I was recently asked: “What can be done in a project interview to minimize the perception that a team member is too young for the job?” I’ll share with you how I have coached younger PM’s in the past that has been successful. One...
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Establishing Trustworthiness Through Eye Contact
Never underestimate the power of good eye contact where presenting to an audience of 1 or 100. One of the most important things an audience determines is whether they can trust you. Good eye contact tells the audience, “I have nothing to hide, you...
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Visual Cohesiveness
Have you ever walked into someone’s house or office that was a mish mash of styles and colors? It has a tendency to make us unsettled and uncomfortable. That is the effect on your interview panel when the team arrives in a variety of...
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Get to the Point Without Pointing
Recently at an in-house workshop for a large Arizona General Contractor, “Jason” had a habit of pointing his finger at members of the audience when he wanted to underscore what he was saying. Pointing makes members of your audience uncomfortable. But many people like...
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Question/Answer Dilemmas
Some questions require clarification. For example, “How would you handle environmental issues on this project?” There are two possible approaches and you will not know which way to go unless you ask a follow up question like, “Are you looking for more information about...
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Proper breathing? But I breathe all the time…
Yes, to be alive breathing is required. However, how you breathe can aid or inhibit your ability to deliver a compelling and confident presentation. Recently I was working with a young woman who had a tendency to do shallow breathing-she took breaths that only...
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What’s the Gift?
Happy Holidays! This is the time of year when many of us enjoy the giving and receiving of gifts. As an incentive to buy, some companies offer a “Gift with Purchase”. This is a concept you can use in your project interviews. In the...
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Question: What do you do if a member of the selection panel appears distracted or unpleasant?
You can’t let one person derail your whole interview. Shift the energy. Be inviting. Think, “How cute” and keep on with your presentation. Don’t let it diminish your enthusiasm. Focus on connecting with the other members of the panel. If you can do so...
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Demonstrate Character
It can be very powerful to share stories or examples of past projects in your project interview Q & A. Two questions that often come up are: “Tell us about a challenge you faced on a previous project and how you solved it.” “Identify...
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Avoid Over-Packing Your Presentation
For most presentations, we have way more content than time available. Some presenters try to cram more into their presentation by increasing the rate of speech. This is a mistake. When information comes at us too fast, we don’t have time to process it...
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