Job interviews are all about making strong first impressions. Successful networking requires the same ability. Public Speaking Training will help you develop this ability to engage with your listeners immediately. You connect by clearly sharing your perspective. But most people are uncomfortable talking about themselves and their unique points of view. There is a fear of sounding boring or possibly sounding pretentious. You achieve that elusive balance between sharing and bragging by telling the right stories.
What Do I Talk About?
It can be extremely daunting to determine the right thing to discuss at a job interview or networking event. The goal is to come across as professional and friendly in your conversations. These interactions often fall flat or don’t seem to get off the ground. Your Public Speaking Training will teach you always to choose the experience over the information. Focusing just on the facts can sound redundant at job interviews and like bragging at networking events.
Telling stories is how you can talk about yourself without making it obvious that you are talking about yourself. Your stories should reflect some aspect of your perspective on the world. Being able to include your point of view in a lighthearted yet thoughtful way is a discipline that can be developed through daily practice. Begin the process by considering these three stories from your life: the Mentor Story, the Leadership Story, and the Overcoming Challenges Story.
How Do I Answer the Hard Questions?
The most difficult questions to answer in job interviews are the open-ended ones. Top on the list is, “So, tell me a little about yourself.” (This isn’t a question but a very common request.) Because of the non-technical nature of the request, it is the perfect opportunity to utilize one of your stories. You only need one sentence to reach your goal smoothly. One proven Public Speaking Training opening statement is. “One of the most important things I’ve learned is…”
Remember that no matter how long you circled around the right way to respond, it will always come down to just one sentence leading to the telling of the story. From your Public Speaking Training you will learn to give yourself permission to jump right in with a opening sentence and be bold! You only have 90 seconds to make that good first impression.
Know Your Buttons
The “button” on a story is like a punchline to a joke. The ending sentence or phrase sums up the reason for telling the story and signals to the listener that the story is complete. Buttons don’t have to be humorous or witty, but they do have to reveal an aspect of your perspective. The best buttons clearly state the lesson that you learned from the experience. Some examples might be, “I didn’t realize at the time what a big deal it would be.” “I’ll never try that again.” “Well, you live, and you learn.”
Make Your Own Luck
Once you clearly know your stories, you must watch for opportunities to segue into them. Whether you are responding to a question or changing topics, you need to become accustomed to using your stories in a way that seems natural and unforced. Public Speaking Training shows you the techniques for recognizing your opportunities, and make the magic happen.