Page 59 - Communication in Organizations Basic Skills and Conversation Models

Communication in organizations 48

A second aspect that influences intelligibility is vocal volume. Someone who speaks
too loudly can make a rude impression. Someone who speaks too softly often gives a shy
and insecure impression.
Third, the tone of voice influences the clarity of what is said. A confident, enthusiastic
tone often makes the best impression on a selection committee.
We will now deal with a number of verbal skills.

Arguing
It is important during the application interview that your answers are consistent and
answer the question being asked. You should try to give arguments as to why you are the
best applicant for this job. Questions where clear arguing is necessary often start with
‘Why’. Examples include: ‘Why do you actually want to change jobs?’ ‘Why have you
taken so much longer to complete your studies than the usual norm?’ In response to these
kinds of questions it is important that the answer:
• is relevant to the function
• is direct
• includes logic
• is concrete
• is structured.
An answer is relevant when its content matches the requirements of the job. When for
example applicants are asked why they have applied for the position of project manager,
it is better to give some detailed information about experience working for the previous
company rather than just saying that one is bored with the current position.
Your answer also has to be logical and concrete. When you have said at the beginning
of the conversation that it seems attractive to you to work in a team and a little later you
say that during your education you preferred to work alone than with a fellow student,
then logic is not to be found.
Finally, you should make sure that your answer is structured and that you don’t jump
from one subject to another. This does not lead to clarity for members of the selection
committee.

Positive formulation

As an applicant you are trying to give a good impression of yourself during the interview.
You want to get the job you are applying for and that can only be achieved by convincing
the members of the selection committee that you are the most qualified person for that
position and that you have all the skills needed for the job. Formulating in a positive
manner enhances a positive self-presentation. Below we provide several examples of
questions and how you can present some negative points in a positive manner:
1 The committee asks why you took longer to finish your education than the norm. Do
not answer that it was not so easy in the beginning and that your studies didn’t interest
you as much as you had expected or that during your studies you got fed up with all
the work and went off and did something else for a while. Formulate your answer