Hello to all my queens advocating for world peace! We all know that controversial questions in the interview room and on-stage can be a nerve-wrecking part of competition. But controversial discussion is a key part of societal progress. In today’s blog post I’m going to be sharing with you a three-part blueprint to answering controversial questions in a way that still allows you to stand firm in your beliefs with personal conviction, but also allows your receiving audience to still feel respected while also respecting you and your delivery.
First I want you to take 5 minutes and make a list of all of the controversial questions and topics that you can think of, while keeping it age appropriate of course, based on your division.
As you write these topics and questions down, be mindful of the ones that make you upset, sad, confused, or topics that seem so difficult to resolve that you just want to stay away from them all together. There may be ones that cause you to pause and reflect on your own personal experiences. There may be some that you feel you need to be a bit more educated on.
After you make your list, take 20 minutes per question or topic to research the current state of it and figure out your position and how you feel.
You can do this over the course of a few days or weeks, however long it takes you to get through your list. The most important thing is for you to further educate yourself and really sit with the information to process your position. Gather information from multiple and diverse sources, research timelines and important historical events related to each topic. Create personal scenarios and ask family and friends about their experiences with these controversial topics to help you further empathize and extend compassion to humanity. Think about how you would handle controversial topics and situations as a policymaker and how you would want policymakers to consider you as a citizen in regards to controversial topics and situations.
Once you have written down your controversial topics and questions and have done your due diligence to research each one, it is time to formulate your opinion.
I cannot tell you whether you should swing to the left or the right on these tough topics, only you can decide that. What I can tell you is in the famous lyrics of Grammy award-winning artist and songstress extraordinaire India Arie…
“Now let’s keep it real, nothing in this world could ever exist without its opposite, there has to be a sun and a moon, a man and a woman, and that’s just the way it is.”
Nothing exists without its opposite, which means that your thought process cannot exist without the opposing side and vice versa. The judges are not looking for right or wrong answers or for y’all to agree all the time. What they are looking for when it comes to controversial questions and any question for that matter is a young woman who stands firm in her personal conviction with respect to all parties. Your goal is not to be agreeable 24/7, but to know what you do and do not agree with. If you end up on the opposite end of a judge on a particular topic, I promise that they will respect you way more for standing your ground instead of trying to be a people pleaser. So once you know your stance on a topic, stand on it with personal conviction, be decisive, do not ride the fence. Of course our perspectives can and will change as we grow, as our seasons of life change, and as we gain more life experience, but it is so important to lean into your personal conviction once you are sure of what it is at that time.
Finally, while we are standing firm in what we believe in and delivering our thoughts it is super important that we acknowledge other perspectives and remain respectful in our delivery. There are always three sides to every story, your side, my side, and the truth. And everyone will always think that their side is the truth. So while you are standing firm in your truth, opinions, and beliefs be sure to acknowledge and respect the views of others. I truly believe that our freedom of speech is our most valuable and influential freedom, and that it should always be used with respect and good decorum at its root.
If you would like to watch the corresponding YouTube video to this blog post click the link below!
