A panel interview consists of a meeting where several members of the organization will ask questions to one or more interviewees simultaneously. And generally, there is a moderator who will be in charge of this function; that is to say, there will be a person in charge of asking the questions.
A member of the human resources department participates in the interview, and the other members may be from the department(s) in which the new member will be involved. However, the panel interview can be intimidating for some people, but with the practice of a few techniques, the interviewee can be successful.
Here is a series of techniques for you from specialists form https://www.wowessays.com/ to know and put into practice and, most importantly, to feel confident and leave stage fright behind.
Storytelling
Storytelling is the art of telling stories and connecting quickly with the interviewer’s emotions. Generally, in a panel interview, you have little time to make your audience fall in love with you and convince them that you are the best option they are looking for.
In the same way, salespeople of all types, product salespeople, ideas, and projects, among others, if they want to be successful in the corporate or business world, this is a quality they will have to cultivate.
The different stories to make storytelling will vary according to what you want to sell or project. This can be an idea, a product, or your image. However, they should be connected to a story, to shared values, and mainly to emotions, as described below:
Project your image: If you are looking to project your image, as soon as you have the opportunity, you should share why you want to be part of the organization, what values identify you with it, and why.
And better yet, if you have the opportunity during the interview, do not miss the chance to share a brief episode of your life that connects with the organization’s values.
Sell an idea: This is a resource widely used by those seeking funding for their startup (emerging company), usually young university students with great ideas but few financial resources to get it off the ground.
This is the reason why they look for big financiers. Still, these are, in turn, multimillionaire people in business with very tight agendas who will not look at your idea unless they find it attractive and mainly profitable.
So, meeting with this kind of people is quite a feat, but if you manage to do it, you will only have a few minutes to get them interested in your idea. So you will have to put all your persuasion skills to work, just as Mark Zuckerberg used them in his time.
Selling a product: For years, storytelling has become a resource widely used by large companies to make their product connect with the emotionality of their customers and make it part of their lives. Examples include Coca-Cola, Nike, and Dove, among many other companies.
Elevator Pitch
The Elevator Pitch is a much more aggressive technique than storytelling, although it also consists of the art of persuasion and transmitting an idea; this will be done in much less time. This technique is the most used by entrepreneurs looking for financiers for their projects.
Although in a panel interview, you have much more time to express yourself, it is not a bad idea to know this technique and put it into practice since it will give you the ability to summarize your main ideas much better and project them in a very short period of time, especially if that day there will be several interviewees at the same time. Here are the steps to follow to learn how to use it:
Define the audience: The audience is usually well-defined in a panel interview, it has the human resources manager who is related to the values of the organization, and this will be the one who will approve the interviewees.
But, it can also count simultaneously with those responsible for other directions, which in turn will evaluate the attitudes of the interviewee at a glance.
Identifies the problem: Usually, when an entrepreneur is looking for a funder for his project, he identifies a problem in society, or in the technological world, among others, to which he has found a solution with his idea, and therefore seeks funding for it, since it can be very beneficial.
The same happens with a panel interview. You must demonstrate in a very short time that your presence in the organization will be very valuable to it.
Develop your solution: When it comes to an entrepreneur when you have already captured the attention of your potential funder, they will be given the task of developing in detail the solution, whether it is technological, social, or ecological, among others.
But a panel interview will consist of demonstrating the capabilities and skills that you have acquired throughout your preparation. In this sense, that makes you the right person to be part of the organization.
Create your message: Finally, create your message; if it is about a product, is it good and why; about an idea or project, how favorable or profitable it can be; but if it is about your image, what do you have to contribute to the organization and why.
Communication Skills
Communication skills are also a determining factor for the panel interview since the interviewer and others interested in listening to you will be the audience in which you will be the speaker. Therefore, to better develop your communication skills, you should take into account the following elements:
Active listening:
To activate active listening in the right way, you must learn to:
Listen without judging or prejudging the person who is speaking to you.
Respect the speaker, that is, look the speaker in the eyes and pay real attention to what they are communicating.
Learn to listen empathetically, i.e., try to connect with their message truly.
These points, exercised in the right way, will allow us to understand the message objectively and, at the same time, will make it easier for us to respond appropriately.
Empathy
One of the main rules of empathy lies in accepting the other person without judging or prejudging and allowing them to express themself calmly. This will allow a fluid and authentic conversation, and at the same time, try to connect with their emotions, that is, to enter the inner world of the other.
Assertiveness and self-esteem
Assertiveness starts from self-respect and respect for others, which will determine assertiveness in communication. Each response, attitude, or expression will be assertive to the extent that they are respectful, i.e., without being invasive or overbearing.
As for self-esteem, this corresponds to self-esteem, self-respect, and self-recognition. Only to this extent can I connect and manage to recognize the other as a human being with feelings and emotions.
Working on self-esteem is part of an emotional journey; for some, perhaps, it is a long way since this is part of their personal experiences or emotional wounds not overcome, but it is a necessary and fair way. People with higher self-esteem have better communication, assertiveness, and empathic abilities.
Resilience
Resilience consists of inner strength. It is an inner mechanism that allows the individual to face adverse situations or to adapt to certain situations and achieve positive changes in the midst of these.
But, like self-esteem, it is part of a journey since for resilience to emerge within the being, the individual must go through certain situations that make them recognize the internal or emotional weapons they have.
Eloquence
Eloquence consists of the art of speaking, of convincing, and of falling in love with words. At the same time, eloquence also has to do with the congruence between words and actions. This is the reason why an eloquent person earns the credibility of those around him.
An eloquent person possesses the art of expressing himself with elegance in communication but simultaneously in a simple way. His way of speaking is nourished, but without falling into boredom, and he possesses the gift of falling in love with words, which is why an eloquent person is highly persuasive.
For this reason, eloquence was considered an art in Ancient Greece, highly valued, studied, and polished, and sometime later, it was adopted by the Romans as part of their study.
How to develop eloquence
Simple language:
There are three basic principles for developing plain language; first, that it be clear, that is, without fancy words that hinder the interpretation of it; second, that it is not ambiguous, that is, that it be so well explained that it does not leave room for different interpretations; third, that it be precise, that is, concrete, that the meaning of it not be lost.
Moderate speed:
Like music, words have sound and rhythm. Therefore, communication that is not too slow but not too fast will be fluid and sonorous to listeners. However, there are also techniques to develop the voice, making it much more sonorous and attractive.
For example, reading poetry aloud, or singing songs with long lyrics, will allow the voice to come into its own. In addition to taking care of the environment, not drinking drinks that are neither too cold nor too hot will, in turn, allow you to keep a healthy voice.
Addressing the audience:
The main golden rule to address the audience is to look them in the eye, which is when the first direct contact with them is established. The rest will be part of the dynamics, whether a conversation, a speech in front of an audience or an interview.
Avoiding monotony
It must be accurate and nourished to avoid monotony in a speech or conversation. In other words, it should not be unnecessarily long, empty, or hollow and lacking in attractiveness.
Avoiding crutches:
A golden rule to avoid crutches is to prepare well before an audience, conversation, or interview. This will allow you to be self-assured, which will help you avoid using crutches.
Steve Jobs’ speech at Stanford University
So far, Steve Jobs’ speech is one of the most valued in the world of public speaking since Steve Jobs had an innate talent to perform in the art of communicating and convincing.
The speech addressed to the students of Stanford University on the day of his graduation has been one of the most applauded, not only because of the context of the disease he was overcome at that time, which made him a resilient and eloquent man in front of the audience but also because he was honest and authentic with his message.
Steve Jobs enjoyed using the storytelling technique; therefore, this speech was divided into three stages of his life, and in a brilliant way, in just 15 minutes, he managed to connect with his audience, empathize with their efforts, and at the same time left a message of self-improvement, believe in themselves and pursue their dreams.
Conclusion
Just as Steve Jobs culminates his extraordinary speech with the words “Stay hungry. Stay crazy”, when he referred to the hunger for knowledge and the madness of pursuing dreams, in the same way, in the art of communication, many elements are immersed, since, in order to enjoy eloquence, one must enjoy knowledge.
Therefore, to enjoy a nourishing conversation in the different areas of our lives, it is necessary to train, read, research, study, and learn.
