DECA Role Play Tips from a Former Judge and Advisor

Jul 26

One of the highlights of my role as a business teacher at Denver’s East High School was leading our 200-student member DECA team. Long before I returned to the classroom and taught at East, I served as a volunteer DECA judge at the district and later at the state level, where I was quickly impressed by students’ creative thinking, presentation skills, and the real-world nature of DECA case studies.

My appreciation for DECA and the skills it instills in students was the driver for me to go back to the classroom, but even more importantly, it shaped how I think about career-connected learning in high school. I see tremendous value in programs like DECA, as well as organizations such as HOSA and We the People, in exposing students to different career paths and helping them gain clarity about their futures. As an independent, Denver-based college counselor, this clarity sits at the core of my work. I am committed to helping students and families approach the college process with intention, often guided by the career insight students gain through experiences like these.

During my years as a DECA advisor, I collected a wide range of resources to help students prepare for competition. While I am a fan of most DECA competitive events, the real-time business case scenarios known as role plays are my absolute favorite. They demand quick thinking, clear communication, and practical problem solving, all while asking students to step into a professional role and explain their ideas to an industry judge. From a judge’s perspective, role plays are where preparation, confidence, and creativity truly show.

Below are some of the most effective role play preparation strategies I used as an advisor and looked for as a judge.  You'll also find a link to my collection of practice role plays at the bottom of the page.  Enjoy, and happy practicing!

You Walk Before You Run

While students will be pressed for time once competition day rolls around, with only about 10 to 25 minutes to prepare depending on the event, I strongly believe in the power of practicing role plays under less stressful, untimed scenarios. This type of practice helps students break down the elements of a role play, test different visuals, and spend real time developing creative solutions.

You need to learn to walk before you can run.

I have linked to a variety of role plays below. Print a few out and practice with an extended preparation period. When I say untimed, I do not mean unlimited. Giving yourself around 30 minutes for a solo role play or 40 minutes for a team role play is more than enough time to think deeply and practice intentionally. This approach builds confidence and structure so that when competition day arrives and the clock is ticking, students already have a process they trust.

Don’t Practice in a Vacuum

When my own kids were in DECA, they hardly ever “let” me help them prepare for competition, even though I had years of experience as a judge and in business leadership roles. My mom hat was a turnoff, which I completely understand.

That said, if you want to do well in DECA role plays, you need to practice speaking in front of adults.

Instead of handing parents or other trusted adults a standard judges rubric, ask them to focus their feedback on specific elements. Did your introduction make sense? Were your ideas creative and realistic? Did you have an effective closing? How could you improve? What business terminology could you have used more effectively?

If you are comfortable involving an adult in your preparation, the most helpful step is having them watch a recorded role play ahead of time so they understand the basic structure and know what to listen for. They do not need to be DECA experts. Clear, honest feedback from an adult audience is incredibly valuable and often separates strong role plays from average ones.

Practice in Pieces

When I was teaching at East High School, I often spent several days focusing on just one component of the role play. Introductions were a favorite place to start.

I would give students about 20 seconds to scan a sample role play and then ask them to write a two to three sentence introduction based on the scenario. We would share our introductions and give each other feedback on how to make them clearer, more realistic, and more engaging.

This practice matters more than students often realize. It is essential to understand both your role and the judge’s role and to set the stage immediately. Be memorable from the very first sentence and fully play the part.

For example, if the judge is your manager, you might begin with something like:
 “Hello and thank you for inviting me to your office today. I have been thinking a lot about the challenges we are facing and am excited to share a few ideas with you.”

One of the most common issues I saw over my years as a judge was students starting with “Nice to meet you” when the judge’s role was a manager or colleague. In those situations, “Nice to see you again” would have been far more appropriate. Nailing these nuances from the start signals professionalism and preparation. Do not be afraid to lean into the role a bit. Judges notice and appreciate it.

The key to a strong role-play performance is an effective opening. After you introduce yourself with enthusiasm and “in role”, deliver a 30-45-second opening that recapitulates the scenario and sets the stage for what you will be discussing.

Strong openings should:

Recap key details from the scenario (e.g., “your business is located in a city with two big-box competitors, and you already have advanced services such as delivery and online ordering)

Restate the task:  what is the judge asking you for (e.g., “I’m here today to talk to you about a new service that will increase customer loyalty and drive sales”)

Set the stage:  tell them what to expect - do you have two solutions, three? (e.g., “Today I’m presenting three ideas for how xxxx business can dramatically increase profits”.

ICDC winners — Getting the Glass!

Former DECA students take the ICDC stage as finalists in the entrepreneurship team decision making category.

AI Tools Can Help You Succeed

Used thoughtfully, AI can be a powerful practice tool. Try copying and pasting a role play scenario into ChatGPT or Google Gemini and asking for creative solutions or alternative approaches you might not have considered.

If you need additional practice material, copy the performance indicators from an existing role play and ask AI to generate a new business scenario using those same indicators. This is a great way to expand your practice library and challenge yourself with fresh situations.

As with any tool, AI should support your thinking, not replace it. Use it to brainstorm, refine ideas, and stretch your creativity, then make the final product your own.

DECA role plays do far more than prepare students for competition. They help students build confidence, practice professional communication, and gain insight into careers they may never have considered otherwise. If DECA has helped your student gain clarity about their interests or future goals, that clarity can be incredibly powerful in the college admissions process.

If you are looking for support navigating college admissions with intention and purpose, I would love to help. Feel free to get in touch to start the conversation.

Know the Lingo

Part of being successful in a DECA role play is truly playing the part, and a big piece of that comes down to if and how you use business terminology in your presentation. Strong ideas matter, but judges are also listening for whether you sound like someone who belongs in the role you have been assigned.

There are plenty of free resources for building vocabulary. Quizlet has countless DECA-specific sets, and DECA Plus offers fairly solid flashcards for learning key terms. Those are a great place to start. That said, I always encouraged students to go a step further and customize their business lingo based on their specific event.

If you are competing in Travel and Tourism, for example, try searching for phrases like “trends in travel and tourism” or “key words anyone working in the travel industry should know.” This approach does two things. First, it helps you sound more natural and credible in your role play. Second, it exposes you to what is actually current and working in the industry right now. That kind of research often sparks more creative and realistic ideas for your role play solutions.

Another resource I consistently pointed students to is the free Performance Indicators app at
 https://performance-indicators.vercel.app/

Performance Indicators, often referred to as PIs, are the foundation of roughly half of your rubric points and they also form the basis of the written exam. It goes without saying that you should be very familiar with the PIs tied to your event. As you build fluency with them, your business vocabulary naturally improves as well. Better lingo, stronger content, higher scores. A true win win.