Career Hub

Interview Keeping "Moments of Truth" in Mind

My morning mood was elevated by reading one of Tom Peter's blogs about his mornings and the key ingredient that made them "good." He talks about the server at his local bistro who greeted him in a friendly way and went about her business with quiet competency. And how she started his day off on a good footing just by being who she was, even though he didn't even know her name.

He then goes on to talk about the importance of such "Moments of Truth" in making businesses run better. Here's what he said:

"....business ("life," too, of course) rises or falls on the nature and character of what the great SAS boss, Jan Carlzon, called "moments of truth"—those fleeting moments of true human contact that define our enterprise's excellence—or lack thereof."

In the midst of all our work coaching clients to ace an interview, we probably don't pay enough attention to helping people make a genuine connection with the interviewer. How to do that? Put away the interview "nerves" and the belief that you are being judged and substitute it with a truly collegial attitude - in which the you are identified with the interviewer's pain or challenges and you sincerely establish yourself as someone who can help with the solution(s).

If you lift the day of the interviewer as your day is lifted by every single moment of pleasantness, generosity and caring that you encounter, you will be remembered and (hopefully) presented with an offer.

Such an attitude - that breaks through the superficiality and indifference of so many human encounters - is good in its own right, not just for business. Can you think of a time when you encountered a "moment of truth" and were changed for the better by it?

Public Speaking: Phobia or Friend?

I absolutely love public speaking! I used to be scared out of my wits to do this particular activity, though...my knees would wobble, my neck would turn new shades of red or purple, I'd lose my breath, and I'd read my lines, hoping and praying that I wouldn't mess up because I was so nervous. Public speaking just wasn't my thing. I totally dreaded the thought of speaking to an audience. Whether it was a small group of three, or an audience of 300, I would work myself into a dither beyond ridiculous.

At the time, I thought surely I must be the only career professional around who harbored such fears. What I didn't realize was that a whole slew of people shared my particular fear. As a professional, do you enjoy public speaking or are you afraid of it? And if you are afraid of it, the question you might wish to ask yourself at this time in your career is this:

what, if anything, can I do to address my fear of public speaking?

For sure, I don't know what will work for you; I can only share with great conviction what worked for me in reconciling my fear of public speaking.

Speak! That's what I did. Speak! Face your fear and start speaking. It's as simple (and complicated) as that! Shortly after starting my business, I joined Toastmasters International and I can tell you, it truly changed my life for the better. While I savored what I learned in graduate school, it simply did not have the life-changing impact that Toastmasters did for me. I recall the first night I ever attended a Toastmasters meeting. I went home and told my family that while I had enjoyed the evening, I wouldn't be going back, thank you very much. "Those people are all polished professionals." I didn't feel like I fit. When the next Monday night at 6:00 P.M. rolled around, I begrudgingly found myself back at Toastmasters. I was an active member, contributor, and competitor for 11 years and indeed, I learned a lot about myself and more importantly, I learned how to speak.

It was a bittersweet ending to my Toastmasters career. I remember that sunny Fall day, driving to a Hospice house to say good-bye to Charles, a dear friend from Toastmasters. As we were reminiscing about our TM times, I told him I was thinking about stepping away from it all and moving on to other things. Much to my surprise, he quietly whispered...Well, if you haven't learned to speak by now, you're never going to. Charles died; I never went back to Toastmasters. And I never look back on that experience with anything but gratitude and fondness for all that my Fellow Toastmasters taught me. And thanks to Charles, I have just kept looking forward...I absolutely love public speaking.

posted by: billiesucher