Chairman's Inverview

[FRC1710]

We are new at the Interview process of the Chairman's award. We couldn't find in the manual how many judges would sit in during the Interview on Friday.
Thanks

[Nuttyman54]

In past year's it's been 3

[KelliV]

At regionals last year it was three. There were four at nationals last year.

[technoL]

While we're on the topic...

This is my first year doing the chairman's interview and writing chairman's, so I'm curious as to how the procedure goes. Will some experienced team be willing to share what goes on in the judging room, or what a typical presentation would be like?

Thanks!

-No L

[Beth Sweet]

I've been in the Chairman's room twice now and the only commonality that the experiences had was that there were 3 judges.

The first time, we made our presentation, did our little bit, then left. I don't remember the judges asking more than 1 question.

The second time, the presentation was made, but the judges asked a number of questions both about the submission, and about a number of things that weren't in the submission.

So all that I can tell you is go in, do your thing, and just make sure that you have team background. Also, don't be afraid to tell the judges that you don't know, but you would be more than happy to find out. That's much better than making something up and having that announced when you win the award!

[Kims Robot]

This is odd... am I reading it correctly?

Interviews are limited to ten (10) minutes with not more than three (3) team members (student or adult mentors). The team selects these representatives. During the first five (5) minutes of the interview, the team members give a presentation to the judges, and the judges will use the second five (5) minutes for their questions and answers.

I dont have my copy from last years rules on hand, but was it always students or adults? If so, does anyone send adults??

[Beth Sweet]

Originally Posted by Kims Robot

This is odd... am I reading it correctly?



I dont have my copy from last years rules on hand, but was it always students or adults? If so, does anyone send adults??

In past years, adults were permitted, last year, not permitted, now permitted again.

If you send in an adult, the judges do not want to hear them in the presentation. We were totally flamed for that in 04. The judges don't like to see an adult, but if they see one, they are only to be there to answer a question that the students cannot.

[DCA Fan]

For the interview, often times they will ask a few questions about the team and personal experiences afterwards. Be sure that everyone presenting gets a chance to speak. I recommend against having mentors in the room, because the judges really want to hear from the students more than anything.

[RoboMadi]

I'm just gonna mention my own experience from last year.

Regional: There were only two judges.
Championship: There were Four judges.

Team is allowed to send there students inside the room for an interview. BE PREPARED! especially know what you are talking about. Let everyone have a chance to talk. Team has 5 minutes to talk about themselves and than Judges have 5 Minutes to ask questions.
Be specific in your answers. Don't hesitate and whoever knows the answer should answer it (instead of looking at each others face).

Whole point is to be prepared for the unexpected. Last year we were asked a question, which was not expected at all........ thank god my partner took it upon him and knocked it out.
Also try to be creative. Power Point Presentations and Videos are ok, but it would be awesome if you can be a little more creative. Judges usually read submittion before the interview, so those 10 mins are there to make an impression.
Good luck teams!

Imad

[Kims Robot]

While we are on the subject of what happens in the room... I wasnt there to see my students (nor did we tape it) but we did get the comment to let our passion show a little more (less scripted). They had tried many many different times to figure out how to say everything they wanted to say, and every time they were passionate, they went well over the 5 minutes, so they opted for partial scripting (important points to hit without actually writing out the words). Every time they presented it, it was a little different, but they would hit the same points, and more importantly (we thought) they got it under five minutes.

So here is my question... how do you show passion and tell your story in under five minutes?

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Kims Robot

While we are on the subject of what happens in the room... I wasnt there to see my students (nor did we tape it) but we did get the comment to let our passion show a little more (less scripted). They had tried many many different times to figure out how to say everything they wanted to say, and every time they were passionate, they went well over the 5 minutes, so they opted for partial scripting (important points to hit without actually writing out the words). Every time they presented it, it was a little different, but they would hit the same points, and more importantly (we thought) they got it under five minutes.

So here is my question... how do you show passion and tell your story in under five minutes?

That's almost identical to what 116 did. We had our key points planned out, and tried to be as fluid and conversational as we could be. We also planned out our points to be fairly easy to switch between. We still seemed a bit scripted and tense during our rehearsals, but (luckily) we nailed our presentation in front of the judges. Additionally, we gave the judges a copy of our "judge's packet" (which contains information about our team, history, chairman's data, robot-particularly parts contending for awards, and stuff like that) which we give to all judges. It helped cover any points we were not able to fit in the presentation. Our presentation consisted of a laptop running a powerpoint, our map (of teams we have impacted), our scrapbook, and the packets. The judge's leafed through the scrapbook as they asked questions, and we referred to pages as appropriate when answering them. Each of the 3 times we have presented they have asked several questions, concerning items both mentioned and not mentioned in our submission/presentation. This was the first time they made all 3 presenters each give an answer for every question though. Each of the previous 2 times there were 3 judges, but this year there were only 2 (although VCU had two judging rooms, probably because of the 27 RCA submissions at VCU).
Some questions I can recall are:
"Describe in one sentence what FIRST means to you individually"
"Describe what you want FIRST to be like in your school in the next 3-4 years" (something like that)
"Describe the biggest obstacle your team overcame this season"
there were several others as well, but I can't remember

[wendymom]

= but we did get the comment to let our passion show a little more (less scripted).

Where did you get the comment from? Was there a score sheet given?

How do I get it?

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by wendymom

= but we did get the comment to let our passion show a little more (less scripted).

Where did you get the comment from? Was there a score sheet given?

How do I get it?

On our feedback sheet, we received full "currently strong" marks, no "needs improvement" marks, and (thankfully) didn't receive any comment dealing with needing more passion. We did receive notes about providing a business plan, increasing our efforts to give back to our community, and giving more thanks to our sponsors.
As for trying to avoid getting the more passion comment, the first step would be avoiding actually scripting the presentation. Have major points to hit, and leave it up to the presenters on how to actually word it. Don't be a stickler when they are rehearsing on exactly how they say it. Allow for it to be conversational, and make sure you give them something exciting and unique to get passionate about. A lot of it also is based on who is presenting. Pick people who are skilled public speakers. The type of people who step up to the challenge at outreach events, who are out in front of the team answering the questions. People who are involved, committed, and know the team and are capable of answering questions and knowing the presentation without having to memorize it.

[wendymom]

But when and where did you get the feedback sheet? We didn't get one

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by wendymom

But when and where did you get the feedback sheet? We didn't get one

Typically you have to request it from the Pit Administration desk around the time of the closing ceremonies, but it may vary slightly by regional.