By Greg Dardis / Guest Column
The Miss America pageant that aired earlier this month required, for the first time, that finalists answer not one but two interview questions. It provided a fascinating, real-time case study in the art of public speaking.
You could almost see the crown slip out of Miss Louisiana’s grasp. She had generated considerable pre-show buzz and wowed the Twittersphere with her ventriloquism talent, but she floundered in the interview. Asked to name something overrated, she struggled to come up with a response then finally blurted out “rompers” right before being cut off by the time limit.
Shortly thereafter, Miss North Dakota stepped into the spotlight. A 23-year-old Brown grad, Cara Mund had interned for a U.S. senator, fielding calls about the Dakota Access Pipeline and processing a wide variety of constituents’ queries. Like our clients, she has been trained in how to think on her feet.
Now it was time to hear from a Miss America judge, country singer Thomas Rhett, who asked what was on her bucket list.
She didn’t hesitate.
“Honestly? It was to get to Miss America and make it past the Top 10. We’ve only had three girls [from North Dakota] ever make it this far. And so it just proves that it doesn’t matter where you come from geographically – if you have the ability to do it and you dream it, you can do it.”
Then came Mund’s most powerful moment, a closing statement directed at Rhett: “That’s exactly what was on my bucket list – and you helped make it come true.”
In fewer than 70 words, Mund demonstrated the power of articulating your goals and letting others in on them.
There’s something dignified about goal setting, something that immediately commands respect, no matter what the goal may be.
Research suggests that the very act of writing down your goals makes you more likely to achieve them. They become more real and you feel more committed. Mund had written this particular goal on her website, musing that there was no reason she couldn’t become North Dakota’s first Miss America.
She has made a habit of goal setting. Once, when her high school guidance counselor in Bismarck told her she’d never be able to get into an Ivy League school, she responded, “OK, well, watch me.” She went on to graduate from Brown with honors.
She’s now headed to law school at Notre Dame, which she will defer for a year, and is sharing her subsequent goal: to become North Dakota’s first female governor.
To hear Mund talk about a dream coming true on national TV and witness it happen in real time was endearing. She spoke with such sincerity that it was hard not to root her on, to feel a part of it. Concluding by thanking the judge took her solid answer to the next level. She let him in on her success. She showed humility and appreciation. It was a class act.
Sometimes the fear of bragging hinders us – Midwesterners, especially – from connecting with others. When done in a sincere way like Mund – not overthinking it, not feigning humility, just conveying genuine excitement – sharing good news is a vital part of networking.
People want to feel part of your story. They’ll appreciate the sense of real-time momentum, a journey in progress. Give them the good stuff: the benchmarks and bruises, the triumphs and trials, the behind-the-scenes pictures. Let them hear your voice, not a sanitized corporate one. Let them cheer you on.
And invite them in on the progress in real time, as successful fundraisers do when they announce, “We’re so close to our goal! Please help us get there!”
The momentum created by Mund’s achievement of her goal and sharing it with the public seconds after it occurred carried her to an even wilder accomplishment: landing the competition’s top prize. Let that same momentum work for you.
