Communication Interview Questions

1. 1.

   What are the components of a successful, and effective, presentation?

   Whether or not you have experience giving presentations, you likely understand the difference between a terrible performance and one that captures your attention all the way through.
   
   Here are some factors that make a successful presentation:
   
   - Understanding your audience
   - Using relatable term and jargon
   - Introducing multi-media or other visuals
   - Being presentable in appearance
   - Utilizing the art of storytelling
   
   

   

   Rachelle's Answer

   "I believe that the most important part of a presentation is to have a compelling opening and closing. These are the times when the audience is the most engaged and when you should make the boldest statements of your pitch. I have given hundreds of presentations over the course of my career and this approach has never failed me."

   

   Rachelle's Answer

    for a Admin interview

   "Although I have not presented in my career, I have created presentations for the VP whom I currently support. When making the slides, I like to include bullet points with compelling information and attractive pictures. I think that the multi-media used is a key component to building a presentation that captures attention."

   

   Rachelle's Answer

    for a Manager interview

   "I have given many presentations in my management career and have found that when I start with a story, give some facts, and end with how those facts pertain to story; I can capture and keep the attention of my audience. Everyone loves a great story, especially one that is relatable to their personal or professional situation."

   

   Rachelle's Answer

    for a Marketing interview

   "Marketing is all about telling the right story, with the correct timing and message. For that reason, I believe that the key to a great presentation is first to know your audience before you begin to build your message. What are the pain points, the demographics of those you are presenting to, and what it is you want them to understand your pitch or offering."

   

   Rachelle's Answer

    for a Retail interview

   "I have never given a presentation, but I have sat through some great ones, and some pretty boring ones too. I like presentations that infuse some humor and visuals."

   

   Rachelle's Answer

    for a Sales interview

   "I present pitches to my clients on a regular basis. For myself, I have learned that the key to a compelling presentation is facts like percentages, numbers, and achievements. I avoid long drawn out sentences and long bunches of text on my slides."

   

   Rachelle's Answer

    for a Teacher interview

   "As an educator, I spend most of my day presenting! That is what teaching is all about. A successful class is one where my students are highly vocal and engaged - offering the opinion and asking insightful questions. I gather this result by asking questions of them and using a variety of resources and media."

   

   Lisa's Answer

    for a Petroleum Engineer interview

   "While on a job in the field, I was in contact with a client who had little knowledge about the oil patch. Because it was my duty provide the client with a desirable end result, I would call him multiple times a day to give him status updates on his job which includes any bumps along the road. Sometimes I would get the feeling he didn't really understand, so I made sure to not use overly technical language or industry specific terms incase he was not familiar with the jargon. If he was still unsure, I would send him pictures of equipment or diagrams I would hand draw. I felt like it was crucial for everyone to be on the same page, so it was important for me to take the time to explain what I was doing in non-technical terms. He really appreciated me going above and beyond in explanations and even requested me to be on his next job."

   

   Allison's Answer

    for a Engineer interview

   "My team's senior design project was a hospital in a rural village. Our final report had to be written in such a way that it not only met the requirements of our professors, but also was engaging and reader-focused so the organization we partnered with could use it in a grant application. I learned to avoid using too much jargon in the sections where we were describing how our project met the community's needs, but that those words actually fit well in the technical appendices. Overall, this project was a challenge in learning to communicate to different audiences in the same report, but it definitely improved my communication skills as an engineer."

   Anonymous Answer
   "The components of a successful, and effective, presentation are that you first understand your audience, use terminology that is general enough for everyone to understand, provide a PowerPoint to show pictures, drawings, and diagrams, be presentable in appearance, and be able to relate a story to what's being presented if it will add value to the presentation."
   
   Rachelle's Answer
   Wonderful!
   Was this answer helpful? Yes or No
   Thank you, your vote helps us display the best answers.