DECA Blog - Structure in your Presentation

By: Kevin Ramsell

By the time you have read this, many of you will have experienced a DECA role-play event.  The same is for the judges as well, as we try to get into our rhythm for State and International competitions.

After judging a recent high school district event, the group of judges I worked with all had the same comment; students should work on more structure and organization in their presentations.

Even when I was a competitor, I was guilty of sitting down, reading the case, and the plethora of ideas start flying out of my head.  The list of ideas is so awesome that you lose time in your prep and you walk in to your judge and give them a great list of ideas.

It is also exciting for the judge as you show your creativity and eagerness.  But, here is the problem.  Your list of ideas doesn’t help us score you on your evaluation sheet.  Your list doesn’t help show that you are using the performance indicators listed for that case.  As a judge, it is tough to give you the high score that you deserve for your efforts.

Some cases will ask you to create a plan, especially in promotion. Again, just providing a list of ideas doesn’t show the judge what your plan will be for executing your ideas.

Do not be afraid to show a judge a calendar of your timeline for an advertising campaign or promotion schedule.

Do some prep work in educating yourself on what the current prices are for advertising in newspapers, television and radio.  This will help you show the judge a realistic budget for your plan.

When you have a structured presentation like this, it allows you the opportunity to make the “close” with the judge.  You presented your ideas in an organized way and the best way to end it is to ask the judge for the green light to move forward and start executing your plan.

By putting a plan together and having this kind of structure in your presentation, you will become more confident in your ideas. That confidence will help with your role-play with the judge. 

Talk to your advisor and see if they have past cases for you to practice. Ask your advisor, business professionals and others to help with your preparations.

Each case is unique and different, but prepping yourself to put together a structured presentation will make your interaction with the judge more fun and a better learning experience.

Have fun with these cases! Remember, you get to interact with people who could be your future boss.  What a great way to leave a positive lasting impression, especially when your future resume crosses their desk.