Living in England I was not brought up with Beauty Pageants and I guess most English parents are against them. However, as an
elocution teacher who comes across children all the time who are lacking in confidence, unable to communicate and unable to
present themselves in a good way, I can see some
advantages.
A lot of Beauty Pageants are won or lost in the interview section where the girls have to speak in public. They have to appear confident and be easily understood. Public speaking is the number one phobia and these girls overcome any fear they may have of public speakoing at an early age.
They need to speak clearly and they need to be able to answer questions, just as they will do later in life during college, university or job interviews.
The organisers are looking for a winner who will be able to speak at events and represent them with confidence.
Good articulation is essential.
Articulation is the art of speaking and involves the study of the muscles we use for speech. Good articulation has three advantages.
1. It enables us to speak for long periods of time without tiring. As in any activity, muscles used correctly can work more effectively for much longer than muscles used incorrectly.
2. The more these muscles are exercised the clearer the speech becomes and listeners find it much easier to understand you. As in sport – the fitter you are the easier it becomes.
3. It enables you and the audience to concentrate more on the content of what you’re saying rather than how you’re saying it – they don’t need to decipher it.
There are five organs of speech
The tongue
The lips
The teeth
The soft palate
The hard palate
As the sound enters the mouth these organs of speech alter the sound.
One of the main reasons people have difficulty speaking in public is because they don't open their mouth wide enough.
If you want to kick a ball you move your leg, if you want to throw a ball you move your arm and if you want to speak you must move your mouth. The sound cannot come out of a closed mouth.
If you would like to help your child speak clearly and confidently have a look at the page below where you can purchase a course that will show you how to help your child succeed.