Chairman's: � Jumpstart � Your Journey

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FIRSTInspires.org

• Chairmans Award Resources, includes:
• This year’s FIRST Robotics Competition Championship Chairman's Award Winners Submissions
• Past Winners
• Link to Chairman's Award Submission Definitions
• Chairman's Seminar and Powerpoint presented by Team 1114
• Chairman's Award Video Resources
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Firstinspires.org Awards Summission Guidelines
• Disclaimer: FIRST changes submission criteria, this presentation is �no substitution for thoroughly reading and understanding the submission criteria and rules on the official website

What is Chairman’s?

• Chairman’s Award Description: The most prestigious award at FIRST, it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST.  
• It’s about your experiences:
• created to keep the focus on the ultimate goal of transforming the culture
• team which best exemplifies the true meaning of FIRST
• measurable impact
• people working together toward a shared goal
• documenting and preserving your team’s FIRST experience

Full text: https://www.firstinspires.org/resource-library/frc/submitted-awards �

Purpose and Goals of FIRST

• Mission of FIRST: Our mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
• About FIRST
• Philosophies
• FIRST Core Values

Full text: https://www.firstinspires.org/about/vision-and-mission

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FIRST Core Values

We express the FIRST philosophies of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition through our Core Values:

• Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas.
• Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
• Impact:  We apply what we learn to improve our world.
• Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences.
• Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together.
• Fun: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!

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Chairman’s At a Glance

• MAKE IT FUN!
• Read the Submission guidelines, all definitions, deadlines & criteria
• Executive Summaries
• Essay (up to 10,000 characters)
• Video (1-3 minute)
• Interviews (Presentation/Skit) (12 minutes total; up to 7 minutes for the presentation, remaining minutes for Q&A. Up to 3 student team members, plus 1 adult mentor
• Judges may also review the information entered in the Judges Information Page through TIMS

Make it Fun!

• Laugh
• Have candy
• Music
• Anything that makes it fun and inviting to your team members. My kids love to be in the room because we laugh a lot and I feed them candy.

Why Submit?

• A good exercise
• Record of your accomplishments
• Reflect on what your team has achieved
• Refocus team efforts in the coming year
• Compete for FIRST’s most prestigious award

What are the Judge’s looking for?

Chairman’s Award will go to the team that best documents and communicates their efforts to change culture.

• Looking for sustained excellence
• Team that most accurately represents the FIRST mission
• Experience of students, engineers, teachers, community, school, sponsors, families, and other supporters
• What makes you the face of FIRST
• Consistently good communication of your team in �the essay, Chairman’s Interview, video, and print

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Our Approach

• Strategic Planning
• Mission Statement, Goals & Values
• Consistent message
• Team Image
• More Skit like presentation, than formal
• Presenter Auditions, at beginning of build season
• Document! Document! Document!
• Facts, pictures, video, social media, impact, experiences, etc

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Our Approach

Do Your Research

• Watch Simbotics (1114) Chairman’s Video
• Look for Past Chairman's Submissions & Resources from other teams
• Search Chief Delphi for tips

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Our Approach

Make a Plan

• Create a schedule for draft goals with deadlines and who is responsible
• Gather your documentation:
• List team accomplishments with dates
• List which go into Essay, Video, Skit, Judge’s Packet
• Define your story

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Our Approach

• Consistent Message
• Use FIRST Team Support Definition words
• Add team image/theme elements, if preferred

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Example of Organization

Team Impact

• FIRST Impact & Opportunities
• Outreach
• Local / Regional / International
• Fulfilling a need
• Member interests
• Larger impacts
• Team strengths
• Build on your programs

Chairman’s Culture

How do you change the culture of your team to value Chairman’s?

• Plan your schedule to work with more demands
• Engaging & inspiring programs
• Prioritize programs: fun and interesting to team to make the biggest impact
• Reward those who contribute
• Team requirements
• Mentor & student leadership promote positive � Chairman’s culture

The Questions in Addition to the Essay

• Team Number
• Team Name/Nickname
• Briefly describe the impact of the FIRST program on team participants with special emphasis on the current season and the preceding two to five years
• Describe the impact of the FIRST program on your community with special emphasis on the current season and the preceding two to five years
• Describe the team’s innovative or creative method to spread the FIRST message
• Describe examples of how your team members act as role models and inspire other FIRST team members to emulate
• Team’s initiatives to help start or form other FIRST Robotics Competition teams
• Describe the team’s initiatives to help start or form other FIRST teams (including FIRST LEGO League Jr., FIRST LEGO League, & FIRST Tech Challenge)
• Describe the team’s initiatives on assisting other FIRST teams (including FIRST LEGO League Jr., FIRST LEGO League, & FIRST Tech Challenge) with progressing through the FIRST program
• Describe how your team works with other FIRST teams to serve as mentors to younger or less experienced FIRST teams (including FIRST LEGO League Jr., FIRST LEGO League, & FIRST Tech Challenge)
• Describe your Corporate/University Sponsors
• Describe the strength of your partnership with your sponsors with special emphasis on the current season and the preceding two to five years
• For FIRST Robotics Competition teams older than 5 years, briefly describe your team’s broader impact from its inception
• Describe how your team would explain what FIRST is to someone who has never heard of it
• Briefly describe other matters of interest to the FIRST Judges, if any
• AND THE ESSAY

Chairman’s Essay

• An Essay
• Executive Summaries

Both must be submitted by a student through STIMS

• Judges encourage creativity of expression
• Must clearly deliver information and facts about the team
• Should draw attention to the strengths of the team
• Serve as the basis for the judges to make the decision on which team earns the Chairman’s Award

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Chairman’s Essay

• 10,000 character limit, including spaces and punctuation
• Organize content in an organic flow
• Include facts & quantifiable accomplishments
• Quotes from people you impacted
• Team’s strategy, not future dreams and wishes
• Clear statistics with context
• Strategically use your Executive Summary character count too
• Numerous team members and mentors proof read
• Plan for adequate time.
• Don’t wait until the last minute to submit, the server often goes down.

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Chairman’s Interview

• Chairman’s Award interviews (Presentation/Skit) limited to �12 minutes total; up to 7 minutes for the presentation and up to 5 minutes of question and answer. By up to 3 students, plus 1 adult mentor
• Judges will be interviewing teams who successfully complete the submission process
• Sign-up in Pit Admin for interview time
• Remember judges are there for you and � want you to succeed

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Chairman’s Interview

• Presentation:
• Unique/memorable
• Play to the personality of the presenting team
• Auditions for presenting team
• Know every detail submitted in the essay & executive summaries
• Be professional and prepared
• Provide a summary of key strengths to judges
• Be confident
• Feed off of each other as a team

Chairman’s Interview

Questions & Answers

• Include as part of audition, see how new presenters handle difficult, and unclear questions.
• Practice as much as presentation
• Build on Information in your essay
• Tie in personal stories
• Practice creates confidence

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Amateurs Practice Until They Get It Right; Professionals Practice Until �They Can’t Get It Wrong �– Julie Andrews

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Chairman’s Interview

• Tell your story
• Communicate clearly to judges
• Write in the voice of your presenters
• Play to your presenters strengths
• Don’t talk too fast/or too slow
• Stay comfortably under time limit
• Practice, Practice, Practice

Chairman’s Video Submission

• Must provide a 1-3 minute VIDEO to the judges at the start of their interview.
• Should explain what the team has done to earn the Chairman’s Award.
• The video may be shown during the interview.
• Read rules for requirements for…
• VIDEO format, VIDEO do’s and don’ts, Content Guidelines & DVD/USB Flash Drive Requirements
• Chairman’s Award Video Consent Form must be folded and included in the plastic bag with video.
• Final 2-3 contestant VIDEOs will be reviewed by the Judge Advisor for appropriate content and to ensure that guidelines have been met.
• Chairman’s judges will not be judging your video as part of your � submission, a VIDEO with inappropriate content will disqualify � a team for the award.

Your Team In Print

Possible things to include:

• Business Plan
• Marketing Packet
• Impact documentation
• Community Outreach Information
• Press Releases and Articles
• Flyers & Marketing Materials
• Thank you letters
• Digital Media Award Submission
• Brochure
• Chairman’s Submission

Print Materials

• Leave behinds for the Judges
• Binder
• Bound packet or folder
• References in the Pit

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Things to consider

• Consistent Message with Essay �& Interview
• Clearly highlights your team’s strengths.

Prepare Your Entire Team

• Judge Whispering
• Learn team information through Pit Test, Practice Sessions, Trivia Game, Jeopardy Game, etc…
• Present Chairman’s to your Team
• Handout of key message points for students
• Personal stories
• Embrace your image
• Students in pit: smile and have fun being there
• Judges are every where and everything gets back to them.  �Be on your best behavior at all times.

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Tips for Student Chairman’s Leads

From our Chairman’s Lead

• Do not try to do the whole thing by yourself
• Remain patient during rehearsals (silent leadership)
• Trust your mentors
• Focus Q&A on more personal presenter stories
• Know your presenting team’s individual strengths & weaknesses
• Affirm teammates
• Take breaks

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Tips for Mentors

• Presenters understand why your students are presenting/motivation
• Practice Q&A extensively.  Team Rush 27 List
• Patience, Patience, Patience
• Know your kids!  Keep them hydrated and fed.  Understand what they need to succeed.
• Be willing to make adjustments to fit personality to wording and presenting styles.
• Expect practice to take a long time, but also pay attention to when �they need breaks.
• Have a sense of humor!!!

Important Tips

• READ THE RULES!
• Don’t submit for the sake of winning
• Don’t copy the approach of others
• Focus on what your team wants to do
• Do what you say
• Document everything you do
• Pay attention to feedback forms
• Know who you are, so you can tell your story�

Chairman’s Resources

• FIRSTInspires.org Chairman’s Award Resources
• Chairman's Award Submission Definitions
• Firstinspires.org Awards Summission Guidelines
• Exploding Bacon Chairman’s Resources�www.explodingbacon.com/chairmans/
• Team Rush Questions�www.teamrush27.net/chairmans
• Simbotics Chairman’s video�www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_aixQwlNcw�

Contact Us!

More resources available at explodingbacon.com.

If you found this helpful or have questions or suggestions, we would love to hear from you at

explodingbacon.team1902@gmail.com

or on any of our social media accounts: �Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Thank you! �#OinkOinkBoom