One thing I do to give myself time to think is to just rephrase the question as a way to ensure I understood correctly as well as demonstrating that you're listening and participating. I then ask clarifying questions and ask for them to confirm any assumptions I'm making based upon answers given as part of my thought process. It's just thinking out loud and can also help demonstrate _how_ you think about problems. This lays the groundwork for you to construct a cohesive narrative.
Ask HN: How to talk with logical flow and coherence at interviews?
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Re: Ask HN: How to talk with logical flow and coherence at interviews?
#12Listen to recordings of yourself giving speeches/interviews. After you are done, listen to the whole recording and take notes. That's helped me a lot carry out demos & present. Used to say "Um" a lot, but now I don't.
Re: Ask HN: How to talk with logical flow and coherence at interviews?
#13Regarding verbal crutches, the best advice I've received is to just say nothing instead, and pauses never feel as long to the other parties as they do you. So when you feel yourself saying "umm" or "mmmaa", instead say nothing, take a breath, and move forward.
With English not being your first language, I think you can apply this plan to formulating your responses in general. Just take a moment, plan your reply, and say it. It doesn't feel that long to the other party, I promise.
Regarding flow, when asked specific questions about things, I remember the acronym CAR - Context, Action, Result. I form my answers in this framework to make a plan for how to get to the reply. Give a little context to set the stage/problem, say what you did, then say how it went - good or bad. Be concise. Fewer words get the job done and are easier on you.
Not sure that is what you're looking for regarding practical resources, but I hope it helps. It has helped me a lot, I think.
Re: Ask HN: How to talk with logical flow and coherence at interviews?
#14Preparation. Anyone who has done public speaking knows that it's a lot of work to be a good speaker. Neil DeGrasse Tyson says you have to be 10x more prepared than you need to be. He calls it his Batman utility belt. You anticipate every question you'll get and do your research. One interviewer asked Neil whether it was worth the $3B mission to Saturn. He brought up that it's $3B over 12 years and that it's how much…
But some people seems so at ease with spontaneity, dealing with dynamic, emergent conversations, and even the ability to direct it to particular directions or narratives. I doubt all of it is preparation.
Preparation not only gives pre-baked answers, it gives you a chance to practice coming up with those answers.
And as with all human things, natural aptitude varies.
Preparation is all you can control, however.
Re: Ask HN: How to talk with logical flow and coherence at interviews?
#15One reason we use filler sounds when we’re talking is to not lose the initiative, so to speak. You don’t want someone else to interpret your pause as an opportunity to talk over you.
When you’re answering interview questions, you should make a conscious effort to not use them. Pause for the right thought in silence. If someone steps in, they might give you the information you were struggling for, but regardless a thoughtful pause should come across as more professional than a string of nonsense syllables.
Re: Ask HN: How to talk with logical flow and coherence at interviews?
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
But some people seems so at ease with spontaneity, dealing with dynamic, emergent conversations, and even the ability to direct it to particular directions or narratives. I doubt all of it is preparation.
I spend a lot of time thinking about important conversations beforehand, and the directions they could take. I'll pace around the house for half an hour talking to myself, practicing speaking. This has proven helpful in my job, which involves a lot of meetings and conversations. To the original commenter's point, you don't want to memorize your answers, you just want to explore these conversational avenues and test-d…
I thought I was the only one who did this (the pacing and practicing conversations). I am surprised at how often it pays off
Re: Ask HN: How to talk with logical flow and coherence at interviews?
#17Preparation. Anyone who has done public speaking knows that it's a lot of work to be a good speaker. Neil DeGrasse Tyson says you have to be 10x more prepared than you need to be. He calls it his Batman utility belt. You anticipate every question you'll get and do your research. One interviewer asked Neil whether it was worth the $3B mission to Saturn. He brought up that it's $3B over 12 years and that it's how much…
But some people seems so at ease with spontaneity, dealing with dynamic, emergent conversations, and even the ability to direct it to particular directions or narratives. I doubt all of it is preparation.
You prep for what you're weak at.
I spend all my time practicing stupid coding questions since I'm prone to screwing up easy ones (I can get em all, just need more time and less pressure).
But I NEVER practice behavioral questions, nor system design. And consistently blow those out of the water. The bar is low in a tech interview, and my personality means that I've had a lot of experience having spontaneous conversation in my life, piecing together coherent narrative on the spot.
Re: Ask HN: How to talk with logical flow and coherence at interviews?
#18I can’t speak to this directly, but I’ve heard from a few people in my company that joining their local Toastmasters group really helped them out.
Could anyone speak to that?
Re: Ask HN: How to talk with logical flow and coherence at interviews?
#19Here is what I recommend for everyone, regardless of role.
1. Make an Excel/Google sheet with 50+ questions you think will come up in an interview.
2. Open Zoom and start recording.
3. Randomize the question list and practice answering each question in 1-2 minutes.
Take a break.
4. Watch the video and critique yourself.
5. Rinse and repeat.
You will get very, very good over time.
Re: Ask HN: How to talk with logical flow and coherence at interviews?
#20Take a moment, fully compose what you want to say, then say it. It's totally acceptable to pause the conversation for a moment to "digest".