The Interview
In this the third article in the series on how to motivate and inspire others, business conference speaker John Bell supplies some tips on recruitment interviewing skills.
An interview is a two-way process. The production of a skills and ability list I described in the 2nd article in this series will assist you, and any colleagues involved in the process, to develop a format and set of questions that can be asked of each candidate. By doing so you are being fair to the candidates and will also be able to make direct comparisons.
If you are armed with a list of skills and qualities for the job you can split these into two categories – necessary and desirable. Necessary should include all the qualities without which the job could not be done. Desirable can include other qualities and skills that may go towards making the candidate better able to perform the job above the basic minimum expectations.
The list will help you to devise questions to ask the candidate. Carefully worded enquiries not only allows for illuminating answers, but permits more probing through additional questions.
Rudyard Kipling came up with a great piece of advice on the subject of probing questions.
He wrote ‘ I keep six honest serving men they taught me all I knew their names are what and why and how and who’. These are the types of questions that encourage the interviewee to provide the extra information you need to establish who is the best candidate.
On the other hand, closed questions hinder the free flow of an interview and should only be used to quickly establish required data. For example you might ask, ‘Were you involved in the ordering of supplies?’ Such questions will normally be answered yes or no. A good candidate might prefer to elaborate a little and supply additional information to aid their chances. For example, ‘No, but I was responsible for that task in a previous job’. However, if you only got a yes or a no, then you have not allowed the candidate the room to tell you more about themselves. A simple yes or no may let you tick a box in your list of qualities, and that may be all you want, but it tells you nothing about the candidate.
One popular method of questioning used by some managers during an interview is to ask the candidate about a hypothetical situation. This technique takes some of the pressure off the candidate, as they are being asked to talk about a situation that is not essentially real, nor personal to them. However, what they usually don’t realise is that they can reveal far more about themselves through their answer than if they were to be asked to talk directly about their own experiences. The danger of the hypothetical question is that the candidate may end up tying themselves in knots!
To make the hypothetical questions that you use fair to the candidate you should make the question as clear as possible, removing all ambiguity. You should also keep the scenario to a situation that should be within the candidate’s ability to talk about.
Some managers use a technique of negative questioning. This is where the candidate may, for example, be asked to reflect on some aspect of their previous job that they didn’t like, or to ask if there was anyone that they could not get along with.
Although such questions usually focus on negative aspects of work and life, some small advantage is that they allow the candidate to show that he or she is self-reflecting. In doing so they can indicate they acknowledge they have weaknesses whilst creating an opportunity to correct such behaviour.
For example you might ask, ‘What is your greatest weakness’? The answer that is offered can tell you much about the provider. A good candidate will remain calm and give an honest answer.
A clever candidate will often turn a negative into a positive by saying something along the lines of, ‘I know there are times when I can come across as being somewhat impatient with other people. My manager in my present job sees this as a virtue as, for him, it indicates an eagerness on my part to get tasks done quickly.’
Thoughtful candidates are likely to anticipate many of the questions you ask. They will have done their research by reading through the likes of company literature. This will provide a demonstration of their interest in the position offered. Having done their homework, they will come over as confident and prepared.
An effective candidate will look at the person asking the question and direct their answer to that individual at the same time, occasionally glancing towards others on the panel. For those on the interview panel this will indicate the interviewee has accepted some command of the situation.
In the 4th article in this series I will describe other methods that can be used to determine the suitability of a candidate.
Thursday, 14 February 2008
Inspiration, Motivation and the Link to Hypnosis (Article Two)
Motivational business conference speaker John Bell is a former stage hypnotist. He is also a popular speaker at medical, healthcare and pharmaceutical meetings. In this the second in a series of articles on the connections between inspiration, motivation and hypnosis you will learn something of the history of hypnosis and why it is more about an understanding of human behaviour than any so called ‘special power’.
A common misunderstanding is that only weak-minded people can be hypnotised – by someone who uses his or her superior mind power to overcome them. In other words, hypnotism is created by something passing from one person to another.
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), considered to be the founder of modern theosophy, had this to say about the process of hypnotism: ‘The process by which one man of strong will-power plunges another of weaker mind into a kind of trance; once in such a state, the latter will do anything suggested to him by the hypnotist.’
This is not totally correct. Hypnosis has little to do with people of a ‘weaker mind’. The opposite is usually the case as hypnotised subjects are often intelligent, well educated people who are prepared to keep an open mind on most matters.
I developed my interest in hypnotism some years ago. It arose out of my studies into applied psychology and the mechanisms that help people to learn. I realised many of the techniques used by teachers, lecturers, trainers and the like had a common link. That common link was hypnotism. Usually without being aware of what they were doing, some instructors were using techniques that were similar to those used by hypnotists. They were motivating and inspiring their students.
Hypnotism has never been fully accepted into the world of the mainstream professions. It is only given passing recognition by medical professionals, the legal profession and academia.
The reasons why hypnotism is usually confined to the margins of conventional human activity are twofold: firstly, it is little understood, and what we do not understand we fear; secondly, it has acquired an association with trickery and unsavoury popular entertainment.
Hypnotism ahs been around a long time – references can be found as far back as recorded history goes.
Modern medicine is little more than a few hundred years old. Yet illness has been treated for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years. A cave in France shows an engraving that dates back 20,000 years depicting what is thought to be the earliest picture of a doctor.
He is shown wearing a deer-mask over his head. Such masks were worn to frighten away evil spirits. Spells were cast and rituals of the day adhered to.
Daemons and unwelcome spirits were, in many ages and in many cultures, thought to dwell in the head of the patient.
Ancient skulls show evidence of tooth extraction and trepanning (making a hole in the skull to allow the escape of evil spirits). Tools used for trepanning have been discovered from as far back as 10,000 BC.
This, of course, does not preclude the possibility that such procedures had been going on for centuries before. Burial remains suggest that amputations and all manner of operations were taking place well before that time.
Early medicine men had many skills. They used medicinal herbs and were experienced bonesetters. They used knowledge that was handed down from one generation to the next.
Many of the treatments they used were accompanied with chants and ritual ceremonies. The effect of this was that their power and mystery was reinforced, but it also caused the patient to fall into a trance. Sometimes hallucinogenic drugs were used in conjunction with hypnotism to strengthen the hypnotic state. Ancient man must have known that a phenomenon we now call hypnosis had the ability to reduce or even stop pain.
It seems strange to reflect that, in our modern times, the medical profession is now appreciating the benefits of herbs and spices for treating ailments and yet there still seems to be a reluctance to use the power of hypnosis to alleviate pain.
Modern medicine undoubtedly has its origins in superstition and magic. A fear of death caused early man to investigate the treatment and cure of illness and disease.
The form of dress worn by sorcerers was their ‘badge of office’. Even early physicians realised it was important to instill in the patient a belief in the competence of the doctor. Today, the white coats of doctors and a stethoscope draped around the neck are the current badges of office.
This has been known for centuries. Take for example the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates. Hippocrates was born on the island of Kos around 450 BC. He realised the importance of creating the right image in the mind of the patient. He wrote,
‘. . for the physicians it is an undoubtedly important recommendation to be of good appearance and well-fed since people take the view that those who do not know how to look after their own bodies are in no position to look after those of others’.
Hippocrates suggests he was practising hypnosis when he wrote, ‘The afflictions suffered by the body the soul sees quite well with shut eyes’.
Sleep Temples were set up in Egypt, and later, in Greece. Those seeking cures went there to find relief. We have an indication of how the cures might have been effected. A bas-relief taken from an ancient tomb in Egypt clearly shows a priest in the act of hypnotising a patient.
On belief and medicine Hippocrates said, ‘. . the fact that even those who do not believe in it can be cured by it is strong proof of its existence and power’. He also rightly identified that the body can cure itself in many cases.
Faith, belief and motivation play an important part in hypnosis as they do in all aspects of the treatment of illness and disease.
A common misunderstanding is that only weak-minded people can be hypnotised – by someone who uses his or her superior mind power to overcome them. In other words, hypnotism is created by something passing from one person to another.
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), considered to be the founder of modern theosophy, had this to say about the process of hypnotism: ‘The process by which one man of strong will-power plunges another of weaker mind into a kind of trance; once in such a state, the latter will do anything suggested to him by the hypnotist.’
This is not totally correct. Hypnosis has little to do with people of a ‘weaker mind’. The opposite is usually the case as hypnotised subjects are often intelligent, well educated people who are prepared to keep an open mind on most matters.
I developed my interest in hypnotism some years ago. It arose out of my studies into applied psychology and the mechanisms that help people to learn. I realised many of the techniques used by teachers, lecturers, trainers and the like had a common link. That common link was hypnotism. Usually without being aware of what they were doing, some instructors were using techniques that were similar to those used by hypnotists. They were motivating and inspiring their students.
Hypnotism has never been fully accepted into the world of the mainstream professions. It is only given passing recognition by medical professionals, the legal profession and academia.
The reasons why hypnotism is usually confined to the margins of conventional human activity are twofold: firstly, it is little understood, and what we do not understand we fear; secondly, it has acquired an association with trickery and unsavoury popular entertainment.
Hypnotism ahs been around a long time – references can be found as far back as recorded history goes.
Modern medicine is little more than a few hundred years old. Yet illness has been treated for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years. A cave in France shows an engraving that dates back 20,000 years depicting what is thought to be the earliest picture of a doctor.
He is shown wearing a deer-mask over his head. Such masks were worn to frighten away evil spirits. Spells were cast and rituals of the day adhered to.
Daemons and unwelcome spirits were, in many ages and in many cultures, thought to dwell in the head of the patient.
Ancient skulls show evidence of tooth extraction and trepanning (making a hole in the skull to allow the escape of evil spirits). Tools used for trepanning have been discovered from as far back as 10,000 BC.
This, of course, does not preclude the possibility that such procedures had been going on for centuries before. Burial remains suggest that amputations and all manner of operations were taking place well before that time.
Early medicine men had many skills. They used medicinal herbs and were experienced bonesetters. They used knowledge that was handed down from one generation to the next.
Many of the treatments they used were accompanied with chants and ritual ceremonies. The effect of this was that their power and mystery was reinforced, but it also caused the patient to fall into a trance. Sometimes hallucinogenic drugs were used in conjunction with hypnotism to strengthen the hypnotic state. Ancient man must have known that a phenomenon we now call hypnosis had the ability to reduce or even stop pain.
It seems strange to reflect that, in our modern times, the medical profession is now appreciating the benefits of herbs and spices for treating ailments and yet there still seems to be a reluctance to use the power of hypnosis to alleviate pain.
Modern medicine undoubtedly has its origins in superstition and magic. A fear of death caused early man to investigate the treatment and cure of illness and disease.
The form of dress worn by sorcerers was their ‘badge of office’. Even early physicians realised it was important to instill in the patient a belief in the competence of the doctor. Today, the white coats of doctors and a stethoscope draped around the neck are the current badges of office.
This has been known for centuries. Take for example the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates. Hippocrates was born on the island of Kos around 450 BC. He realised the importance of creating the right image in the mind of the patient. He wrote,
‘. . for the physicians it is an undoubtedly important recommendation to be of good appearance and well-fed since people take the view that those who do not know how to look after their own bodies are in no position to look after those of others’.
Hippocrates suggests he was practising hypnosis when he wrote, ‘The afflictions suffered by the body the soul sees quite well with shut eyes’.
Sleep Temples were set up in Egypt, and later, in Greece. Those seeking cures went there to find relief. We have an indication of how the cures might have been effected. A bas-relief taken from an ancient tomb in Egypt clearly shows a priest in the act of hypnotising a patient.
On belief and medicine Hippocrates said, ‘. . the fact that even those who do not believe in it can be cured by it is strong proof of its existence and power’. He also rightly identified that the body can cure itself in many cases.
Faith, belief and motivation play an important part in hypnosis as they do in all aspects of the treatment of illness and disease.
Business Speaker – How to Take It Up As a Career
Voted ‘Best UK Conference Speaker of the Year’ on four occasions, motivational business speaker John Bell shares some of the secrets that have made up such a popular international conference, seminar and convention speaker.
In a survey asking What is your greatest fear? Public Speaking was shown to have a higher ranking than Death. Which, I guess, means at a funeral most people would prefer to be the person in the coffin than the poor soul having to stand at the lectern giving the eulogy!
As you are reading this article I am assuming, were you invited to complete a similar survey, Public Speaking would appear way down on your list. If so, this suggests you are considered an expert on some particular topic and, having been invited to give a talk on the subject before an audience, didn’t make too bad a job of it. Am I right so far?
And now you want to make money doing it! Well without credibility it doesn’t matter how great a speaker you are. Potential clients inevitably look for a proven record of success, together with endorsement of your expertise and professionalism. So begin by joining something like The National Association of Toastmasters. You will find their local contact details on the Internet. They are a great way of developing your speaking skills and are usually a friendly bunch with similar interests to you.
Want to add to your authority? You can increase your standing by writing a book. It is easier than you may think. What might you write about? Begin with what you know best. If you have spoken in public you are already an expert at something, so write about something you are good at – whatever the topic of your talk was on. Map out a plan for your book, with chapter headings and outline content. Then begin to write it. If you don’t like typing, consider investing in voice recognition software. Find one that suits by using an Internet search engine, such as Google, or look on eBay for a genuine bargain. I use a program called Dragon Naturally Speaking, by Scansoft. After only a short amount of time training the software to recognise your voice and style of speaking, you can sit back, talk to your computer, and watch your book type itself before your very eyes. I’m doing it right now!
When you have ‘talked’ your book check it carefully for mistakes and errors. When you are totally satisfied it is perfect, ask a trusted friend to read and check your work - and get ready to receive a long list of mistakes they have found. Correct the errors. Repeat the process with a second friend. It is surprising how a fresh pair of eyes finds things that have been missed. Yes I know you too have found one in this article! It doesn’t make you a bad person if you haven’t spotted it.
Reduce the potential for error by obtaining a copy of Make No Mistake by William Hicks. This book is full of top tips on English, with copious examples, and is a great way to check out your punctuation, grammar, spelling and common misuse of words.
One great way to practice your writing skills and get known world-wide is to submit short written work for consideration to Internet companies that specialise in the publication of articles. They are easy to find. You have already done it!
As a further step towards fame and fortune, invest in a copy of The Writer’s Handbook. It is updated and published every year by Macmillan and can be purchased through any good bookstore. It contains over 800 pages packed with essential information for any budding author, including the contact details of publishers.
A problem with many publishers is they are not interested in you unless you are already an established writer. You may need to contact several publishers before you find one who will be willing to take you on. The Writer’s Handbook contains advice about how to submit ideas, sample chapters, and etc.
You could of course self-publish. This often involves having a hard copy printing company set and print the book for you. You then do the marketing and sales. A direct approach to bookstores and other outlets often works well – especially if you offer a sale or return deal. That way, the retailer pays you only for the books that have been sold and returns to you any unsold ones. Be aware that printers often tempt you with attractive discounts, usually tied to quantity. You will need to find sufficient capital to have a few thousand books printed – and you may not sell them all. Your spouse will soon become fed up with parking their car on the driveway of your home whilst the garage is filled with boxes of books. Storage has other problems – books need to be kept in warm, dry conditions. Damp air in a garage can soon cause books to become mouldy.
Precisely because of problems of storage and cost Japanese industry perfected a method known as Just in Time. Only enough product is made to satisfy immediate demand, and is produced as needed. You can do this too, by printing your books yourself. You will need a good quality printer – a decent ink-jet will do but a laser printer is better. A software program called Clickbook, by Blue Squirrel will transform A4 Word format documents into A5 brochures or books. Without this sort of software, layout of a book format has always been a problem for do-it-yourself printers. For example, in an A5 size book, the pages have to be printed in an order that allows them to be folded and stapled so they come out in the correct sequence. If you try to do this on the standard A4 size that most word processing software uses, you can get in a dreadful muddle. Clickbook makes light work of that sort of problem. Finally, design and print an attractive cover on stiff card or paper.
Once the book is printed, the pages need to be folded and stapled. You will need a guillotine to trim the edges, as they tend to fan out – the more pages, the worse the fanning effect. You will also need a stapling machine powerful enough to join the pages. Again, trawl the Internet and eBay to see what is available at prices you can afford.
Now with your finished product you need a buyer. What better way to sell your product than by using the Internet? Your work can be sold as a hard copy and/or an as an eBook. If you are uncertain what an eBook is search for What’s an Ebook on the internet.
Does it work? Yes it does. I placed one of my hard copy books for sale on the Internet and gained almost instant credibility with a world famous publishing company: Within 24 hours of the book appearing on the website I had been commissioned to write 50,000 words for a book on a similar subject, and I was paid a handsome amount of money upfront. After all, I am an expert who speaks - and what’s more, a published author to boot!
I wish you every success in your endeavors to become a professional business speaker. Check out some of my books and audio Cds.
In a survey asking What is your greatest fear? Public Speaking was shown to have a higher ranking than Death. Which, I guess, means at a funeral most people would prefer to be the person in the coffin than the poor soul having to stand at the lectern giving the eulogy!
As you are reading this article I am assuming, were you invited to complete a similar survey, Public Speaking would appear way down on your list. If so, this suggests you are considered an expert on some particular topic and, having been invited to give a talk on the subject before an audience, didn’t make too bad a job of it. Am I right so far?
And now you want to make money doing it! Well without credibility it doesn’t matter how great a speaker you are. Potential clients inevitably look for a proven record of success, together with endorsement of your expertise and professionalism. So begin by joining something like The National Association of Toastmasters. You will find their local contact details on the Internet. They are a great way of developing your speaking skills and are usually a friendly bunch with similar interests to you.
Want to add to your authority? You can increase your standing by writing a book. It is easier than you may think. What might you write about? Begin with what you know best. If you have spoken in public you are already an expert at something, so write about something you are good at – whatever the topic of your talk was on. Map out a plan for your book, with chapter headings and outline content. Then begin to write it. If you don’t like typing, consider investing in voice recognition software. Find one that suits by using an Internet search engine, such as Google, or look on eBay for a genuine bargain. I use a program called Dragon Naturally Speaking, by Scansoft. After only a short amount of time training the software to recognise your voice and style of speaking, you can sit back, talk to your computer, and watch your book type itself before your very eyes. I’m doing it right now!
When you have ‘talked’ your book check it carefully for mistakes and errors. When you are totally satisfied it is perfect, ask a trusted friend to read and check your work - and get ready to receive a long list of mistakes they have found. Correct the errors. Repeat the process with a second friend. It is surprising how a fresh pair of eyes finds things that have been missed. Yes I know you too have found one in this article! It doesn’t make you a bad person if you haven’t spotted it.
Reduce the potential for error by obtaining a copy of Make No Mistake by William Hicks. This book is full of top tips on English, with copious examples, and is a great way to check out your punctuation, grammar, spelling and common misuse of words.
One great way to practice your writing skills and get known world-wide is to submit short written work for consideration to Internet companies that specialise in the publication of articles. They are easy to find. You have already done it!
As a further step towards fame and fortune, invest in a copy of The Writer’s Handbook. It is updated and published every year by Macmillan and can be purchased through any good bookstore. It contains over 800 pages packed with essential information for any budding author, including the contact details of publishers.
A problem with many publishers is they are not interested in you unless you are already an established writer. You may need to contact several publishers before you find one who will be willing to take you on. The Writer’s Handbook contains advice about how to submit ideas, sample chapters, and etc.
You could of course self-publish. This often involves having a hard copy printing company set and print the book for you. You then do the marketing and sales. A direct approach to bookstores and other outlets often works well – especially if you offer a sale or return deal. That way, the retailer pays you only for the books that have been sold and returns to you any unsold ones. Be aware that printers often tempt you with attractive discounts, usually tied to quantity. You will need to find sufficient capital to have a few thousand books printed – and you may not sell them all. Your spouse will soon become fed up with parking their car on the driveway of your home whilst the garage is filled with boxes of books. Storage has other problems – books need to be kept in warm, dry conditions. Damp air in a garage can soon cause books to become mouldy.
Precisely because of problems of storage and cost Japanese industry perfected a method known as Just in Time. Only enough product is made to satisfy immediate demand, and is produced as needed. You can do this too, by printing your books yourself. You will need a good quality printer – a decent ink-jet will do but a laser printer is better. A software program called Clickbook, by Blue Squirrel will transform A4 Word format documents into A5 brochures or books. Without this sort of software, layout of a book format has always been a problem for do-it-yourself printers. For example, in an A5 size book, the pages have to be printed in an order that allows them to be folded and stapled so they come out in the correct sequence. If you try to do this on the standard A4 size that most word processing software uses, you can get in a dreadful muddle. Clickbook makes light work of that sort of problem. Finally, design and print an attractive cover on stiff card or paper.
Once the book is printed, the pages need to be folded and stapled. You will need a guillotine to trim the edges, as they tend to fan out – the more pages, the worse the fanning effect. You will also need a stapling machine powerful enough to join the pages. Again, trawl the Internet and eBay to see what is available at prices you can afford.
Now with your finished product you need a buyer. What better way to sell your product than by using the Internet? Your work can be sold as a hard copy and/or an as an eBook. If you are uncertain what an eBook is search for What’s an Ebook on the internet.
Does it work? Yes it does. I placed one of my hard copy books for sale on the Internet and gained almost instant credibility with a world famous publishing company: Within 24 hours of the book appearing on the website I had been commissioned to write 50,000 words for a book on a similar subject, and I was paid a handsome amount of money upfront. After all, I am an expert who speaks - and what’s more, a published author to boot!
I wish you every success in your endeavors to become a professional business speaker. Check out some of my books and audio Cds.
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