How to Conduct an Interview

INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW

You must conduct a 6-minute interview on any topic. It must be recorded. Here are college requirements:


YOU MUST READ THIS OUT AT THE START OF YOUR INTERVIEW AND IT MUST BE RECORDED.

Ethics Statement

“My name is __________________ and I am a student at the Higher Colleges of Technology.  I am conducting this interview to collect information to use in a class presentation looking at the question ____________________________________________? 

This interview will be audio recorded. The information collected will be treated as confidential and anonymous and only HCT teachers and I will have access to it. You can choose not to answer any question or stop the interview at any time. The interview should take 6 minutes. Do you agree to take part in the interview?”


Automatic Fail:

Not reading the Ethics Statement at the beginning of the interview. 
Any evidence of editing or breaks in the recordings (the recording needs to be one, continuous, unbroken interview)
Any evidence suggesting that interview is not by the individual student.  
Any evidence suggesting that the interviewee is not appropriate (e.g. does not fall into the criteria as mentioned in the instructions).
Any evidence suggesting that the interview has been prepared or scripted (e.g. answers and responses have been prepared)   
Technical failure or poor recording quality on the student’s part which renders sample inaudible or incomprehensible.


Best regards,
Algirdas

Successful Classroom Presentations

Everybody can give an excellent presentation. It is important to follow these steps:

1. Do online research and find interesting and useful information about your topic. 

2. Plan your speech well. Write a good outline.

3. An effective speech must be prepared well in advance. Do not postpone till the last minute.

4. Do not write too much on PowerPoint slides. Also, whatever you write, must be written in big and easy to read letters.

5. Never read from the slides. Show pictures, charts, diagrams or tables, but discuss and explain them in your own words. 

6. Make your speech simple, logical, step-by-step, and clear. Never hurry!

7. Ask your friend to video your presentation (use your smartphone). Later you should upload it on your laptop and watch a few more times. 

8. Speak fluently, clearly, loudly, and slowly. Pay attention to your pronunciation. Avoid grammar mistakes.

9. Give your audience (and yourself) a little time to think. Do not race through your presentation. It is not only you who needs a short rest. Your audience may feel tired and needs a rest too. 

10. The audience should listen to you when you speak. You must take command.

11. Before you show a video, give an introduction to it. Explain why you will show it.

12. Relax. Even experienced lecturers feel nervous each time they have to give a speech. 

13. Be friendly. Start with a smile. 

14. Keep eye contact with your audience. 

15. Watch your timing. Twelve minutes is OK.

16. Stand confidently and straight in front of your audience. The most frequent question I get from students is: “What shall I do with my hands?” My answer is: “Take a pencil, a notebook or a book and keep it in your hands. And do not touch your head”.

17. Speak, but never read from your notes or slides. Reading is not the same as speaking. 

18. If the question was asked but not loudly enough, repeat the question loudly. Remember: communication with your audience is the key to a successful and positive presentation. 

19. To finish your speech, summarize your basic points in a similar way as you usually do in the Conclusion of a written research essay. However, you should note that there is a slight difference between spoken language and formally written language intended for reading. Finish your speech with an attention-grabbing comment, an appropriate proverb or a famous quote. 

20. When you finished your speech, ask if they have any questions to ask. Express thanks to your audience and sit down.

21. So, your speech was recorded, and now you have an excellent opportunity to improve your speaking skills very effectively, by watching yourself. When you are at home, at your own desktop or laptop, you can look at yourself and try to improve in areas that did not go well during your presentation. As you watch, try to pay attention to (and avoid in the future) the so-called verbal stalls such as "um," “mm”, “so”, “well” or "like." Watch your body language. Were you touching your face too often? Were you leaning heavily on one leg? Were you looking at the audience (or into your notes, or at the teacher)? Did you smile (not at all, or too often and too much)?  Did you speak well and distinctly all the time? How about your English language mistakes?

22. Most students like to write too much on the PowerPoint slides. The worst thing would be to write full sentences! Please remember that PowerPoint is not for writing full sentences or paragraphs (or articles). If you write more on a slide, the letters automatically become smaller and most students who are sitting at the back, will not see anything. Therefore, you should write little; and write only important key words or phrases.


Good Examples of Presentation Outlines: click here to view...

Wordlist for Listening

 

Persons or people (noun)	Things (noun or phrase)	Verb	Adjective	Adverb
			affirmative
			annual	annually
	argument	argue
audience
	ban	ban	banned
	content
	conversation	converse	conversational
debater	debate	debate
	delivery	deliver
	gesture
	hurricane
	independence		independent	independently
lecturer	lecture	lecture
moderator	moderation	moderate
			negative
	opening argument
	pause	pause
	phrase
	script
	word boundary

.

Listening Exam Preparation

Listening Practice


Apple iPad Pro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oJRzVqUBjI


Try something new for 30 days
https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days?language=en#t-105229


Job Interview Tips - Job Interview Questions and Answers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epcc9X1aS7o


How to Have a Deep Voice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgo022I1FZQ


Active Listening: How to be a great listener  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_-rNd7h6z8


Preparing for Scholarship Interviews
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg59j3jh8ag


What's in a Name
MP3 Lecture


Green Tea
MP3 Lecture


Travel Log
http://www.esl-lab.com/tlog/logrd1.htm

A Rare Solar Eclipse         
http://www.esl-lab.com/sun/sunrd1.htm


Movie Reviews: DVDs and Videos           
http://www.esl-lab.com/review/review.htm


Telemarketing              
http://www.esl-lab.com/market/marketrd1.htm

Assignment for Assessment

Interview


You will have to conduct an interview: record it, and upload on BBL. You will be able to upload it on 13 April. Deadline: 20 April.

How to Conduct an Interview

1. Begin with a question that focuses on the person and not the topic at hand. For example,"Where did you grow up," or "What was your first job?" This relaxes the atmosphere, makes your conversation friendly and safe.

2. Make some questions open-ended. All interviews require you to ask specific questions that get answered with narrow data points. "What was your last achievement?" However, the most interesting responses you will get by asking open-ended questions, such as, "What is your vision for your organization five years from today?" or "What can you tell about..."

3. Ask what you do not know. Do not ask questions if you can anticipate the answers.

4. Listen and do not interrupt the speaker. Make the interview a conversation, not an interrogation.

5. Try not to ask a question that the person has already answered (it will show that YOU were not listening at all).

6. Ask follow-up questions. Listen to the initial answer, then ask why, when or how a situation turned out. Or ask who did what. 

7. Personalize your thank-you with specific references to issues you discussed in the interview.




About Listening:
http://spokencommunication.blogspot.ae/p/about-listening.html



About Demonstration Speeches:
http://spokencommunication.blogspot.ae/p/demonstration-speech.html

Body Language Mistakes

1. If your eye contact with the audience is too short - this will make you look unreliable or nervous. 

2. Leaning forward too much shows that you are aggressive. 

3. Leaning back too much tells that you are tired, lazy or arrogant.

4. Nodding too often - you are a 'yes' person and not sincere.

5. Pointing with your hands at the audience creates an impression that you are aggressive.

6. Crossing your arms makes you look defensive, especially when you are answering questions. 

7. Fidgeting or wriggling makes your audience think that you are nervous.

8. Holding your hands behind your back will make you look severe and hard.

9. Looking up or looking around and avoiding eye contact with the audience shows that you are lying and perhaps you are not honest.

10. Staring can mean that you are aggressive. 

11. Not smiling (no genuine smile) will make the audience feel nervous and uncomfortable. People will wonder why you are there, standing in front of them.

12. Checking your watch or smartphone shows that you want to be somewhere else (not in front of the audience).

13. Stepping back when you are asked a question shows that you are scared because you are not sure if you are giving the correct answer.

14. Holding palms up tells the audience that you are weak. 

15. Standing with hands on hips is an aggressive and impolite posture. Avoid it!


Learn How to Give a Good Speech


Non-verbal Communication


Oral Presentation Topics

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