1. Persuasive Communications Presented by: Lisa Kaslyn prosperCommunications

2. Persuasive Communications Agenda The Three “Ps” of Persuasive Communication Passion Preparation Presence Use Your Voice Four of the Most Difficult Interview Questions Words of HR Wisdom Questions

3. 1. Passion To tell your story with confidence, charisma and power you need Passion Without Passion you will fail to sell your message, build rapport and motivate your audience to action How do I muster my passion? Discovering your passion is to find the object of your enthusiasm Energy Energy conveys enthusiasm. You can have all the passion in the world, but if you don’t have the energy to express it, then no one will share your enthusiasm Get plenty of sleep Eat well and keep fit Maintain a positive attitude

4. 2. Preparation Preparation is key! Do your homework on the employer – you want to be knowledgeable as well as enthusiastic. Pre-canned answers, rehearsed and set-up are critical to setting yourself apart and gaining the edge in an interview Employers hire people for three reasons: Make money Save money Or to affect a process that will ultimately impact the bottomline Keeping these reasons in mind, every answer to every question should include how you helped make money, save money or improve a process Have 3-5 answers about your experience including how it affected those themes – canned and rehearsed.

5. 3. Presence What is it and Who has it? How can I get it? Body language – 93% of communication effectiveness is determined by non-verbal cues Smile! Open Posture – slumped, casual body posture is not only about lack of confidence, it also signifies lack of attention to detail and reflects poorly on reliability and capability. Don’t create barriers between you and your listener. Eye Contact – is associated with honesty, trustworthiness, sincerity and confidence – all traits you strive for on an interview. Hand Gestures – Did you know that using hand gestures actually helps people speak better by clearing up their thought process? Use gestures to make your story less stiff; use them sparingly and at key moments to punctuate or make an important point. Dress

6. Use Your Voice! Voice is one of your greatest assets Nervous, you speed up…slow down..say each word clearly and smile; practice reading out loud..underline words in text that you wan to emphasize Use pauses – gives you time to breathe, emphasize a word and lets your listener absorb the information – you’re also less likely to use pause words, such as “um” or “ah” Use voice inflection – for emphasis and to convey the exact meaning of a phrase. Example: “I know the answer” Voice tone – Your voice should match the words that you say. If you say, “I’m excited to be here,” but your voice conveys boredom, the audience will believe your non-verbals rather than your words Your voice has a wide rang and the potential to convey meaning and emotion to your audience. Learning to tap into the power of your voice will enable you to become a more powerful communicator

7. Four of the Most Difficult Interview Question… 1. What is your biggest weakness? This is best handled by picking something that you have made a positive step to redress Use example…if your IT ability not at the level it could be…state as weakness, but mention training courses or time spent outside of work hours you have used to improve those skills…your initiative may be viewed as strength Don’t say you have no weakness. The interviewer will not believe you Or I have a tendency to work too hard – appears you are avoiding the question

8. 2. Why should we hire you? What makes you special and where do your major strengths lie? You should find out what they are looking for in the job description “I have unique combination of strong technical skills and the ability to build long-term customer relationships,” is a good opening sentence It is then important to lead on to a more specific example of something you have done so far in your career to support your statement State the biggest achievement and benefit to the business Finish with: “Given the opportunity, I could bring this success to your company.”

9. 3. Why do you want the job? The interviewer is listening for an answer that indicates you’ve given this some thought. If you’ve prepared for the interview properly you should have good inside knowledge of the company’s values, mission statement, development plans and products. Use this info to describe how your goals and ambitions matches the company’s ethos and how you would relish the opportunity to work for them Never utter the phrase, I just need a job.

10. 4. Tell me about yourself… This is often the first question you get asked. Seems innocuous, but this question can throw you off guard if you haven’t thought about it Give a good balanced answer…not a life history Preparation is important - don’t go into too much detail - talk for about 5 mins.. Begin with an overview of your highest qualification then run through jobs you’ve had in your career. You can roughly follow structure of your resume or CV, giving examples of achievements and skills you’ve picked up along the way

11. HR Words of Wisdom Remember to prepare canned responses to questions that answer to the three reasons why a company would hire you: save money, make money or affect a process to improve bottomline Your responses should be quantitative and and answer the question, why should they care? Something that you did may seem important to you, but why is it important to the interviewer or hiring manager? Never talk about family. If you must, keep it brief Come prepared with questions. In doing so, you help build rapport through dialogue and if you are somewhat shy, having questions ready will reduce your stress and getting tongue-tied Resume blips, such as extensive gaps in employment, can be answered in advance by including a brief explanation on the resume Before including every minute detail of every position, answer the who cares question Create multiple resumes and tailor them to the job opportunity Don’t send a resume to “To Whom It May Concern.” Call the company and find out who are directing the resume to and address it accordingly Be sure to change your objective on your resume as appropriate. *Important for people who have been out of work for an extended period to have done something…volunteer, be active in something, making contacts. Keep up with skills and being out changes your attitude. Don’t want to hire someone who is bumming. Allison Madison, president, Madison Approach Staffing, amadison@madisonapproach.com

12. Persuasive Communications Thank You!