high school business essay competition

high school business essay competition

Strategies for Success in High School Business Essay Competitions

1. Introduction to High School Business Essay Competitions

Business essay contests provide an excellent opportunity for adolescents to mature in their understanding and application of business knowledge and problem-solving. Most students want to do well in such a competition just to demonstrate excellence, but skills such as clear, organized writing and poised oral communication are important throughout life, not just for business contests. Increased visibility for the types of issues covered in a business course benefits all students. Participation in such an event can also serve as the pivotal motivational event that propels a student into an area of business study or even inspire a career.

Extemporaneous writing is one of the very best experiences for students to practice and hone their writing skills. The thrill of turning out a well-crafted response to a challenging question in a time-constrained written competition is an experience that helps students learn resourcefulness as well as the skill to apply a wide range of information to answering questions of global concern. The competitive nature of extemporaneous writing can stimulate students to excellent performance.

One of the very best experiences of high school years is participation in extracurricular activities. When students become involved in school activities, they gain both independence and the ability to engage as part of a group. This may be an especially important skill to build in adolescence because teamwork and effective communication are necessary in all areas of life, including home, school, community, and work.

2. Research and Preparation Techniques

Make sure you know the rules of the competition inside and out and take specific note of evaluation criteria. Some competitions place a heavy emphasis on examining real-world scenarios, while others are much more receptive to creative, out-of-the-box thinking. Lastly, be certain to have a specific thesis statement that explains your primary point of view, and be sure to have strong data, eloquent examples, convincing evidence, and details that bolster the argumentative development of your thesis. Remember to continually consider the audience, and concentrate on emotional persuasion, prior to finalizing your essay. If your competition essay more closely mirrors an “attempted persuasion” than a persuasive case, you have already lost.

Research and preparation are crucial in making you stand out as a potential high school business essay competition winner. The most successful competitors undertake elemental research of their topic before writing a word, ensuring that they can express their opinions and suggestions with authority and have sufficient evidence to reinforce their views. Start with the basics by skimming through news articles, textbooks, or encyclopedias to ensure that you have a basic understanding of your chosen subject. Business students may want to consider specialized business sources when researching a topic. You may also want to consider internet resources like relevant official websites or reputable online encyclopedias for corporate information or governmental data.

3. Effective Writing Strategies

Objective business competitions provide a unique opportunity for students to develop academic and professional skills through rigorous applications of content knowledge. Career and technical education (CTE) instructors can prepare participants for both objective-based and subjective-based business competitions through the use of particular techniques that are best suited for this particular type of exam requirement. Such strategies involve the use of established business language, effective writing structuring and theming techniques, accomplishment verb usage, factual completeness, deliberate presentation, and specifically detailed goals for the dimensions required for each portion of the exam prompt.

An essay response to a difficult item placed on a written test of business curriculum knowledge typically can include a well-worded introduction featuring existing knowledge and conveyed comprehension of major, esoteric concepts that might make clear engagement resonate also through effective overall organization, sufficient coverage of all relevant points, expression that reflects understanding of business.

– Avoid disorder or disarray. Strive neatly and legibly to present your responses. – Try to use a thick pen if at all possible. Written responses with a thick pen stand out in contrast to those prepared with the more often-used, fine-point pen. The former grabs the reader’s attention and does not recede from their view. – Sectional headers should be used in the responses. The type of header you use sets the tone for your responses and can be an integral part of the answer itself. The table below provides both information and examples of powerful, attention-getting, and theme-setting headers. Notice that bold type can be especially useful for adding vitality to headers, specifically choice bullets/headlines.

For objective exams, the strategy focuses on rigorous test-taking skills. Effective test-taking strategies are just as important as content knowledge, and there are specific strategies that can be communicated to student participants so that they can employ them on each and every exam. There are also strategies for written responses in objective-based business competitions. The following should be detailed and practiced in meetings in preparation for competition:

4. Presentation and Delivery Skills

Each student is different and has varying needs, but suggestions for general appearance are: Appropriateness of dress: your dress should not distract the audience, yet it should be appropriate to the audience. Attitude: show an attitude that is well-groomed, confident, and professional. Expression: you should be smiling. It shows confidence and it is being in touch with and impressed by the idea. Eyes: they will appear piercing. The audience can see your level of sincerity and enthusiasm; remember to make eye contact with the entire audience. The content of what is said and how it is said is the key to successful oral communication. The presentation will be well organized, information in a coherent uplifting manner. The presentation stays focused on the tasks. The presentation is engaging and informative. The presentation is enriching to the audience. The presentation is complete in time.

The key to making a successful oral presentation is to interact positively with the audience. Realizing this can be difficult, but the more thought you put into your presentation, the easier it becomes. Show genuine interest. Reveal positive feelings. Use constructive action. Stimulate both the minds and emotions of your listeners. The oral response should not be a simple statement of what you are invested in. Work the audience, move around, ask and answer questions, involve them in the process. Creating a successful oral presentation is not a magical process. It takes time, planning, and hard work. When you are getting ready to make a presentation, you will need to think and work at it many times before you are standing in front of your audience.

5. Tips for Overcoming Nervousness and Building Confidence

Another strategy is to get involved in study groups where everyone has something to say and is not afraid to say it. Find groups or organizations where you can become a leader in workshops and institutes where results must be reported. These events are good experiences for being involved, thinking on your feet, developing good communication skills, and receiving feedback on how you can improve. And both student and teacher can provide objective reasons for the scores they receive. You should try to communicate your results informally to anyone who will listen with non-verbals as well as through voice and body language. Ask for feedback. This can come from the person to whom you spoke, an evaluator (reporter), a video evaluation, or the speakers themselves. Take time to review the content and the delivery skills of the speaker, which are both equally important.

When it comes to communicating your results and general knowledge with the public, extemporaneous speeches can be expected. This recognition requires good communication skills. Is there a formula to winning at this type of contest? Not. However, there are certain strategies that can improve your chances of doing well. The earlier and more often you participate in these competitions, the better your chances. Participate in speaking or acting activities at your church or with various civic organizations (4-H, Boy or Girl Scouts, etc.). When in school, take Business English, Journalism, Public Speaking, Theater, and Debate (all are good confidence builders). Participate in local science fairs and then move onto more difficult competitions. Get involved in local workshops or school-related events where you have to develop and present results. Finally, do not be afraid to talk up your accomplishments and make sure your school requests that your local newspaper publish your school activities.