questions is, "If I say what I really feel, they may think I'm stupid." What you feel must be more important than what anyone thinks of you. However, what you think must be expressed in a positive manner that should not offend anyone.
Don't ever harbor the feeling that your response to a question might hurt someone's feelings. There is no suggestion here that you be inconsiderate of others. However, you are not capable of going inside the minds of an audience to ascertain what will hurt their feelings. Their feelings are controlled by all of their experiences. Your job is to be sincere.
KNOWING THE COMPOSITION OF YOUR AUDIENCE
It is an absolute requisite that you do your homework and know to whom you are talking. You need to know what your audience considers to be relevant information regarding the question at hand."
A MBA Mistress of Ceremonies asked a Miss Black America Contestant a “Yes”, or “No question, of which the answer required an explanation, and instead of directing the answer of the questions to the judges, she looked at the MC and responded, “No", as if she were simply responding to the MC conversationally, and not addressing the judges and the MBA Pageant audience. When you are on stage, maintain your professional personality at all times.
Don't get suckered into negativity. A contestant in the Miss Black America Pageant of Philadelphia was asked the following question: "Are Black Men misunderstood; difficult to understand; or, incomprehensible?" The contestant was given a choice - to make one of three negative statements about Black Men. However, she was mentally, physically and spiritually sharp enough not to be hoodwinked into degrading the exact people who were judging her MBA projection competition. Two of the three judges were Black Males. Fortunately, the Miss Black America Contestant turned the question around, and made positive statements about Black Men. Remember, never to make a statement that would specifically insult, or embarrass those who are judging your answer.
These are several negative attitudes that must be turned into positive ones before you can appraise the central part of a question and give a winning response. However, once you have mastered all of the tension relieving concepts, you will be well on the way to becoming the articulate person you wish to be.
Any time you answer a question, whether in a contest, in a class room, in a court room, at a deposition, or among associates, never use your answer to personally argue with the questioner. Simply use your answer to positively explain the truth of your thesis to the questioner and the audience. Your job, at that point must be to inform, educate, and persuade your audience to accept your point of view. Your demeanor must be that you are sincerely attempting to help the person understand the factual answer to the question.
Learning how to handle yourself positively when answering a question is a vital element to winning with your answer to a question.
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