PwC Employability E-learn Interview script - Delivery

Podcast - Delivery

Let’s look at delivery in more detail now as communication style – how you say it - is just as important as what you say.

A key consideration for any telephone interview, is how the way in which you deliver what you’re saying supports the message you are giving. You’ll need to think about how you sound when speaking over the phone - as the interviewer won’t be able to see if you are emphasising any part of your answer, for example, through your hand gestures or facial expressions; so, you’ll need to change your vocal tone and pitch when talking through your response to support the emphasis of what it is you are saying - the content you’re sharing with the interviewer.

Here’s an example of David speaking at a good pace and changing his vocal tone to emphasise the key issues he was faced with. In this example, David also uses humour to build rapport with the interviewer; you can also hear this in the clip from Amit’s interview.

David: Plus there were times when they’d forget to e-mail everyone with the new code. People were regularly stuck until someone who knew it came along. Not great, especially when it was cold!

Amit: To say I was happy would be an understatement

Let’s now listen to the difference your vocal tone can make to what you’re saying. In the next clip Amit tries to use humour to build rapport, but he lacks impact as he is softly spoken implying he lacks confidence in his response.

Amit: (Softly spoken)…….by email….easiest way now isn’t it? 

Now listen to the impact a confident delivery can have on what you’re saying.

David: It had a big impact…. it stopped the issue of the residents being locked out and we were all - me included –were notified of the new code as soon as it was changed.

Can you hear the difference between the two examples? In the clip you’ve just heard, David is clear and succinct in his response, talking with good pace which is not too fast and not too slow. He is self-assured when delivering his answer to the interviewer.

So we know that, what seems to be insignificant factors in how you talk, can impact the quality of what you’re saying if you’re not careful. Of course, we’re not expecting everyone to be perfect – that’s not reality - but there are things you can do to help you be the best you can be. Let’s listen to another example from Emma’s interview. Why not make a note of the things that you hear that you feel negatively impact Emma’s delivery.

Emma: Okay sure, when I was in South America – I’ve just got back! – I was teaching English to children, I was given feedback that I was a bit “stiff” and formal in m teaching style - I was peer reviewed by my friend, who was also on the volunteer programme. I can see now where she was coming from….I didn’t really have many activities for the children in that lesson so…

The students loved it….I saw a big difference straight away, picked up the new words a lot faster and they made sense to them now that they were using them in the right context…..

I learnt that there’s different ways to something and sometimes I just need to adapt my own approach to support others, in this case it was my students. I really appreciated Anita’s feedback as it helped me to learn all about my teaching style and how I might need to change it depending on who I’m teaching.

So, what did you notice? How easy was it to follow what Emma was saying? I don’t know about you, but I found it difficult to keep up with her answer. She spoke at a fast pace and was clearly nervous throughout her response. Emma has little intonation in her voice - she doesn’t alter her vocal tone. Speaking in a monotone means her answer loses impact as there is no distinction between her sentences or, indeed, the key actions she took.

If you were listening very carefully, you might have heard her drop some words from her sentences. This happened as Emma rushed her delivery for example, she says “picked up the new words” instead of “they picked up the new words”.  This makes her come across as less articulate and professional – perhaps even sounding like she is reading from notes detracting from the high level of detail she has provided.

Let’s listen to another clip from Emma. Can you hear the difference?

Podcast 5

Emma: So I asked Anita if she had any ideas to help me change my style up a bit. She mentioned a few things that she’d done for her class…. like using cards with pictures as part of a game. So, I asked if I could watch her lesson that afternoon to get some ideas to help me.

And I am glad I went to Anita’s class

In this clip Emma’s delivery of her answer fully supports the content she is providing the interviewer with. She’s speaking at an appropriate pace and changes her tone to emphasise some of the things she is saying. Emma takes breaks between her sentences so her delivery sounds natural and unrushed.

In the next clip you’ll hear Emma clearly outlining what she learnt from the feedback she received and then demonstrating how she used this knowledge to change her behaviour. Again, her delivery is at a good pace and you can hear changes in her vocal tone which emphasises what she is saying. 

Emma: So I created some new lesson plans…..I added a few activities like matching words to pictures…..doing role plays with new words, you know that sort of thing, just to break down the lessons a bit.

Another important thing to remember is your pitch - that is, the volume at which you deliver your answer. Listen to the next clip from Amit and see what you think about his pitch.

Amit: Ummm well just some people I knew through friends and family

In this clip Amit seemed hesitant when giving his answer which is further impacted by the low volume of his delivery. On the face of it this implies a lack of confidence in what he is about to share. Here’s another clip from Amit where we can hear more hesitation in his delivery.

Amit: Erm well I guess just some information on what I was looking for and why.

Did you pick up on this? Amit has clearly stated his response but his pitch goes up at the end of the sentence which could imply he is unsure of his response. Again, you should practice being considered in your response without implying hesitation - preparation will help you have more confidence in the examples you choose to share. You might even want to consider practicing delivering your responses over the phone with a friend to build your confidence.

Now let’s focus on the style of your delivery. In the following clips you’ll hear some responses from David. In these examples, David has been effective in answering the question he was asked “Describe a time when you felt you'd shown creativity or innovation to solve a problem” . However, the language he used to convey his response detracted from the content of his answer.

I’ll talk you through some of the key points for consideration after the clips but listen carefully for now and perhaps make a note of anything you pick up on.

David: Was just like really annoying. I come up with a way that meant the code changed every month and everyone got an e-mail with the new code on. 

Thought it was pretty creative, solved a problem that got everyone’s back up in my halls….

They changed the code like whenever the’dy remembered - so there were some times when they didn’t let us all know if you know what I mean!! 

It was just like seriously annoying!

You may have heard David say some expressions like “was just like really annoying”, and “got everyone’s back up.” Think about the audience to which David has just delivered this to his potential employer it’s not usually appropriate to use language which can be considered informal, unprofessional and grammatically incorrect like this in an interview situation. Remember, the employer is looking to see how you may speak to potential colleagues, senior members of staff and even external clients or customers. So, when preparing for your interview, consider what you can do to ensure your communication style matches the environment you are looking to join.

As I am sure you have spotted, David speaks in a relaxed manner a number of times in these clips. Another example of this is when he says “do you know what I mean?” this maybe something you say to your friends when you’re relaxed or in a social situation - away from a professional environment - but our advice is to try to avoid saying things like this in an interview situation and focus on being the very best version of yourself. Conveying your emotions about the situation is important too – but do consider how you express your enthusiasm whilst maintaining your professionalism. Don’t get carried away like David did here and allow yourself to become too relaxed.

Another thing to consider when thinking about your delivery style is when to take a pause. Here are some examples of Amit hesitating to speak and pausing mid-sentence.

Amit: When I had to use people I know to achieve a goal? Erm

What else did I tell them? Erm ………well a bit about why I wanted to do a placement in finance and when I needed them to get back to me by

You’ll have noticed that Amit paused after repeating the question he was asked as well as filling his time by saying things like “erm”. Amit paused mid-sentence and whilst it’s good to collect your thoughts, too many long pauses may, again, detract from what you're saying. This implies that Amit wasn’t prepared for this question – which may happen from time to time – why not take some time to think about how you would handle an unexpected or difficult question? Maybe consider how your preparation can support this eventuality.

In our final clip, you’ll hear David answering the question asked; again, I think you’ll agree, the quality of what he is saying is hampered by his delivery.

David: Oh…… well… no one had done it before...ummm… It was the first time we’d been able to get around the issue of it not being a manual process with room for error and people being locked out. My flatmates all said it was a really good idea.

We’ve already heard David talk articulately and confidently,  as you can hear this is not so apparent in this example. Although David has answered the question posed to him, his less fluid response implies a lack of conviction and self-assurance. This again highlights the importance of your delivery style in supporting the content of what you’re actually saying.