Q: Dressing to the T can give you an enormous confidence boost. Pick an outfit that you know you look good in and that is also comfortable. In general, wear an outfit that is fashionable but isn't overly glamorous. For instance, wear a tailored blouse and a skirt instead of a low-cut evening dress. If in doubt, dress as though you are going to a job interview. Don't wear something like a dress with straps that fall down, or extra high heels that you're not comfortable walking in. You don't need the anxiety of having a potential wardrobe mishap on top of your nerves about the pageant. Make sure that your hair and makeup is also foul proof. Don't use eyeliner that smears or put your hair up in a style that isn't secure. Nothing can make your heart race like being late to something important. Even if you are feeling fine about the interview, if you get there late you may feel flustered and anxious, which will affect your performance and drain your confidence. Make sure to give yourself enough time to get to the interview, and even try to arrive a little early. Before something nerve wracking like an interview, it's common for your mind to race out of control. Once you arrive and are waiting to go on stage, do something calming like listening to music or doing meditative exercises. Decide what is most relaxing for you. Some prefer to keep to themselves when nervous, while others like the distraction of talking to others. In the few minutes before the interview, try to relax. Take deep, slow breaths, thinking about the fact that you are thoroughly prepared for the interview and have done everything you can. You can also try thinking positive and empowering thoughts. Examples of these are: "This interview is going to go well" and "I am an impressive contestant." Right before your interview, you may hear other contestants interviewing and answering questions. Don't psych yourself out by comparing yourself to them or questioning your interviewing strategy based on their answers. Stay focused on your plan and try to keep a clear head. Remember that all contestants are usually asked different questions, so don't obsess about how you would answer one of their questions.
A: Choose the right outfit. Get there on time. Try to relax. Take deep breaths. Don't compare yourself to the competition.

Q: Take an 11 by 7 inch baking pan (approximately 28 by 18 centimeters). Spray with a non-stick baking spray. Then, pour your brownie batter into the pan using a spatula or spoon. Brownies should be baked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about 178 degrees Celsius). The brownies should bake for about 35 minutes. Check to make sure your brownies are done before removing them from the oven. To do this, stick a toothpick in the center of the brownies. It should come out clean. If there is batter on it, bake the brownies for a few more minutes. After removing them from the oven, set the brownies aside for an hour or so. You want them to cool completely before proceeding. There is no precise size to cut your brownie bites. It depends on personal preference. Use a knife to cut the brownies into bite-sized portions. You can do this by cutting vertical lines through the brownies, followed by horizontal lines. For the cleanest cuts, use a cold knife. You can put a butter knife in the refrigerator for an hour, for example, and then use it to cut the brownies. Set your brownie bits in a refrigerator. You should let them chill for at least an hour. This way, they will be solid enough to dip in your chocolate mixture. As the brownie bits will not be in the fridge for long, it's okay to put them in uncovered. However, you can put aluminum or plastic covering over the brownie bits if you want.
A: Prepare your baking pan. Bake your brownies. Allow your brownies to cool. Cut your brownies. Chill your brownie bites.

Q: You should think about who the joke teller is and why he may be telling a certain joke. A father may tell a joke about fathers to a group of people, for example, that may only make sense to other fathers. This may be because he wants to appeal to the other fathers in the group, and you may not get the joke because you are not a father. This can be applied to other professions and groups, as you may need to try to identify with the joke teller's perspective to fully understand the joke. It can be useful to consider the joke as representative of the humor of the joke teller as well. A person who has a goofy sense of humor may tell a different joke than a person who is more dry and witty. Aligning yourself with the joke teller can allow you to take the joke as it is meant to be taken, which is often not seriously. If you can't quite determine the intent behind the joke, you can look to the others around you to determine how you should react to the joke. Often, laughter can be infectious and you can end up laughing with everyone else just by paying attention to their reactions. Gauging the reactions of others can also allow you to take the joke less seriously, especially if the others around you are enjoying the joke. According to studies, we do not choose to laugh. Often, laughter is an automatic response that we do unconsciously. This is why it's difficult to laugh on command or fake a laugh. Paying attention to how others are responding around may cause you to inadvertently laugh at a joke, rather than remain serious and standoffish. To break through your serious approach, you may want to challenge yourself to respond to the joke with a witty comeback or one liner. You can do this by picking up on a theme or idea in the joke and countering with a line you think is funnier or more interesting. For example, a coworker may tell a joke about his toddler always being sad when he leaves the house. You may then respond with a one liner about how your dog is always sad when you leave for the day. This is a funny response because it builds off of the original joke and presents a funny counter-image: your dog, sad at the door, as you head off to work. This will show you are not taking your coworker's joke seriously and can be part of the fun. Self-deprecation is when you make fun of yourself as a way to elicit laughs. It can be useful when you are not sure how to respond to a joke or you realize you responded too seriously to a joke. Self-deprecating humor can be a good way to brush off an awkward moment and show you can poke fun at yourself. Use self-deprecating humor whenever you feel awkward, on the spot, or unsure of what to say. For example, your friend may make a joke about how awful he is at a certain sport or game. You may respond with self-deprecation, like how awful you are at most things in general. This will likely cause your friend to laugh and allow you to respond to the original joke in a funny way.
A:
Put yourself in the shoes of the joke teller. Notice how other people around you react to the joke. Respond with a witty one liner. Brush off the joke by being self-deprecating.