5 Problems for Fast Talkers
Many of the candidates I coach struggle with the same problem I face in life: Talking too Fast!
For those of us who talk too fast, there are two key things to remember: your speed impacts two key experience points for the interviewer: (1) their overall impression of you and (2) their ability to take notes.
If you talk too fast, they can’t take notes. In turn, this makes it impossible for the hiring committee to properly evaluate you (particularly for Google).
In this brief article, I go into a little more depth about why this is so impactful and provide some corrective measures to help you succeed.
Why Speaking Fast Kills Your Candidacy
Comprehension Problems
Logistics of Note-Taking
Exhausting to Listen
Increased Cognitive Load
Interviewer Can’t Help
I will take a quick moment and break down each one.
Comprehension Problems - When you speak fast, it is often hard to distinguish words. Many fast speakers slur or flat-out don’t finish of words. I have seen a lot of folks, when discussing technically complex ideas, not finishing words just as the concept gets more complicated, and those words are essential to understanding what they are getting at, particularly if there is a nuanced issue.
Note Taking - No notes, No offer. An interviewer who can’t share notes with their colleagues or the hiring committee can’t properly advocate for you. You might have had the best answer, but if they can’t keep up with you in their notes, it hurts you more than it hurts them
Exhausting to Listen - When you speak quickly and I can’t follow, you also come across as hyper, and this is exhausting. I find myself thinking, I don’t want to work with someone who is this exhausting and I lose motivation to give a hire recommendation. Think about the impression you are leaving in your race to answer against the clock and giving up quality for speed. Less is more in this case if you are speaking quickly to get all your ideas out before the clock stops.
Increases Cognitive Load - It is more difficult for me to follow someone who is speaking too quickly. Also crucial, if I don’t understand you, I might take a few minutes to process something you said and so I miss the next few minutes of what you are saying trying to process the prior points. So, there is a double-whammy effect. I missed the first thing and never had a chance to catch the second point because I was still trying to catch up.
Can’t Help - When you speak fast, it is difficult for me to jump in with a comment or question. Some interviewers like to be conversational (especially Google & Startups). More importantly, if I want to ask you a question that might redirect you for your own benefit if you are talking too fast, I can’t help you.
Some Tips & Tricks
practice slowing down
speed bumps
start section: tell me what you are going to tell me
end section: tell me what you told me with short overviews
practice with clock
practice breathing
remember the quality matters as much as speed
If you can’t get everything out in time, consider pushing back your interviews
