The First Minute: How to Start Conversations That Get Results (Business Communication Skills Books Book 1)

by Chris Fenning

Example Interview Question #2: Describe a time you went out of your way to help somebody. Context: I was on a deadline to submit the monthly account reports. Intent: I planned to complete them that afternoon. Key Message: A new member of my team, Kerry, asked for some help, and I had to choose between completing my reports or helping her. Goal: Kerry was to give her first presentation to the managers the next day. All the department heads would be there, and Kerry knew this was an opportunity to stand out. Problem: Unfortunately, Kerry had only recently taken over the work. It wasn’t going well before she came onboard, and she was nervous about speaking to a room of senior leaders with only bad news to share. I knew it would take most of the day to help Kerry prepare, and that put my own deadline at risk. Solution: I moved a lower-priority meeting to a different day and cleared my schedule for the afternoon, so I could work with Kerry to help her prepare for the presentation. She practiced presenting to me, we revised the slides based on some information I had on the project, and we prepared answers to the most likely questions. After she was comfortable, I went back and finished my report. It took a few hours of work that evening to complete, but it was worth it because Kerry aced the presentation.