Former national DECA president and national roleplay champion Curtis Haley gave several excellent presentations today, including insightful workshops on how to improve written projects and earn that coveted trophy.

The first workshop I attended was his Get Prepared! DECA’s Role Plays presentation. He gave us several crucial tips for improving role play strategies both in and out of the conference. For starters, remember the four Is: Introduction, Invert, Impress, and In conclusion. When you introduce yourself, have enthusiasm, give a firm handshake (but don’t crush your judge’s hand!), and make your point and structure clear. During your presentation, imagine an inverted triangle; start with broad ideas and proceed to your examples and more specific ideas. Impress your judges by taking control of the role play, showing confidence, and having that wow factor that’ll make you stand out. Finally, remember to include a strong conclusion to end your role play on a strong note.

Mr. Haley also demonstrated the ten secrets to a winning role-play. But the first and foremost most important part to winning a role-play is practice, practice, and more practice. Only by repeating your role-plays to identify your mistakes can you improve and win that first-place trophy.

Follow these steps and you’re well on your way to winning your event at your next conference!