can make that decision for you. If you need a little more planning (this works well with teams, but can also work well for a single person), try Trello a free online to-do board where you can collaborate with others, assign tasks, set due dates, and add notes (see below). After scouring DECA Direct for advice, I realized that there is no leading document full of tips, so I decided to author my own. Options range from a trifold to a life-size toilet paper roll on a rolling clothes rack. I think this helped a ton when it came to getting stuff done in an efficient manner, and I would recommend you/your team to find a quiet paper place, somewhere you all meet when its time to finally get down to business. 1. Now that you have a better understanding of what written event youd like to compete in, we can move onto the skeleton of your event: the core member(s). While youre not obligated to leave time for questions, its always recommended. However, if you like having a prepared plan and the opportunity to rehearse, go ahead and try a written event! Take a look at your visual aids and make sure that they support your presentation. )*cTCOV0Tt2KE}Z4ZB!NLW? |BFelwA{Po=U17!I Dg`7_|+>8FC&x|%LnJ;Z>fgt ^wSa9;HU &\CeEHPu!f# ydV2(,9|%x*uuOq8me AFGE encourages DeCA bargaining unit members to serve as onsite representatives. If you are competing with multiple people on a team, you take the test individually, and your score is averaged. This is the most important part of your paper! After scouring DECA Direct for advice, I realized that thither is no premier document all of tips, so MYSELF decided to novelist my own. However, you should not take up that whole time presenting. As a serious competitor, you need to channel your inner critic; try to read your paper through the lens of that advisor and make changes just as a harsh third-party would. In this article, Ill summarize each written event and add a little commentary. A respectable content-to-visual ratio for every page (that isnt financials) is 75:25. Beyond that, limit extra information to unique, just-plain-cool facts. Personally, I have seen more success from a hybrid. That said, if youre going with a presentation board, follow these tips to make it effective: Generally, a plain presentation (a PPT, pretty much) will not blow your judges socks off; thats a given. Dont stare off into space. Further, a high-tech presentation board does not and will not compensate for a weak pitch. Likely, your judge wont be able to take their eyes off it. Many chapters already put on amazing school/community activities, and the Project Management events allow you to showcase your chapters awesome outreach/impact! The previous year, I competed in an eleven-page event, and I thought that limit was too restrictive, so I had to go for a thirty-pager. Lets start by addressing the elephant in the room: written events arent for everyone. If you fault at this, then your project is likely toast. However, make sure to explain to them that they need to be 100% honest in their critical feedback. If you make too many changes to an essay, then the paper reads inauthentic and losses its power; likewise, the quality of an excessively edited DECA paper holds an inverse relationship with the number of frivolous edits. But, that also opens you up to some pretty (potentially) devastating negatives. 20182019 DECA, Inc. Executive President of the High School Division | Duke 2023, DECAs competition section of their website, Current 5- and 11-page projects changed to. Thats how winners work., A quick pro tip: no matter if youre working alone or as a group, enlist the help of your advisors, friends, trusted family and outside sources to give you feedback on your paper. On-site representatives will be called upon to discuss issues and represent their fellow bargaining unit If youre serious about competing in Atlanta, then go ahead and read these tips (and the guide, if you havent!). Identify the problem, solution and opportunity. When I presented, I used a traditional PPT and a clicker (if youre going to use a slide deck, make sure to have a clicker). 2019 Written Event Winners - PDF Download. 1 comment. BOR events provide you the opportunity to conduct research with a local business/organization and present your findings to a judge at competition. I recommend setting aside a few weeks at the start of school to survey new DECA members and observe returners (summer changes some people). Namely, this method will not leave your judge with the wow factor (besides your verbal pitch) that many competitors who go the latter route will have. endstream My Ultimate Experience With DECA Written Event As An Exchange Student Recently, I was asked by a few people for written event competition tips for the DECA. Dominate At . Your partner/group members, though, must be from your home chapter. Youll do great!! from $ 10.00 $ 0.00. If you're looking for more information on DECA's International Career Development Conference competitive events process and transcripts, look no further! When I decided to compete in a written event my junior year, it was a no-brainer: I love presenting and researching, so of course, I had to go the written route! Do you get nervous before taking an exam? catchy intro, enthusiastic tone, quirky Personally, I chose to fly solo. An age-old debate between research hounds and perfectionists: should my paper be content heavy or aesthetically pleasing? Take a look at my new video for tips to get the DECA glass. Instead, put information that is vital: company name; mission statement; brief summary of the problems your company/project is addressing and how they will be solved, the revenue model, UVP, and competitive advantage. 4 0 obj Just, I been asked by a few DECA members for writing event competition tips. At competition, youll find that PowerPoints are the outliers. Find the methods that work best for you/your team. From the paper standpoint, the team route (when executed well) decreases the workload and dependence of all members. Like the rest of this guide, feel free to take my advice as just that advice. that couldve brought potential benefit to my paper. It wasnt much, and it doesnt have to be much. Explore these frequently asked questions and answers. The test will factor into your overall score, and a low test score could spell doom for your Glass hopes. endobj <> Like I said, I love researching, and I really wanted to squeeze the most out of this event as I could. In my opinion, choosing the right event to compete in is the most overlooked but vital part of the competition process. Go with your gut; ask teachers and fellow members, but the end decision is yours, so own it. Side note: A hybrid of the two methods I will discuss exists and is likely what many will use. If done well, teaming can be a perfect option, but any slip up during the project could spell doom to all of your hard work. 1. Only visuals that are able to be hand-carried into the presentation will be allowed! This is the stage that you DO NOT WANT TO SKIP. A respectable content-to-visual ratio for every page is roughly 75:25. Focus on what makes you stand out.4. That said, I still had a rough sketch and timetable for my event. 3. DECA Episode 1 - TOP 10 TIPS FOR WRITTEN EVENTS PRESENTATION | FROM AN ICDC GLASS WINNER Nelson Lee 3.8K views 3 years ago Competitive Excellence Ep 6: How to Create a Standout Project. Create engaging and visually appealing materials. If youre not talking, act as the ideal audience member. While its okay to be nervous (it proves you actually care), try your best not to a) show it and b) let it get to you. Depending on your event, your presentation can count for as much as 50% of the overall score, meaning your paper also counts for 50%. Again. Before you step into the blue curtain, take a few breaths, relax, and believe. Before you dive in and begin planning your paper, you must decide which event to compete in! Hi there! The events that were under this umbrella and phased out include the Advertising Campaign, Fashion Merchandising Promotional Plan, and Sports and Entertainment Promotional Plan. If your chapter is up to the challenge, you can do all six events! Generally, a fancy board will take away from your speaking. Triple-check your paper for penalty points before you submit it, and enlist the help of a few classmates., Some common mistakes that lead to penalty points are as follows: exceeding the number of pages, leaving out a section, not having all pages numbered, not using current guidelines (see, I told you guidelines were important). There are five events that fall under the Business Operations Research umbrella: Business Services, Buying and Merchandising, Finance Operations, Hospitality and Tourism Operations, and Sports and Entertainment Operations. That said, I still had a rough sketch and timetable for my event. You have a solar panel built into your trifold board? Jokes aside, however, judges can sense if youre apprehensive. Find the methods that work best for you/your team. Now that you have familiarized yourself with the numerous written events offered, you are probably overloaded with potential options and dont know which to pick. No one should know your problem area, market, and solution better than you. Washington DECA's State Career Development Conference (SCDC) is one of the largest, most exciting, and most rewarding experiences in all of DECA! With over fifty competitive events, choosing just one to participate in can be one of the most difficult choices to face in DECA. Grab attention at the beginning. I knew I had to go for an entrepreneurship event so that automatically narrowed the field. Shop DECA is the official source for your chapter needs. Before we begin planning out our paper, we must decide which event to compete in! Following my term as state president, I was elected as the 20182019 DECA Inc. Executive President. Throughout it all, dont lose track of your end goal: DECA Glass. SYMk^\HhfS>7]-/AA C|J3/IK&4.e:lq!AZ xcbfsH%I98; zgprd x!t% These standards are designed to make competition as fair as possible. At North Carolinas and many associations CDC, we dont have preliminary rounds. No matter the skillset or promises offered by anyone, you must mesh well with your team (this isnt necessarily a start-up; no need to be a Steve Jobs). I have only two tips for this stage: Seriously! The Integrated Marketing Campaign Events provide an opportunity for the participants to demonstrate promotional knowledge and skills needed by marketing personnel. This session is all about setting up the logistics for incorporating written events into the classroom. This is, without a doubt, my most important tip. Sell dont just tell.5. Okay, so 2017 was the first year I competed with a written event at ICDC, and NO ONE told me you had to bring your I.D. An intricate presentation board pulls attention away from your pitch. There are three events under the IMC umbrella, and all three allow for a single competitor, a partnership, or a team of three. If you have any interest in entrepreneurship, I highly recommend looking into these events! My sophomore year I competed in Start-Up Business Plan, and my junior year I competed in International Business Plan. Use graphics and formatting as appropriate. Like every project or idea, the team is the backbone and will make or break everything. 4. Additionally, I served North Carolina DECA as a VP and a voting member on the Board of Directors. Events in this category have a maximum page limit of thirty pages and allow for a single competitor, a partnership, or a team of three. Written Events. There are six events that fall under the Chapter Team umbrella: Community Service Project, Creative Marketing Project, Entrepreneurship Promotion Project, Financial Literacy Project, Learn and Earn Project, and Public Relations Project. Ill be honestIm the most unorganized person youll ever meet. When I conducted research, I always brought a notepad with me, so I could jot down any tidbits, figures, etc. I said this in my Presidential farewell; I said this at chapter meetings; I say this when pitching DECA. You are the authority on the subject. (In Nashville, one guy used a rolling clothes hanger and a life-size roll of toilet paper in [read: as] his presentation.) However, a strong executive summary doesnt mean the rest of your entry isnt important. Per DECAs website, these events provide opportunities for members to develop an integrated marketing campaign of no more than 45 days in length for a real event, product or service and present the campaign in a role-play situation. Much like the events they are replacing, IMCs are a hybrid between traditional written events and series events: while you still present a paper to a judge, you/your team must also take a career cluster exam (marketing cluster). Dont be nervous when answering questions! Having a budding affinity for the world of entrepreneurship, I instantly gravitated towards these events. In your paper (and presentation) include the exact vocabulary from the rubric and guidelines in your writing. Color, typography, layout and that perfect personal touch are your secret weapons. Competition Tips From An ICDC Judge - Interview with Mrs. Wachowski, ICDC Judge that provides her personal perspective on judging written events. Tough love. They have to add substance to your paper. When writing the summary, which should be done after everything else is complete, imagine that your ES is the only thing your judge will read (because it could be), and you need to sell them on your idea with that ES alone. In my home association of North Carolina, Project Management events are the Holy Grail; if you want to prove that you are the best competing chapter, a great way to do that is to tackle the Project Management events. First of all, if youre reading this in preparation for Atlanta, then congratulations on reaching ICDC! However, this does not give you the green light to haphazardly edit your paper. Business Operations Research events provide you the opportunity to conduct research with a local business/organization and present your findings to a judge at competition. You have 15 minutes to give your pitch. The judge will usually ask for clarification on parts that you glossed over or will ask in-depth questions on a certain topic. Im a driven guy, so I could count on that drive and desire to win to push me. DECA breaks the written events into four categories: Business and Operations Research Events, Project Management Events, Entrepreneurship Events, and Integrated Marketing Campaign Events. If you decide to form a partnership or team, take a week to just talkdoesnt have to be about DECA. If you are using technology, dont count on WiFi or outlets! You have a limited amount of time to give your presentation, so make sure you highlight the most important aspects of your entry, while also using it as a persuasive tool. Im just a dude behind a computer. The first stage is the preliminary round. 3 0 obj I cant stress this enough., Start with a bang, sell the problem and solution (but hit hard on the problem), and focus on what makes you stand out.. The great thing is that DECAs Competitive Event series offers a plethora of exciting events to chose from. Lemme be 100: if you dont know how to plan well and conduct sound research, you better start learning. Penalty points will literally ruin everything. %PDF-1.7 Use the oral presentation evaluation form as a blueprint for your presentation, because the judge will be awarding your points by using it. An age-old debate between researchers and perfectionists: should my paper be content heavy or aesthetically pleasing? Learn DECA | Tips Tricks Written Events - YouTube 0:00 / 1:54 Learn DECA | Tips Tricks Written Events Washington DECA 270 subscribers Subscribe 1.5K views 2 years ago Learn. The Innovation Plan is the shortest written event available, clocking in at a maximum page limit of five. However, the time you take to set up and take down your materials counts in your total time, so practice setting up and taking down before showtime.. Some events are for individuals and some are for a team up to three members (refer to the Event Guidelines for complete information and guidelines). X will start making small changes, and if they believe that they have made too many adjustments, they will simply CNTRL+A and DELETE your work. If you received a perfect score on your Executive Summary section, and you believe the score was not by fluke, then why edit your paper?! (Like, seriously, there should be a whos-board-can-include-the-most-iPads competition.) You have the perfect opportunity to impress your judge with a solid pitch and great aesthetics making you difficult to forget. DECA's emerging leaders are put to the test . Therefore, it is paramount to have a killer ES. In each event, there are around 160 competitors; again, depending on your event, 1620 projects will advance to the finals round. Personally, I have seen more success from a hybrid. For example, I included my companys logo as the center header on every page, and the footer with the required page number was in the color scheme of my company. I also made business cards with my name and company logo, and I handed the judge a card before I wrapped up. I know an advisor, well call them X, who has a particularly harsh way of letting you know that your paper is complete garbage: X will call up each team, one-by-one, and ask to see the draft. Instead of thinking of this as an explanation of the extremes, consider this with the mindset of outlining how to achieve perfection in your mix. Lets start out by addressing the elephant in the room: written events arent for everyone. Explore these frequently asked questions and answers. Or, if youre in a chapter team event, your goal is to demonstrate the impact of your project management through a compelling story. Every DECA written event allows you to compete solo, as a partnership, or as a group of three. In this article, hear from two of our dedicated volunteer judges as they provide insight on their experience serving the past 20+ years. 7. If you're looking for more information on DECA's International Career Development Conference competitive events process and transcripts, look no further! Although the judge may lose focus on you, your effective board will provide them with all of the information they need to supplement their selective hearing while impressing them with your design skills. I dont know your project; I dont know your presentation strengths; I dont know what works for you and/or your group. Awesome. My favorite written event category, entrepreneurship events give you the opportunity to explore entrepreneurial concepts from idea generation, business planning, to growing an existing business. Unlike BOR and Chapter Team events, however, the events that fall under the Entrepreneurship umbrella have different rules from one another. 1 0 obj Most importantly, have a respectful tone when answering. Like every project or idea, the team is the backbone and will make or break everything. Important Updates for the 2018-2019 Yearly. For example, I enlisted the help of several business professionals and an advisor that wasnt even mine. Depending on your event, your presentation and paper score may vary. A quick pro tip, no matter if youre working alone or as a group, enlist the help of your advisors, friends, trusted family, and outside sources to give you feedback on your paper. A simple print-out of the event guidelines, a few dates/ranges scribbled here and there, and that was it. No matter the results in Atlanta, you made it, and thats no easy task.