What Really Lies Behind the Crown: A Measure of Effective Communication in Philanthropic Pageantry

Abstract

This study examined effective communication and how vital it is to everyday life. Currently, numerous individuals struggle with social interaction and having to communicate effectively with those around them. This study aimed to fill the gap in understanding if participation in philanthropic pageants can improve an individual’s social skills due to the amount of social interaction required in this pageant system. Communication skills are fundamental skills to have as a titleholder, but the benefits go outside and beyond just being a titleholder. 20 individuals participated in a round-robin interview methodology, as well as a presurvey, to statistically calculate if there was a difference in effective communication between the 10 girls who participated in philanthropic pageants versus those who did not. The results from the experiment showed that girls who have pageant experience had overall better effective communication. The results reinforced the importance of communication skills in the real world such as interviews and collaborating with others, which is a main value to these pageant types. The implications of participation in philanthropic pageantry as a way to improve effective communication skills were discussed with future directions focusing on more ways to compare groups that require lots of social interaction as well.