Five Proven NLP Techniques To Slam Dunk Any Interview

No doubt there have been times when you’ve prepared for the interview yet walked into to find the social aspect of it quite daunting. Interviews are the time when you sell your expertise though it’s also a crucial time to try to gel or build a state of professional ‘friendship’ with the panel to leave a positive impression. Here are five popular Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) communication techniques which will help transform a potentially nerve wracking ‘interview’ into a mutually beneficial ‘experience’.

1.Rapport – When you first meet an interviewer, or a panel of interviewers, think about not only what you say but also the gestures you make. Subtlety mirroring, acknowledging, and becoming attuned to the other person’s tone of voice, speech patterns, and mannerisms all exhibit a good display of rapport. Undertaking one or all of these elements will ensure that you are seen as accomplished in your field as well as approachable, and able to ‘speak’ the industry, company or group language.

2. Eye Accessing Cues – Eye movements give away whether a person is paying attention, lying and telling the truth. Watch for these eye signals to know whether the interviewer is engaged in the situation, and choose ones that will deliver the most impact:

Eyes Up and Left: remembered imagery

Eyes Up and Right: the person is creating an image and a visual fantasy

Eyes Lateral Left: the person is remembering the sounds, the tones and words from an experience and memory

Eyes Lateral right: the person is constructing sounds and words (possibly lying)

Eyes Down and left: internal dialogue, or inner self-talk

Eyes Down and right: feelings both visceral and tactile

Eye Straight ahead, but defocused or dilated: the person is accessing any memory quickly although it is mostly visual

3. Sensory Matching – One interviewer says to you: ‘How would you see yourself solving (X) issue?’. Another person on the panel may follow this up with: “I hear what you are saying. We hear a lot of comments about the lack of ticket sales. What’s your advice?’ The clues as to how these people ‘think’ are literally in the words they speak. One talks about ‘seeing’, so the way to win them over in your answer is to replicate visual type words: ‘I see, I watch, I view this as, I perceive’. Whereas the other panelist is talking with auditory capacity so the response is in tune with this person’s heightened listening skills: ‘I hear you, I listened to the customers’. Lastly, there is the sensory acuity in the statement: ‘How to you feel about this situation evolving on your beat?’ It’s kinaesthetic – or a feeling or movement – which this person best relates to. The answer her is to express your talent in their emotional terms.

4. Body Language – Imitate what the interviewer does. When you arrive for the interview sit or stand up straight, make good strong eye contact, smile and be commanding with a strong handshake in order to make a good first impression. Use open palm gestures to emphasise certain points you’re saying. Nod when they nod, use the same tone of voice, lean in to better connect, and remember to be clear and concise in all interactions in order to project confidence.

5. Positive Framing – For those times when it’s good to get into a positive ‘frame of mind’. Whilst you are there to demonstrate your talent in your preferred field and communicate your passion this technique is useful to picture yourself slam dunking the interview and getting the job. Mentally visualise a picture when you wear the interview clothes, feel confident, and prepared. Magnify the picture to a large cinema screen size in your mind, and watch yourself in the screen stepping out towards you, beaming through you own eyes, with confidence, ability and pride. This is self-image amplified. It works really well for any situation you’re anxious about.

Practice these methods before you go into any interview – formal, panel, or informal. They will help to translate the ‘interview’ from that of a scary experience into a productive business meeting. After all, it’s probably you whom they want to have in their group anyway.

For more tips on NLP, I’d recommend these books.

1. NLP at Work: The Essence of Excellence (People Skills for ProfessionAls)

This 4.5 out of 5 star rated book on Amazon (based on over 75 reviews), is one of the best books in it’s class. It has sold over 100,000 copies world-wide and is in it’s sixth edition so you can be sure the messages contained with the book are regularly updated and honed to perfection.  It will show you how the practical skills of NLP can be applied in business in the areas of influence, communication, negotiation, teamwork and coaching.

2. NLP at Work: The Difference that Makes a Difference in Business

This 4.5 out of 5 star rated book on Amazon (based on over 35 reviews) is for NLP beginners and is a really great starting point. It will show you how the practical skills of NLP can be applied in business in the areas of influence, communication, negotiation, teamwork and coaching.