We all know that the purpose of a great resume is to makes the phone ring. The prospective employer on the other end of the line likes what she saw, and now wants to talk a few minutes for the all important phone interview. For most people, talking on the phone is no big deal, since the cell phone is our constant companion. The phone interview is huge, because the face-to-face interview depends on it.
Now, since 1924, Toastmasters International has been helping people get over their fear of public speaking and improving their communications skills. During the meetings, members have the opportunity to practice speaking by delivering prepared speeches, giving short, impromptu speeches during Table Topics, and by serving as an evaluator for a prepared speech. During the meeting, one of the members also listens for the “Ah’s,” “Ums,” grammatical errors and other things that detract from a speech, and reports at the end of the meeting.
Most people think of Toastmasters as a way to learn how to speak in front of a group. So how can it help with phone interview? If you think about it, a phone interview is just a series of questions. You can’t predict what they will be ahead of time, so they are a lot like Table Topics at a Toastmasters meeting. During Table Topics, the Table Topics Master will ask questions on the topic for the evening and then call on members to come up and talk for up to two minutes on the question. No preparation possible. You have to think on your feet, organize your thoughts and respond in an interesting manner. Table Topics helps you learn to listen to the questions, formulate a response, and deliver it coherently on-the-spot.
Phone interviews can be tough because body language and gestures add to the delivery and impact of a message. Part of the evaluator’s job in Toastmasters is to give feedback on speech delivery, which includes voice tone, pace and vocal variety. A monotone voice can make a person appear uninteresting and boring. A very soft or loud voice can be enough to cut the interview short. How you sound accounts for about 85% of the impact of your conversation over the phone and a good evaluator will help point out ways you can improve your delivery.
The grammarian plays an important meeting role, because she listens for things that most people are unaware of, but are even more annoying over the phone. With no visuals to distract the listener, every “Um,” “Ah,” or “you know” stands out. Those non-words are a sign of hesitation, lack of concentration or confidence—not the impression you want to leave with a prospective employer.
Toastmasters clubs usually meet once a week, and there may be several clubs in an area. When you’re searching for jobs on www.communicationsjobs.net, check out www.toastmasters.org to find a meeting in your area. The website has lots of tips to improve your speaking and leadership skills as well.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for communicationsjobs.net. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients reinvent their careers for today’s job market. You can read more of her blogs at communicationsjobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.
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