Part 1 If your most valuable information about a project comes from the pre-proposal meeting, you have missed the boat. Your experience might get you to the shortlist. However, winning the project requires in-depth client understanding/knowledge as well as solving issues and addressing details...

After your interview is complete, it is generally time for questions from your selection panel. More often than not, I find that presentation spaces are either boardroom style or in a room where the team is across from the panel who is either along...

Yes, I am quoting the famous Arid Extra Dry commercial.  However, it rings true for many presenters as well.  More often than not, presenters stand as far away from the audience as possible.  This is particularly the case if the room is large and...

What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear you speak. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Making a positive impression on the selection panel requires that what they see, hear and feel are in harmony.  If they are not, it discredits the messenger.  For...

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...

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...

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...

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...

I was working with a general contractor recently who said, “Don’t take this personally, but I hate practicing, I hate presenting, the only thing I like is the relief I feel when it is over.” His statement may resonate with some of you readers....

Yes and no.  While earning my Master’s Degree in Speech Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, I learned some theories related to persuasion: The Primacy Effect suggests that the information we hear first is more likely to have sticking power. Alternately, the...