MSCI Mackinac Spring Tournament
2025 — Mackinac Island, MI/US
Soapbox Sales
Event Description:
Recommended Time - 3-5 minutes.
Concept of Event: Soapbox Sales is a quick sales pitch for an existing product or service designed for maximum impact. Imagine a bustling street corner with a sea of distractions. You have moments to captivate passing pedestrians with a narrative that resonates, identifies needs, and offers solutions in order to make the sale. Use creativity, personality, human psychology, etc. to maximum effect to immediately hook your potential customers. Visual aides are optional but if used must originate and fit into pockets. Performances must comply with the Standards For Performance. All other MIFA rules apply.
The topic should be suitable for all audiences, yet reflect originality. A good soapbox sales speech is developed through persuasion, audience engagement, and impact,
BASIS FOR DECISION
Oral Presentation: The delivery of the speech should be enthusiastic, direct, sincere, and communicative. The speaker should give the impression of genuineness without affectation in attitude, manner, or appearance. The speaker's delivery should be effective in enlisting and holding the interest of the audience. The speaker may deliver the speech from a manuscript, memory, an outline, or any combination thereof.
Action and Platform Conduct: The speaker should exhibit personality, maintain direct eye contact with the audience, show physical poise, and demonstrate freedom in posture, movement, and gesture. Prompting from the audience is not allowed and could be the basis for disqualification.
Script requirements: Contestants must have a manuscript or an outline available for a judge to review in the round if requested. Supporting material should be presented in a logical manner and contestants must use proper documentation of all source material used in the manuscript or outline. The manuscript or outline must include directly quoted material and/or paraphrased material, which is used in the speech. Plagiarism, the failure to provide accurate credit to the author(s) of directly quoted material or paraphrased material, is a serious offense and is a basis for disqualification. The script may be a hard copy or an electronic version on a device that can be made available to the judge in the round. A judge request for a contestant’s script must be made within the time frame of that round of competition. Should a judge need more extensive review time, the judge should make arrangements through tournament officials and the contestant’s coach.
Visual aids: Visual aids: Visual Aids are not required but if used, visual aids must be handheld or smaller and must be able to fit into a pants or jacket pocket comfortably (no fanny packs or backpacks). Competitors may store, reveal, and return visual aids to their pockets during the speech, but all aids must be on the speaker’s person at all times (not strewn across the floor, thrown in the air, or taped on a surface). No easels, projectors, or other technological means of display may be used, including a phone screen. Visual aids are limited to still images; no audio or video clips, animations, GIFs, etc. may be used. Live animals are not permitted even if they can fit in your pocket.
Procedures that endanger the health and safety of the viewers are prohibited. Live animals are not permitted. Caution should be used in distributing consumable products to an audience.