Interview room & judging panel (rookie questions) [Archive]

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dhitchco

04-02-2005, 10:37

Beth Sweet

04-02-2005, 11:07

I have some rookie questions about the regional judging/interview process.

1) I see from the rules that a team has five (5) minutes for a presentation followed by five (5) minutes for a question period. I also know that ONLY three people form the team can attend, and that the session cannot be videotaped.

2) However, I have some questions:

a) How many judges review each team; is it a panel of 3, 10, or larger?
b) Does a team get a few minutes to "set-up" their presentation?
c) Are the interview time slots then every 30 minutes or so?
d) What does an interview room typically look like? Is it near the pits?
e) I assume the the judges will already have pre-printed copies of the yearbook page and chairman's submission; correct?
f) Do teams typically have any sort of "leave-behind" for the judges?

3) In past years, teams have presented Powerpoint slide shows, videos, etc. So, I assume that each team needs to bring their own laptop PC, projector, etc?

Ok, while I am a mentor on a rookie team, I know how the whole Chairmans' thing works.
a) Last year there were either 3 or 4 judges while you were presenting
b) I don't know about a few minutes, but they will give you a minute or so to get situated and take a couple of deep breaths.
c) You only get 10 minutes in the room and to the best of my knowledge, they just go one after another.
d) Last year, our presentation room was the front part of a sports locker room. It obviously depends on which regional you're going to do your presentation at and whatnot, but that's probably something close to what you'll be working with as most competitions are held in gyms.
e) The judges will have looked at your presentation already and they will more than likely have a copy of each, however we found it nice last year to make a neat, pretty looking version of each and to bring a copy for each judge. Makes it feel like Christmas when you walk in with presents for them, lol.
f) Last year we did bring "leave behinds" for the judges in the form of buttons. You can also leave behind the copies of your presentation if you wish, however I wouldn't suggest you leave too much for them because then they won't look at it all. Try to consolidate written leave behinds into a bulleted page or two. It's a long day and the easier you make their life, the better!

3) I'm not sure if you can do a powerpoint, however I imagine it would be acceptable. Be sure to have a backup plan in case the room doesn't allow for such things, but yes, you will need to bring all of your own supplies.

Please feel free to PM me with any other questions you may have regarding this issue

KathieK

04-02-2005, 13:04

I believe we had two judges last year; the sessions do follow one right after another; you Do need to bring all your own equipment; equipment dies, computers freeze up, etc. so prepare your three people to do a verbal backup, just in case. We presented at the UTC New England Regional which is a concert venue, so the interviews were held backstage in what I suppose is a "green room" for entertainers.

The judges will be watching your team throughout the competition, and visiting you in the pits to ask questions. It's therefore important that ALL team members wearing your t-shirts be familiar with the game, the rules, your robot and your team and its history/accomplishments this year.

Section 9.2.3.3 of the manual states that you should bring a hard copy of the submission to the event. I like the idea of providing each judge with a copy!

You are to be applauded for submitting a CA entry in your rookie year. It is a good practice to establish as it forces you to create an annual report of what your team is all about!

Pâzinha

19-02-2005, 12:34

e) The judges will have looked at your presentation already and they will more than likely have a copy of each, however we found it nice last year to make a neat, pretty looking version of each and to bring a copy for each judge. Makes it feel like Christmas when you walk in with presents for them, lol.

It's my first year working on Chairman's and i would like to ask a few things.By presentation you mean the essay? Must we present the exact same topics of the essay but in a more creative way?
Thanks in advance.

jessjank.

19-02-2005, 14:17

Since manner in which your Chairman's Award entry was submitted this year was plain text and the judges will have read this prior to your actual presentation, it would certainly be an excellent idea for your presentation to the judges, though not a necessity, to produce a more visually appealing handout of your entry. You may or may not want to transfer your submission from essay format to more brief, strong statements and bulleted information, as well as lots of pictures, and give the judges this along with any other documents your team produces, such as newsletters, business plans, yearbooks (not referring to the TIMS System - our team produces a largely expanded version of the our Chairman's Award/HoF entry in a large binder), brochures, posters, etc. All such things can have a great impact on the judges impressions of your team and considering majority of the population learns and comprehends most information more easily on a visual level, will allow for a differentiated and effective manner of presenting your information to the judges besides just straight text and verbal explanations.

Pâzinha

19-02-2005, 17:11

Thanks, it helped us a lot. :)

rajaravi.1

20-02-2005, 12:16

Beth Sweet

20-02-2005, 12:29

It's my first year working on Chairman's and i would like to ask a few things.By presentation you mean the essay? Must we present the exact same topics of the essay but in a more creative way?
Thanks in advance.

Yes, in that context I was referring to the essay as well as the executive summary (basically a "to the point" version of your submission). When you made your submission, obviously you tried to highlight the aspects of your team that you felt were most impressive so these will be things on which you will probably want to expand upon. Also, if you had other important things that, due to space issues, you were unable to put into your submission, when you talk to the judges, such things can be presented. On my old team, our Chairman's Submission was basically like a teaser for the judges. You give them just a snipit (sp?) of your best and make them ask you for the rest. Your talking to the judges is your chance to tell them your story and why you're fantastic, without a 10,000 character limit. My best advice on what to do in your presentation? Follow your gut. If you think it's really important, or that the judges really like a particular aspect, tell them everything you can about that!

macurtis

22-02-2005, 16:02

3) I'm not sure if you can do a powerpoint, however I imagine it would be acceptable. Be sure to have a backup plan in case the room doesn't allow for such things, but yes, you will need to bring all of your own supplies.

Please feel free to PM me with any other questions you may have regarding this issue
For our Chairman's Award presentation, we did a Power Point presentation, and it was no problem, just make sure that the computer doesn't fall asleep during the presentation, or pray that the computer doesn't crash before the interview. :rolleyes: Power Point is definitely a possibility.

richardp

24-02-2005, 18:00

Our team is also a first time Chairman's Team and we were wondering about the setup of the room. Will they provide tables,chairs and other materials for us or do we have to bring our own? This is crucial for our presentation and your help will be greatly appreciated.

Last year at the VCU regional there were two chairs for the judges and they had a table in which they keep all of their information. The table last year was long enough that we were able to set the laptop with the power point presentation down. If they don't have a spot for you to set the equipment down then someone would just have to hold it this is why practicing the presentation is key. That was all they had in the room. Also I couldn't resist giving them a Dave button.

rajaravi.1

25-02-2005, 19:14

Last year at the VCU regional there were two chairs for the judges and they had a table in which they keep all of their information. The table last year was long enough that we were able to set the laptop with the power point presentation down. If they don't have a spot for you to set the equipment down then someone would just have to hold it this is why practicing the presentation is key. That was all they had in the room. Also I couldn't resist giving them a Dave button.

thanks a lot richardp. :D Now we can plan accordingly.

Matt D

25-02-2005, 19:41

We began our presentation with a two minute DVD showing some of the highlights of our team, especially stuff that is shown better than talked about (like FLL mentoring with the cute kids, our trailer, etc). We then had each person talk for about a minute about a different aspect of our team. The judges are usually pretty flexible if you go a little over on your presentation.

I've been on our interview team the past three years. In 2002, we misread the rules. We thought the interview was all question and answer format. As a result, we made up our presentation in the 10 minutes we waited to go into the interview. In 2003, we knew about the presentation format and had prepared a VHS tape. However, it did not work on the TV we brought. Again, we had to improvise. We had already planned most of our talk so we just expanded it. For 2004, we tested out our equipment in advance. Our equipment worked flawlessly.

We have also made stuff to hand out to the judges. In 2003 we made binders containing everything about our team. In 2004 we made presentation folders for each of the judges containing nice copies of our submission, a one page update on what had happened since the submission, a copy of our newsletter, and a copy of our woodie flowers nomination essay.

Good luck on your submissions! I hope that you are able to learn from our experiences so you do not make the same mistakes we did.

rajaravi.1

26-02-2005, 08:44

Hey everyone, I just have 1 more question. Do you get any time to set up your presentation, because the time we have is limited and we need to use all the time available.

macurtis

26-02-2005, 09:11

Hey everyone, I just have 1 more question. Do you get any time to set up your presentation, because the time we have is limited and we need to use all the time available.
Yes, but any setup will be included in your five minutes to present.

Ashley Weed

26-02-2005, 12:10

I know the rules state 3 students (and or alumni/mentors) for the presentations.

1. Has anyone ever experienced a situation where you take in an advisor just to "view" the presentation? or to help the students set up their presentation? Or, is it strictly limited to just the three presenters per team? *Looking for input, as I stated above, I know what the rules state. I am VERY new to the PR/Business side of FIRST. Thanks!*

2. Do any of you send in less than the three students? Or do you generally always send in the three students? Are they usually three students? Or do you send in mentors, and the mentors present specific portions?

3. Do all three students talk? Or, do you send in one maybe two students to present, then have the sedond and third student to assist in the Q&A session after one student gives the presentation portion?

Thanks for any input!

Erin Rapacki

26-02-2005, 12:15

From my experience it's best to send in three students (no mentors). All of them should talk and have input; for instance, each could take a turn at answering questions (this way, all three seem to be experts).

Beth Sweet

26-02-2005, 12:45

I actually disagree a little bit with Erin. I think that 1 mentor and 2 students is the way to go, especially on a team that has been around for more than 4 years. Judges get a chance to ask questions (or at least they have in years past) and if the students don't know the answer to something that happened before their time, the mentor can jump in at that point, but be a silent observer otherwise. Just my opinion, but I think that having a mentor there in case there is a need is a good idea.

dlavery

26-02-2005, 16:47

Beth is right. A big part of the Chairman's Award evaluation is focused on sustained efforts to promote the ideals and values of FIRST. The more a team can demonstrate a long-term continuity of efforts, the better off they will be. Most students obviously max out at four years on a team (except for the occasional student that joins in 8th grade or comes back as a mentor). Having a mentor as one of the three presenters, ready to discuss the deep history of the team, is a very good idea.

-dave

Chris Fultz

26-02-2005, 21:31

1. Has anyone ever experienced a situation where you take in an advisor just to "view" the presentation? or to help the students set up their presentation? Or, is it strictly limited to just the three presenters per team?
You are limited to three team members. Your choice on students or mentors.
I have suggested that FIRST allow a non-participating Mentor in the room to listen and then be able to give feedback to the students after the interview was over, to make it a solid learning experience. Maybe that will happen sometime.

2. Do any of you send in less than the three students? Or do you generally always send in the three students? Are they usually three students? Or do you send in mentors, and the mentors present specific portions?
We (Team 234) have always had three students present. We select three who are from various sub-teams so that they can answer a range of questions between them.

3. Do all three students talk? Or, do you send in one maybe two students to present, then have the second and third student to assist in the Q&A session after one student gives the presentation portion?

I would recommend all three students contribute to the interview.

Our team experience has been that all judges are different and take slightly different approaches. Some have wanted to have general discussions, some have been ready for a presentation from the students, some a mix.

You only have 10 minutes total, so be prepared for several options. Have enough material prepared so that you could talk the entire time, but make a flexible plan so that you can do a short presentation and then be ready for Q & A.

I also think Dave L makes a good point on having one Mentor as part of the team. You need to look at the options and make the best mix choice for your team.

Good Luck - :)

KathieK

27-02-2005, 09:09

I have suggested that FIRST allow a non-participating Mentor in the room to listen and then be able to give feedback to the students after the interview was over, to make it a solid learning experience. Maybe that will happen sometime.

I would have liked to have a video recording of the interview last year to show our team and to use for coaching purposes this year. I also asked if we could record our interview (no) and have a non-participating mentor in the room (no).

I think one of the difficult parts about getting a team to support the efforts of those members working on the CA submission is that it is intangible. There are no strict rules to follow; they see our team's animation submission, they see our robot in action, but they can only see our online submission portion of the CA. If they could see the presentation and interview it would make it far more interesting for all members. It's frustrating as a mentor on that committee that I cannot see how we performed (can you picture it if our engineers and mentors helped with the robot but never got to see the students driving it in competition???) It makes it difficult to know how to improve for next year, or for when giving the presentation for potential sponsors, our school boards, or the media.

Rich Kressly

27-02-2005, 09:56

There is a LOT of good, honest, and very helpful information in this thread. Following along with that, I'd like to balance out a few things with some overall thoughts...

The interview is obviously a very important part of the process, but it is only a part of the process. CA judges will also spend time observing your whole team and they are likely to ask other teams about you if they believe you are in serious contention for the award. Some of this you can't control, nor should you attempt to.

The fourth person to just observe and/or the ability to videotape is never likely to happen. Maybe this hasn't happened everywhere, but at all of the regionals I went to, our team received written feedback from the judges at the end of the process. Having the feedback of the judges is infinitely more helpful than the feedback from a fellow team member. Besides, with the fourth person in the room there really isn't a way to prevent them from speaking and even the most innocent of circumstances could lead to an infraction of the rules and unfortunate disqualification that no one would like.

Also, please remember what the CA is about. No disrespect meant here to anyone, but from my perspective if a team as a whole isn't fully "into" the true meaning of FIRST and what the Chairman's Award stands for, then they most likely aren't worthy of receiving the award. No external motivation should be necessary at all, in fact it's quite the opposite. FIRST fosters growth that leads to individuals who make choices based on strong personal convictions related to global ideals. Members of a Chairman's Award winning team are aware that they are part of a culture-changing activity, that their individual lives are changed for the better, and that it is their responsibility to make a postivie difference in the lives of others (both inside and outside of their community).

No videotape or observer should be necessary to convey that to a team. Now, I could see your Chairman's committee making frequent presentations to your whole team and even possibly sharing what the interview was like with the whole group. I have never been in that room and I was always inspired by what the students told me about the interview afterward. By the way, I'm also in the camp that believes in sending three students into the interview. I agree with Dave about knowing the entire, sustained team history, but I believe students can learn (and should know) the history of the team.

During my time with 103, there were a lot of informal discussions among the team members about the meaning of the CA, how it guides our activities and actions through gracious professionalism, and what it means to our community as a whole. At dinner during build season we would frequently share our CA submission with the whole team to get feedback, to inspire those who needed it, and to inform everyone. Altohugh only a handful of students were involved in the CA "process", every team member was aware (on some level) that what they were doing individually played a part in carrying out FIRST's mission.

I'm so glad teams are more willing than ever to share such intimate details on the interview process. This is GP at its finest. At each one of the 30 regionals this year there will be more than one CA deserving team in attendance. The award will be granted to one of those teams. Make sure that your team allows time to foster and cultivate those internal motivators so that , "win" or "lose", you can celebrate with an equal sense of pride and accomplishment.

Good luck and remember what a special thing it is that we all have.

rajaravi.1

27-02-2005, 10:23

I was wondering if people could post sample questions that the judges might ask. This would be greatly beneficial to our team. Thanks.

Beth Sweet

27-02-2005, 10:32

I was wondering if people could post sample questions that the judges might ask. This would be greatly beneficial to our team. Thanks.

Last year, they asked us a lot of questions based on our presentation. Ex. If we told them that we did the "Adopt-A-Road" program, they would ask us how we felt that we were conveying them message of FIRST through that effort. If they feel that some of the criteria is missing from your presentation and essay that was requested in the "Chairmans' Questions" (see your manual), there is a distinct possibility that those questions will be addressed.

Lisa Perez

27-02-2005, 11:07

They ask a few personal questions; basically, how has FIRST affected you and what are your future plans.

Also, sometimes they ask about the reactions of the people that you have been working with in FIRST (a Lego League team, your school, the community if you did volunteered in some capacity, etc.).

Side note to a previous question: Most of the time they provide chairs for the presenters. I'm not so sure about tables, but there are usually some in the room anyway.

Rusty99Arabian

27-02-2005, 13:13

If a mentor is present in the room, can they be involved in the presentation as well, or can they only talk during the interview?

Beth Sweet

27-02-2005, 13:20

If a mentor is present in the room, can they be involved in the presentation as well, or can they only talk during the interview?

Just for clarification, the mentor would have to be one of youre 3 selected people. Any of your 3 selected people are allowed to talk and participate, however, the way I see it, the mentor is only there as a back up. That was one of the things that we were graded down on last year was that they felt that they wanted to hear more from the students than the mentors. And if you think about it, it really makes more sense that way. FIRST is here mainly for the students. It's for them to learn and for them to grow. It would make sense for them to be the ones to tell about how fantastic it has been for them.

Ashley Weed

27-02-2005, 13:54

A question I mistakingly forgot from before that I have been looking for an answer. The actual presentation of the award: does it occur on a specific day at all Regionals? (i.e. Thursday? or Friday?) does it change depending on Regional? Or, do the judges start viewing presentations, continuing through teams over the two days until all teams have been viewed?

Thanks!

Chris Fultz

27-02-2005, 14:17

The award presentation is on Saturday.

With the Chairman's Award being the highest team award for FIRST, they save it for last. At every regional I have attended, the winning team ends up staying on the field to celebrate after the announcement is made. It is an exciting time for the winning team and those who know the team and what they have accomplished.

Ashley Weed

27-02-2005, 14:26

Sorry, maybe I worded it wrong. When is the actual interview for teams? Does it occur at a specific time at all Regionals, or does it depend on the Regional and when the judges at the Regional begin interviewing?

Lisa Perez

27-02-2005, 15:34

If I remember correctly, we were assigned a specific time by the FIRST staff for that specific regional.

richardp

27-02-2005, 22:28

At the VCU last year they had a giant poster with diffrent time slots and you wrote down your team number next to the time. It was first come first serve, they might try to keep it the same at all the regionals this year but maybe not.
(Mentor,Deep History of the team,.....Dave?)

Chris Fultz

28-02-2005, 07:23

Some have been assigned by the judges, and they schedule around matches.
Others have had a sign up sheet at Pit Admin and you pick your own, based on matches and preferences.

RoboMom

28-02-2005, 14:08

Beth Sweet

28-02-2005, 14:33

Thank you for the clarification!

wildcatsfive

02-03-2005, 22:12

The actual interview takes place on Friday during the regional.

Barry Bonzack

02-03-2005, 23:46

I have been holding off posting here until I got all my facts straight.

I contacted Wendy Trommer at FIRST to verify my information.
1. Rookie teams do not participate in the interview process at regionals.
2. From Wendy:
" It is clearly stated in the Team Manual in the Awards section, that rookie teams are ineligible for the Chairman's Award, which is about sustained excellence. Rookie teams may use firstawards.org to create a submission (a are required to if they are a NASA grant team), however it will not be reviewed by FIRST judges on line. If a rookie team would like to print out a copy of their submission to give to the Judges in the Pit as part of the Pit interview process, it will be used in consideration of the Rookie All-Star award. However, it is not a required piece for this award."

This means it will be very important for all rookie teams to be prepared with copies of their Chairmans entries and/or other handouts about their team in the pits when the roving judges visit.

Is that new to this year? I was on 1390 last year (rookie) and did the interview process. The rules read the same as it does this year, so I have been believing that 1604 this year would also do an interview and our submission would be read over by the judges just as if we were competing for the Chairman's award. I see this did come from an official, but I want to be absolutely sure on this because I have been preparing for the interview process for some time now. If nothing else, could a rookie team possibly sign up to present anyway?

RoboMom

03-03-2005, 10:30

From Wendy Trommer at FIRST:

"Rookie teams were not included in the formal Chairman's Award interview process last year. If Regional Chairman's Award judge team did so, they did it on their own and perhaps because they had time (it might have been an event with only a few submissions). Teams should not count on this happening again this year. All teams, including rookies, are interviewed by judges in the Pit. "

Barry, you cannot sign up anyway.
But think of what a great "elevator" speech you will be able to give to the judges in the pits, so all is not wasted. What you have done to prepare will serve you well. It will just be done in the pits.
At the Chesapeake, the Chairman's interview will be held in the Naval Museum. In an alcove. With the public walking by. During the VIP reception with VIP's walking by. Sounds a lot like the pits, only with less music :)

Joe Matt

07-03-2005, 10:48

Quick addition, have a mentor on board, but don't have them speak during the presentation part. Have them help the students if they get stuck, but have them shut up until a question is directed towards them, or the students get stuck or lost on a question.

RoboMom

07-03-2005, 12:27

Actually there are many viewpoints on this issue. Whatever works best for your team.

KathieK

12-03-2005, 23:34

mhayon

14-03-2005, 20:24

Actually, Mr. Kloberg (Sr NJ Mentor) affirmed that every team who sends in a Chairman;s makes a presentation- even if their rookies.

mhayon

14-03-2005, 22:04

I'm so confused; can somebody please help me?

richardp

14-03-2005, 22:16

I'm so confused; can somebody please help me?

Sure, I would be glad but what are you confused about? Feel free to PM me

Gary Dillard

16-03-2005, 17:03

At UTC we were offered a number of time slots and you could select whichever one you wanted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Be aware that just like with the robot competition matches, these times are estimates - they were running ahead of schedule and came and got us early.

At Central Florida, there were only 9 teams competing for chairman's award; they posted the time slots late Thursday afternoon, 15 minutes apart starting from 9:30 am until 11:30 am Friday, in numerical team order. They were running a little ahead but one of our team leaders was still on the field with a match, so they let us wait until our designated time when he was available. (We had an alternate identified but I preferred to have the team leader present).

We had 2 judges and a very narrow table, so the presenters were able to get pretty close to the judges while going through the material. It went very well even though we didn't win Chairman's (We received a judges award). We received a feedback sheet that said keep doing what you're doing.

Lisa Perez

16-03-2005, 17:17

Gary Dillard

16-03-2005, 20:08

If, for instance, our team's assigned interview time conflicts with a match (our Chairman's interview team consists of two drive team members), would FIRST reschedule it? Or would it be in our best interest to have "understudies" to fill in for the interview if such a conflict occurs?

I think you can pretty much count on having a conflict, based on the short time in between matches and the length of the presentation. I would recommend an understudy - we had one just in case the timing didn't work out. On the schedule our previous match was at 10:08 and our interview was at 10:30, but the match didn't finish until 10:25 and the presentation before us got done at 10:20. The judges said we could wait until 10:30, but if the schedule had been tight we had someone ready. Also, the interview room was (thankfully) only around the corner about 100 feet from the side of the field where we were competing so as soon as the buzzer went off our driver left the field and ran to the interview.

Meredith343MiM

18-03-2005, 14:55

I've been in our Chairman's award interview for the past two years. Both nationally and at 2 separate regionals. Last year, a rookie team was ahead of us... and when the judge came out of the room to tell the next team to come in, he asked if they were rookies, and they answered yes and he sent them away. He told them they weren't eligible for an interview. (These are just my experiences i'm sharing) Also... at Nationals in 2003 an actual judge told us to send in 3 students for the interview. She said that it was harming us to have mentors in the room with us. (again... these are just my experiences) :p

macurtis

18-03-2005, 17:08

Last year at West Michigan one of our mentors wanted to come into the interviewing room, but wasn't allowed to.

Another thing, about potential schedule conflicts, what you may want to consider doing is have a back up team. That is, if someone can't make it, you know you have someone else who is also familiar with the presentation material that you can ask to fill in.

You can never be too prepared for an interview.

Nate Edwards

19-03-2005, 18:23

I have two questions about the Championship Chairman's Award process. I have seen the discussion about 3 members so I just assume thats how many you should have no more (obviously its a limit) no less (less impressive if only 2 people are presenting?) So is the the right assumption? And also is their a Championship Interview? I couldn't find anyting about it in the Awards section but I assume that their is an interview because some of the judges may not be as familar with certain teams as others.. So is there a 10-minute interview. All of our members that went to the interview the last time we went championships are gone and I am in the process of preparing and need to know what I am preparing for. thanks

Nate

richardp

19-03-2005, 20:22

At Chesapeake they had a sign up sheet on the pit administration table.
One of the other teams that had signed up had a match during the time-slot. They asked us if they would change and we of course had no problems going earlier. While we did not win the judges said that we were a "Strong Contender" and "Strong in All Areas" so I cant complain.
It was a table with two judges and a few chairs for the presenters to sit however since we needed to be up to hit the button to change slides on the computer, we all stood.
We went in with two students and one mentor (an alumni of the team).

wildcatsfive

19-03-2005, 21:49

Nate the same rules apply for the Championship that applied for your regional. You get three presenters and ten minutes. There are three judges instead of two in Atlanta and for the past two years they have split the judging in half. Basically there are three "red" judges and three "blue" judges. So 15 teams get judged by the red panel and 15 by the blue panel (in the interest of time, 30 teams times 10 minutes).

Pierson

19-03-2005, 22:47

Just a big FYI: Last year, my team had everything worked out flawlessly with a powerpoint presentation and a projector. But as soon as we walked into the room... the computer froze. The judge's didn't tell us this, but as soon as we sat down at the table, the clock started. This meant that 10 minutes was up and we were only halfway through the presentation.

So, whatever you do, have a backup plan that is paper based and not digital and if your media fails for any reason move to the backup during the first 30 seconds.

Katy

20-03-2005, 01:50

Alright here is what I know from doing this. This is out of PNW and the last time I did a presentation was 2003.

How many judges review each team; is it a panel of 3, 10, or larger?
We had two judges

Are the interview time slots then every 30 minutes or so?

The actual presentation of the award: does it occur on a specific day at all Regionals? (i.e. Thursday? or Friday?) does it change depending on Regional? Or, do the judges start viewing presentations, continuing through teams over the two days until all teams have been viewed?

In Seattle we were given a time to appear so I am not sure how they blocked them out

What does an interview room typically look like? Is it near the pits?

No the interview room is not near the pits. The room we were in was smaller, probably a minor meeting room. There was a desk with two chairs on one side (where the judges sat) and three chairs on our side for us. Small curtains of a similar material to the kind used on banner-awards (regionals, chairmans, etc) were hung around the table with some space going back. The entrance meant you walked into the door to the room then to the back to come into the enclosure (basically the judges had their backs to the door). It was a very quiet room and nobody else was allowed in there.

I assume the the judges will already have pre-printed copies of the yearbook page and chairman's submission; correct?
They were holding a copy of both

Do teams typically have any sort of "leave-behind" for the judges?
Yes I would recommend it. Have a copy of your submitted document in case they don't have it for some reason and also have a second on that doesn't look anything like your actual submission. It should have all the same data though, don't hold on to information for a "surprise" or anything.

In past years, teams have presented Powerpoint slide shows, videos, etc. So, I assume that each team needs to bring their own laptop PC, projector, etc?

Will they provide tables, chairs and other materials for us or do we have to bring our own?

There was the table and five chairs and I think I remember a TV and a VCR...don't quote me on that one though. Really though you should bring anything you need other than the chairs and table.

By presentation you mean the essay? Must we present the exact same topics of the essay but in a more creative way?
Really you don't have to do anything. There are very few rules and guidelines to how you submit the award. I think of the five minute presentation as a chance to add a more life-like sense of it rather than hard data.

Has anyone ever experienced a situation where you take in an advisor just to "view" the presentation? or to help the students set up their presentation? Or, is it strictly limited to just the three presenters per team? *Looking for input, as I stated above, I know what the rules state. I am VERY new to the PR/Business side of FIRST. Thanks!*

Do any of you send in less than the three students? Or do you generally always send in the three students? Are they usually three students? Or do you send in mentors, and the mentors present specific portions?

If a mentor is present in the room, can they be involved in the presentation as well, or can they only talk during the interview?

We brought a mentor with two students and the judges appeared very edgy about that idea. They said several times that he was not permitted to talk at all during the presentation or interview. They did ask him one question directly (I think it was out of politeness) which he answered but I do not think they really wanted a mentor there.

Do all three students talk? Or, do you send in one maybe two students to present, then have the sedond and third student to assist in the Q&A session after one student gives the presentation portion?

It is your team do it however you feel best. Do check however that you don't send in three people who have an impulse to talk all the time...because they will fight with each other.

I was wondering if people could post sample questions that the judges might ask. This would be greatly beneficial to our team. Thanks.

No...they have them up for FLL but not for us sadly. I do remember them asking what impact does our team have on the community, how is our relationship with our sponsors, how is your teamwork, how is your team a community, what have you done to spread science and technology awareness, etc etc. If you read through all the other awards and know ways to prove you qualify for those though you are on a very good track. Chairman's is about the whole picture so proving you have all the pieces is a good start.

If, for instance, our team's assigned interview time conflicts with a match (our Chairman's interview team consists of two drive team members), would FIRST reschedule it? Or would it be in our best interest to have "understudies" to fill in for the interview if such a conflict occurs?

We actually did have a conflict and two of our three students were on drive team. We had to make due :) Also on that note while the matches often run late they try to keep the Chairman's awards on schedule so even if the numbers say there is no conflict there may be one. If I were you I would just try to avoid having your drive team and your presentation team share members.