How to Prepare For / Stand Out in Roleplays

In Role-Play events, your role-play scores make up ⅔ of your total score - they are the most important thing! That is why it is vital to stand out to your judges and make an impact. In this article, we will touch on a few important things to remember as you prepare for competition this season, as well as ways to study and prepare ahead of time. 

1. KPI’s - Key Performance Indicators

First, Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). These are found on the first page of your role-play. You may be tempted to flip immediately to your scenario - DON'T. 

The first thing you should do is write down your performance indicators verbatim onto your notecard. Reference these in your presentation word-for-word as they are written. That way, your judge will know where to give you the points you deserve!

2. Visual Aids

While not required, visual aids can be a great way to enhance your presentation and stand out to a judge! Even half a notecard can be enough to create a simple graph that helps illustrate your ideas to your judge. Doing this not only gives you a point of reference as you present, it helps you leave an impression on the judge as they score!

Some examples of what you can include are simple pie charts, bar graphs, or line graphs!

3. Demeanor

Above all, your goal should be professionalism. A great presentation can be ruined by a poor attitude, and a confident presenter will add lots of points to their score! A role-play scenario will typically start out with the participant’s role, judge’s role, and the problem that needs to be solved, as shown below: 

The roles of yourself and your judge are critical to keep in mind as you enter your presentation room - it might be helpful to write these down on your note card!

The first thing you should do as you walk in is greet your judge with a firm handshake. Maintain eye contact and introduce yourself as you sit down. Make sure to introduce yourself in the role you are given (using your real first name is fine). 

Using the example above, a competitor would say, “Hello, my name is ___ and I am the general manager of Sushi House.” 

No matter the outcome of the role play, always end by thanking the judge for their time and shake their hand as you exit. 

4. Questions

For each Role-Play, judges are given a series of questions to ask of each participant. Be prepared to think on your feet and answer these questions as they can greatly improve your score! Once you have completed your presentation, you can flow naturally into the question portion by asking the judge if they have any questions for you. This shows initiative and interest in the topic on which you presented. Example questions are shown below:

5. Time

The final thing to keep in mind as you prepare your presentation is time. An individual competitor will have 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to present. Competitors in Team Decision Making events will have 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to present. Make the most of it!

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Last, we will go over ways to prepare for competition ahead of time. Resources available on the DECAInc. website are your best friend. Simply look up your event as “DECA [event name]” on Google and find it on the DECA website. There, you are able to find the complete list of performance indicators you could be evaluated on as well as sample events and a sample exam. There are also additional resources available on DECA+. Happy studying and good luck!

Written by Abigail DeHondt, Region 2 President