Can you plan ahead and prepare your rebuttal in advance? You would certainly think you could; setting the presidential candidacy – and the debacle of a debate – aside for a moment. Are you prepared for any argument that may come your way?

Why not?

Maybe you don’t know what argument is going to be presented.

• What are the facts? Are there any industry studies; furthermore, are they from a trusted source?  Are they current? Has this already been discussed, debated and deliberated?
• Do you show your best design first, or leave it to last? Can you defend your reasoning and the image + slogan you prefer?
• In the benchmark study you researched and prepared, do you read everything and go through it together; or, do you let them read it later, just sharing your insights to push for the solution you think is best?

Some of us have been preparing each and every day, for the entire course of our career and started in our pursuit of education…in order to be in a particular industry.

It started when you needed to defend your reason for attending a specific college or university; then explaining your resume and why you were the right candidate for the job. Today, whether you are in sales, marketing, operations, education or in the administration of The College Board – you have to think ahead.

Know and truly understand your audience. What are their concerns and what will they want to learn from you?

We don’t know the topic on the SAT essay tomorrow; at least “we” don’t know, but someone out there, does – they created it.

No matter the topic on the SAT essay, we have tried to prepare a rebuttal to the topic – at least we have reviewed last year’s essay and the methodology by which we will attack the problem posed.  I, for one, hope that the topic is about why school should be taught year-round in the US. Not that I believe that it should be, but rather because I used it as an example. My reasons were pretty compelling, I listed facts and popular opinions; my daughter was not convinced. She thinks it is a bad idea. I want to know why – even though I can guess most of her reasons – pretend I don’t and convince me.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl

P.S. There is absolutely no reason the presidential candidates shouldn’t have been able to prepare a rebuttal to their opponent. The wild card is already in the mix and we know what both candidates believe and what they would say. I doubt, although it is possible, that the message and the argument will change; time will tell.