Public speaking skills and interviews

by: Ellen Egan

bpsusf

I was conducting some interviews recently and I was struck by how important public speaking skills are in the interview process. After all, public speaking is, at its heart, one person speaking to one or many. An interview may be one of the most important public speaking engagements that you have. The fundamentals of good public speaking are also at the centre of a good interview.

1. Preparation. Anyone who has conducted an interview will tell you that it is obvious who as prepared for the interview and who has not. We can easily guess who makes a better impression. Before the interview be sure to learn as much as you can about your potential employer. Google is a great tool for this. Find out about the company philosophy and mission. Find out as much as you can about the future direction of the company. Learn as much as you can about the department you will be working with and the particular job you are interviewing for.

2. Audience analysis. I have gone into detail about audience analysis in previous blogs (just look in the categories). Once again, you will want to find out as much as you can about who you will be interviewing with, what their interests are in this position and customize your interview preparation based on this.

3. Prepare your presentation (your stories). Take a good look at the job description and think of the skills and competencies that will be required and desireable for the job. Then, think of examples in your past where you have demonstrated these skills and capabilities. During the interview you can use thes examples/stories to give a clear picture to the interviewer that you have the experience to be successful at the job.

4. Voice control. Work on your voice before the interview to be sure that you are speaking clearly, loudly enough and confidently. You don’t want a shaky and weak voice during your interview.

5. Non-verbal messaging and body language. You will want to appear confident, interested, honest, caring, etc.  during your interview.  You can give all of these messages through body language by sitting up straight, sitting at the edge of your chair, having good eye contact with the interviewer(s) and smiling.  Of course, you will want to take care that your personal appearance is professional.

6.  Practice .  The key to successful public speaking and successful interviews is practice.  Practice “mock interviews” with friends or family so that you have a chance to answer questions, weave your stories into the conversaion and get confortable talking about yourself.   The more you practice, the more comfortable you will be when the interview takes place.

A good resource which can help both with interviewing and with being successful in your current job is:

How to Be the Person Successful Companies Fight to Keep by Connie Podesta

To your success,

Ellen

Dealing with the recession – Improve your public speaking skills

By: Ellen Egan

I was just reading Tom Peters list of Forty-six “Secrets” and “Clever Strategies” For Dealing with the Recession of 2008 – xxxxx.  Tom always has some brilliance to share and I recommend his blog for anyone who is looking to develop their career.  I started reading Tom Peters back in the ’80’s with In Search of Excellence and have been reading his wisdom ever since.

In his list of Forty-six “Secrets” he begins with things that some do not want to hear like: “You come to work earlier; You leave work later; You work harder”.  Tom is a master at clearly stating what we all really know we need to do to succeed and be excellent.  But, he says it in such a way that we nod our heads and think “yes, he’s right”.

One of the items in his list is “You learn new tricks of your trade.”  For me, this is where public speaking comes in.  By improving your public speaking skills you become the person who can:

• Lead the meeting
• Train new or existing staff
• Move into sales
• Gain more clients
• Travel to meet and work with clients

As people within your company see you improving your public speaking skills they will see you expanding your expertise and skill set.  This can lead to new opportunities, promotions or simply being the person they don’t want to layoff.

If you are looking for work, join a Toastmasters club to improve your public speaking skills and use it as a networking opportunity at the same time.  Mentioning in an interview that you are actively working on your presentation skills will impress prospective employers that you are using your time to improve yourself.

Right now, take a piece of paper and list a few areas in your current work situation where you could apply public speaking to enhance your work situation.  Perhaps you could start with something as simple as “speak up more in staff meetings”.  Once you start looking for ways to apply public speaking in your career and you are actively focusing on improving your public speaking skills, new areas will open up all over the place.

Click here to see a complete package to improve your communication skills.

Check out Tom’s list of 46 Secrets and other “free stuff” here

To find some of Tom Peters recent books:

To your success,
Ellen

Public speaking and team building

by: Ellen Egan

As I have mentioned before, public speaking is at the cornerstone of your successful career.  Years ago I had a wonderful mentor who taught me how to apply my public speaking skills in my role in our team.  The more that I applied these skills that I am about to teach you, the more I became a leader within our team.  This eventually led to a promotion and a much more secure position within the organization.  Once again – developing your public speaking skills can develop your career.

When working within a team, there are public speaking skills that you can apply which will lead to the team success and then your own success as well.  These tips can be applied to team meetings or any other interactions with team members.

1.  Listen generously.  Effective team members and effective leaders are those who are good listeners.  Listen first and then speak.  Try to hear all aspects of the situation before giving your opinion.  The other members of your team will recognise that you are listening to the situation, their concers and viewpoints.  It is a lot easier to think of different options and solutions when you have all the available information.    Also, you will be better able to understand the different perspectives of your audience (the other team members) if you have taken the time to listen.

2.  Look for options.  It is easier to complain and speak of problems.  But the mark of a true leader is someone who looks for solutions.   While you are listening to the information given by others, begin thinking of solutions to the concerns and challenges.  When you offer the solution, you can begin by clarifying what you think the problem is.  Then, offer options for solving the problem.

3.  Take a different perspective.  When working with teams, there can be differences between team members.  In these situations, try to bring the conversation back to the client (or audience) perspective.  You can use phrases like “Well, for our client X, it seems that their needs are centered on acheiving Y.  If we are helping them to achieve Y, then we need to focus on Z”  This helps to bring people back to the main goal of helping the client rather than on the mini-battle within the team.

4.  Transitions.  There are many different types of transition phrases you can use when you begin speaking that help to begin your presentation of your opinion without causing conflict.  “Jim, Iagree with what you are saying …… and I would like to add….”  “If I can clarify some of the details of …..”   “It seems like we have one core challenge  X….. with several options  x,y,z  for what we can do next.”  When you are transitioning to your opinion or solution, try to put on  a positive spin.

5.  Credit where credit is due.  One of the main skills I learned from my mentor is to be generous in giving out the credit.  People will remember other team members who shared the spotlight for a job well done or a good idea.  These are the people who are then given leadership roles.

One of my favorite quotes is from President Harry S. Truman “It is amazing what you can accomplish, when you don’t mind who gets the credit”

To your success,

Ellen