Illustrative speech in your promotional oral interview

Website design By BotEap.comCertainly, one of the main objectives of performance in the oral interview is to be distinct Y disengaged from the assembly line of others who are vying for your promotion. The panel members search for a diamond among a pile of rocks.

Website design By BotEap.comA very powerful technique, often overlooked or underused, is illustrative speaking. Recite a memorized definition of leadership; describe pre-established motivation techniques; or discussing supervisory styles are fine, however such average descriptions pale in comparison when exemplified through real-life examples or verbal imagery so lucid that the panel can see what you saw or feel what you felt.

Website design By BotEap.comUsing ethics as an example, most candidates could describe integrity using the cliché; “Integrity is doing the right thing when no one else is looking.” This is a nice statement, but does it really define integrity? Others will define integrity with other ethical descriptors, such as being honest, having high morals, or having strong values; all of which help describe integrity, but even collectively, cannot define it.

Website design By BotEap.comUsing illustrative language, integrity could be defined as a gun safe that can never be breached or compromised; it is a nuclear submarine with no crush depth and no cracks will break the hull, no nuts will fail under pressure and the interior of the submarine will not be compromised by water; it is a line of policemen standing shoulder to shoulder, united, holding back a riotous mob, none of whom can get through the entire line. Illustrations such as these are followed by a concise definition; Integrity is uncompromising integrity and wholeness that cannot be violated.

Website design By BotEap.comNow, instead of panelists simply hearing the words honesty, doing the right thing, principles, and values, they’re envisioning a sturdy gun safe; they are seeing a submarine deep below the surface of the ocean prevailing against great pressure; they’re remembering when they once stood shoulder to shoulder with other officers during civil unrest or that big party gone violent. Panel members not only hear what you say, but they also see it and that is powerful communication and this technique can be used with any topic.

Website design By BotEap.comJust as effective as illustrative speech – the use of metaphors and analogies – is the use of real-life examples. For example, a candidate may answer a question about motivation by not only defining it, but also by describing in specific detail how he used various techniques to successfully motivate others in the past. This represents a candidate who has been there and done it and illustrates a tangible experience. Ultimately, the candidate can identify this experience as a valuable and necessary feature of the position for which they are competing.

Website design By BotEap.comIllustrative speaking, used correctly, can be very powerful and allows the candidate’s words and descriptions to come to life, allowing the panel to see and hear the response. Compare an interview response that provides only a definition with one that offers a descriptive illustration, followed by a concise definition, and then backed up by a real-life example, and the choice is clear. Taste good!