Starting on Mar. 1, and ending Mar. 3, the HSE DECA team will compete at the Indiana DECA State Career Development Conference at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown in Indianapolis. HSE junior Meera Venugopal is competing in Professional Selling, which is a pre-prepared speaking event where students act as sales representative along with a 100 question multiple choice test. This year will be Meera’s third year in DECA and competing at state. Additionally junior Julia Dickinson is competing in Sports and Entertainment Marketing, which entails being given a scenario related to sports or entertainment and then creating a marketing plan and solution. This will also be Julia’s third year at DECA state.
Leading up to state members of HSE DECA must practice and prepare in order to insure they succeed in their category.
“I am studying for the second component of my event which is the 100 question Marketing Exam” Venugopal responded, “I typically study vocabulary, take practice tests, and explore various business concepts.”
While not all categories of DECA are vocabulary and memorization specific, preparation is still important.
“My event is very on-the-spot, so I don’t have to prepare a presentation or memorize a script beforehand” Dickinson commented, “If I come up with an idea I think I could implement into my roleplay I write it down so I can remember it for later.”
With many DECA members returning to the state competition, they have a clearer understanding of what to improve based on last year’s performances. Having already experienced the pressure and expectations of state, they are able to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and make intentional adjustments to strengthen their events this year.
“I’ve been focusing on improving my persuasive communication, active listening, and customer needs analysis skills” Venugopal reports, “I’m also working on increasing my confidence and professionalism, using strong eye contact and body language, and clearly connecting product features to customer benefits”
Being less than two weeks out from state, the HSE DECA members have started to honing in on specific skills to elevate their performance.
“I’ve been focusing on my vocabulary” Dickinson added, “and new creative ideas.”
As the Indiana DECA State Career Development Conference approaches, both Venugopal and Dickinson are putting in the time and effort to refine their skills and strengthen their performances. Their preparation reflects the dedication that DECA members put into representing HSE at the state level.
