Speaking up at Beauty Pageants
Communication Skills, not Looks, Are Key to Winning
the Toastmaster magazine, December 2006, page 14
By Julie Bawden Davis
Contrary to popular belief, beauty pageants are not all about good looks. Mrs. Michigan America 2006 Judy Bernhardt points out that a contestant’s intelligence and ability to maintain composure and articulate her views account for 50 percent of the judges’ decision. “They say that the pageant can be won or lost during the interview that occurs off screen. Judges also watch to see if a contestant wins over the audience when she answers her onstage question.”
Another pervasive myth about beauty contests is that contestants are simply looking for attention. “In pageantry we say that competing gives you a microphone,” says Bernhardt. “Many women have a cause, and pageantry gives them a platform. It’s also important to keep in mind that during their reign, beauty contest winners are asked to appear at public functions and speak, not wear their swimsuits.”
Realizing how important communication skills are in the beauty contest process, some contestants, such as Bernhardt, have sought out Toastmasters. Not surprisingly, they’ve received more benefits from joining than they ever imagined. The following three pageant winners share how Toastmasters has helped them:
Jody Bernhardt, Mrs. Michigan America, 2006
Jody Bernhardt won Mrs. Michigan United States in 2005, and when she watched video of the show, she saw some things that alarmed her. “I really felt that I’d won the title by the skin of my teeth, and when I saw the video and my onstage question, I realized why,” she said. “During my short answer I said “um” four times, and I made a distracting tisking noise with my lips.”
After that revelation, Bernhardt looked up her local Toastmasters club and started attending. “I knew I needed help polishing my speaking skills and achieving a greater level of confidence in front of people,” said Bernhardt, who is a member of the BDO Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She soon received invaluable help with Table Topics, which happens to be very similar to the onstage impromptu question that all participants must answer.
“The club members were extremely friendly and supportive, and they really rallied behind me,” Bernhardt says. “Knowing what I needed, they did an entire meeting on Table Topics and that helped tremendously.”
A mother of four and a MaryKay cosmetics sales director, Bernhardt decided to compete when she was 35 after reading the book, Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal, by Sheri Rose Shepherd. “Shepherd was Mrs. United States, and in the book she talks about how wanting to spread the word about eating disorders in women triggered her interest in seeking a title,” said Bernhardt. “That got me thinking about spreading my own message.”
Now that she has her pageant titles, Bernhardt is able to share the subject of her platform, which is teaching women to prioritize and live a balanced, full life that includes keeping themselves fit and healthy.
“I teach women that if we don’t figure out what our priorities are and take some time for ourselves, we let others control our lives and that has negative consequences,” she said. “My message is all about taking charge of your life and making it the best it can be.”
Bernhardt credits Toastmasters with helping her develop her message. “Going through the 10 steps to achieving my CTM changed me as a person,” she says. “I’ve really developed personally thanks to my participation in Toastmasters, and now I’m able to share what I’ve learned.”
Read more about Jody Bernhardt at http://www.mrsmichiganamerica.com
Erika Ebbel, Miss Massachusetts, 2004
Erika Ebbel, Miss Massachusetts 2004, has used her platform of beauty and brains to spark kids’ interest in math and science. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate and Ph.D. candidate in analytical biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine is founder of the WhizKids Foundation, which offers a variety of science and math outreach programs.
“Initially society is impressed by appearances and how you present yourself,” says Ebbel, who also won the talent portion of the Miss America contest in 2004 by playing the piano. “When young children see that you can be glamorous and still enjoy math and science, you make a great role model.”
In 2003, a year before she won the Miss Massachusetts title, Ebbel decided to join Toastmasters. “I was first runner-up at the 2003 Miss Massachusetts contest and had won the interview portion that year when the executive director of the pageant suggested I join a Toastmasters club and hone my presentation skills even more,” she says.
Ebbel joined the Tuesday Toastmasters club at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and found the experience invaluable. “Table Topics and two-minute responses gave me the ability to talk about anything and the capacity to quickly respond,” she says.
After winning the Miss Massachusetts title, she ran a local pageant in Boston and took the opportunity to spread the word about Toastmasters. “Whenever anyone asks how I learned to express myself so well, I credit Toastmasters,” says the petite blonde.
To learn more about the WhizKids Foundation, go to www.whizkidsfoundation.org.
Mary Bell, Top 10 finalist Mrs. New York America, 2002
When Mary Bell joined Toastmasters to help her prepare for the Mrs. New York America pageant of 2002, she planned on making her membership a short one.
“Initially I thought I’d stay for six months and then quit, but I soon found that I really enjoyed the organization, so I stayed and earned my DTM within four years,” says Bell, who is president of the Impressionists club in Rochester, New York, and a past division governor. “I’m also currently co-chairing my regional conference.”
In preparation for the 2002 beauty pageant, Bell found Table Topics to be invaluable, as well as the help of other members. “All of the club members helped me tremendously with my speaking skills and confidence level, especially those Toastmasters who have been in the organization for many years,” she says.
Bell found her Toastmasters experience valuable because it not only helped her speak during the Mrs. America contest, but kept her focused, as well.
“I can’t say that I wasn’t nervous at all during the pageant, but Toastmasters helped me stay calm,” she says. “Instead of worrying about what they were going to ask for my onstage question, I simply answered directly and honestly, which is something Toastmasters teaches you.”
Bell credits her communication skills for helping her place in the top 10: “I was up against some stiff competition. Many of the contestants in that particular pageant were in the 19 to 24 age range, and I’m in my forties.”
Participating in a beauty pageant had always been a dream of Bell’s, who was second runner-up in a contest her sophomore year of high school. She had planned on competing in more pageants, but after graduating from college, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and spent many years battling the illness, undergoing a series of surgeries.
Finally, four years ago her health was stable enough that she was able to enter the Mrs. New York America contest. “I’m thrilled that I was able to fulfill a lifelong goal, and I have Toastmasters to thank for making that dream a reality,” she says.
Julie Bawden Davis is a freelance writer based in Southern California. Reach her at Julie@JulieBawdenDavis.com.