Make your claim in one succinct sentence to answer this prompt:\"Tell about a time you failed badly. What did you learn and how didyour behavior change afterward?\" Example: \"I once addressed thewhole church but froze up; after that I knew I had to preparebetter, so I did.\"
That sentence is a claim, but an empty one. What needs to follow isobservable, sensory data to substantiate that claim. Example:\"After a youth group trip, I was asked to stand at the podium andtell the whole church what it meant to me. I looked out on thehundreds of faces looking at me, and I couldn't think of a thing tosay. Dead silence for over a minute. Finally, the pastor came andthanked me, and everyone laughed a little. My face burned, and Istumbled back to my seat. After that, I knew I had to make notesand practice. Every time I speak to a big group, I scribble notesfuriously on a dozen pieces of paper beforehand and organize mythoughts. Then I practice--talking to myself in the shower, at thekitchen sink, in bed before I go to sleep, I have not repeated thathorrible event, and now I like public speaking--making people laughand smile.\" Tell a story (in otherwords, provide data) to substantiate your claim. Use the STARmethod: give the Situation, the Task, the Action you took, and theResult.
