Communicating and Influencing at interview

Interview panels probe Communicating and Influencing with questions, follow-ups and often a presentation. Prepare fresh examples, structure answers with STAR, and expect the panel to dig into how you handled resistance.

Questions you are likely to be asked

Panels phrase questions differently, but they circle the same ground. Prepare one strong example for each of these themes and you will rarely be caught out.

• Tell us about a time you had to explain something complex to a non-specialist audience.
• Describe a time you persuaded someone who was initially opposed to your idea.
• Give an example of adapting your communication style for different people.
• Tell us about a time you delivered a difficult or unpopular message.
• Describe a time you had to win support from people you had no authority over.

Panels score against the same level descriptors used at sift, so the grade expectations still apply: everyday clarity at AO, organisational persuasion at senior grades.

Follow-ups the panel will use

After your first answer, panels probe. These follow-ups are predictable, so rehearse them as part of the story rather than hoping to improvise. Write the four follow-ups on a card and rehearse answering each in under a minute.

• What exactly did you say, and why those words?
• How did you know your message had landed?
• What objections came up, and how did you respond?
• What would you do differently next time?

Structure your answers with STAR

Speak in STAR order and say the letters quietly to yourself as you go. Two or three sentences of Situation, one of Task, then most of your time on Actions, finishing with a numbered Result. Two to three minutes is a sensible length for the main answer.

Use a different example from your written statement if you can; panels often have your statement in front of them and a repeat sounds rehearsed. Keep the statement example ready as backup for a second question. If they ask about it directly, expand with the detail the word count forced you to cut.

Prepare for a presentation exercise

This is the behaviour most often tested by presentation, because it shows audience awareness live. Topics are usually sent in advance, sometimes on the day. Structure simply: three points, each with one piece of evidence, and a clear recommendation at the end.

Adapt to the panel in front of you. If the brief says they are senior managers, lead with the recommendation and the numbers. Speak to time, leave space for questions, and treat the questions as part of the assessment, because they are.

Show the influencing half

Under pressure, candidates describe what they communicated and forget who they influenced. Before the interview, mark the exact moment in each story where someone changed their mind, their plan or their behaviour, and make sure that moment gets said out loud.

For example, 'the team leader had called the system unworkable, and ten weeks later she was training her own staff on it' is an influencing moment a panel can score.

On the day

Three habits calm nerves and raise scores. Listen to the actual question rather than the one you prepared; a mismatched answer costs more than a pause. Take a breath before starting; three seconds of silence reads as confidence, not hesitation.

Keep the pronouns honest out loud as well as on paper: I for your actions, we for the team's. Panels listen for the difference, and it is the fastest credibility check they have.