ASK HR: Could I have bungled the interview because of my speech speed?
I talk fast. How do I deal with this during an interview? PHOTO | FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- If you are concerned that you speak too fast, work to enunciate your words so that your listeners do not misjudge qualities such as your ability to communicate effectively, your presence of your mind or the state of your nerves.
Q . I went for an interview and I feel that one of the interviewers got the wrong first impression of me over something that is not my fault. I talk fast. Now, I am not worried about that job (I have since moved on) but what is the best way to deal with issue like that if it happens again or what is the best way to navigate this issue?
Interviewers are expected to assess the suitability of a candidate for a role mainly based on whether the latter possesses the requisite attitude, qualifications and experience.
Unless justifiably required of certain roles, attributes such as speech, height, complexion, hair style, gait or the size of one’s ears should ordinarily not inform hiring decisions.
Recruitment biases however exist and therefore it is possible, though unfortunate, that an interviewer based a hiring decision on how fast you speak.
Most people can listen faster than others can speak and therefore the issue might not merely be the speed of your speech but the risk that it compromises the clarity of your spoken communication.
If you are concerned that you speak too fast, work to enunciate your words so that your listeners do not misjudge qualities such as your ability to communicate effectively, your presence of your mind or the state of your nerves.
In some cases, our emotions inform the rate at which we speak and therefore it is advisable to remain tuned into how you feel as it may affect your manner and speed of speech.
Although you need not change your personality, it is possible with time and deliberate practice to regulate how fast you speak so that your speech is no longer a source of disquiet or disadvantage for you or the world around you.
Remember that your speech is mostly for others’ and not your own consumption, therefore be prepared to play your part in making necessary adjustments, aware that it is a potent apparatus through which to influence your world.
In the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, “Talking is like playing on the harp; there is as much in laying the hands on the strings to stop their vibration as in twanging them to bring out their music”.
