‘Three Secrets to High Level Interviews’ With Presentation Expert & Speaker Chris Zervas

The Destiny Awakening Interviews is a podcast with Andrew Wayfinder and his guests.

Every week (sometimes more) we have a short focused interview with an expert, author, speaker designed to bring you powerful insights, inspiration and ways to break free, live life by your vision and values, and make a difference in our changing and challenging world.

Listen to the podcast at: https://www.andrewwayfinder.com/blog/DA18

Andrew Hryniewicz

Hello everyone, and a very warm welcome to another edition of the Destiny Awakening Interviews. I’m Andrew Wayfinder Hryniewicz and I’m joined today by Chris Zervas, leadership and presentation expert, keynote speaker, author and coach.

And a very warm welcome to you, Chris, and where are you hanging out this evening?

Chris Zervas

Andrew, I am in the great state of Oklahoma, right in the middle of the United States. And we have sort of had this opening from winter, and we had like minus 14 last week. And we are back to kind of normal 50s and 60s.

So spring is springing here. It’s great to be here.

Andrew Hryniewicz

That’s great…

Well, what I’d like to talk about tonight, is both your work and your book.

So Chris Zervas is the founder of chriszervas.com. Zervas with a Z.

And for more than 20 years, Chris has helped CEOs, impactful nonprofits, and Fortune 100 Companies, understand the power of relationship based leadership and communication, to improve employee retention, increase productivity, and drive higher performance.

Author of “Bomb Proof Constructive Feedback: Sustaining Healthy Conversations at Work”, Chris has worked with teams and leaders in the energy, government education, legal and finance, health, nonprofit, hospitality sectors, and many more.

Born and raised in Oklahoma, Chris is a Cherokee citizen, and lives in Oklahoma with his wife and five children. So thank you, Chris, for your time today. And the topic today is “Three Secrets to High Level Interviews”.

Chris Zervas

Yes, sir.

Andrew Hryniewicz

And, Chris is going to unpack that idea for us in six questions…

So the first question, Chris, is: Who is your ideal client? And what’s the transformation you help them achieve?

Chris Zervas

Andrew, we’ve helped everybody from college students seeking scholarships, to executives looking for a higher level in, say, healthcare. Judges, moving from a seated judge to a Supreme Court of a state seat.

So, it’s been a variety of people that are just looking for “Hey, I want to learn how to present myself powerfully before an audience”.

Andrew Hryniewicz

Okay. And so question number two: What’s the biggest challenge that they’re typically facing in that scenario?

Chris Zervas

Well, I think they face a challenge of “Who am I Really?”.

You know, people have the ability to express things that they’ve done pretty factually. But for people to understand… “Hey, are there some real labels that I can attach to myself?”

And build some story around that. To present themselves in a light that really makes a difference for them.

And I say story, Andrew, I think that’s really a critical piece is that audiences don’t remember what we say so much.

They remember what they picture, what they imagine, what they feel.

And empowering people to be able to communicate that their strengths and story is a really big deal.

Andrew Hryniewicz

Okay, so actually I think you’ve partially answered question number three: What’s the number one insight you would share to help people, who are concerned about how they present themselves?

Or how to be more… to have more presence?

Or more authority when they’re speaking or going about their day?

Chris Zervas

Yeah, I can answer it on a different tack as well.

We mentioned story, but I think the other thing is that it’s really not about them. It’s really about their audience…

And so, for example, we were working with some attorneys recently, that were seeking judgeships. And the commission that they were to appear before has a variety of people on it.

It has politicians on it…

It has businessmen on it...

And it has other attorneys on it…

And every one of those people has an interest in themselves.

It’s just the way that God wired us, is that we are first and foremost just interested in ourselves.

And for them to learn to communicate things pronoun centered, like…

“You want a judge who will be ideal for business, that will rule fairly, that understands the small businessman.”

Or “You want a judge”, to the politicians, “that will enforce the statutes that you write.”

Or to other attorneys, “You want a judge who will be somebody who moves dockets across their bench.”

So I think speaking to the needs of an audience is really important.

And, we tend to begin every sentence with “I”, you know, but learning to make it about them is an important piece.

Andrew Hryniewicz

I think that’s the Steve Covey thing, you know, “Seek to understand before being understood”.

But I think it was St. Francis, who said it first.

Chris Zervas

Yeah. Very good.

Andrew Hryniewicz

Okay, So question number four: What concept, book, program, talk or even experience has had the greatest impact on you? And your development?

Chris Zervas

Andrew, I would probably say, you talked about a “Wayfinder”… And I would think, understanding, I talked about it before, understanding really our selfishness. And for me…

Probably the biggest impact in my life, frankly, has been an understanding that “God sent His Son to die for Me”.

And that’s really changed my understanding of me.

It’s changed my understanding of how to help other people. And, that would probably be the biggest impact that’s really unfolded in my world.

Andrew Hryniewicz

Okay, so the opening to spirituality, and sense of connecting to something bigger.

Chris Zervas

Absolutely, that we’re a small piece of this thing. And God is the orchestrator…

And, you know, he sent Jesus to die for our messes and make us whole. So that would probably be, undoubtedly, the biggest thing, right?

Andrew Hryniewicz

Okay great. So Chris, what’s a free resource you’d like to share with the audience that will help them?

Chris Zervas

Well, on chriszervas.com, there’s a place to sign up for a newsletter.

And every few weeks we’ll be sending out some communication tips to help you communicate yourself better…

“Understand your audiences, and use the power of story to tell your story”.

So that would be a great place for resources that are ongoing, and not just a onetime bit of info.

Andrew Hryniewicz

Okay, great. And then question number six. Chris, what should I have asked you that I didn’t?

Chris Zervas

You know, maybe what we talked about three secrets, Andrew, to help you with high level interviews. And, we’ve kind of touched on two of them.

And let me give you the third…

So the first was:

It’s really about our audience, and it’s not about us…

“So who’s my audience?”, “What are their needs?”, and “What do they want?”

Should paint every answer that I get. It’s not about me.

The second is: “Stories stick and facts bounce.”

So we talked briefly about the power of story.

And, story is incredible in the sense that, if I was telling a story right now, and you had electrodes on your brain and these were neuro imaging, let’s say.

The same part of my brain that’s stimulated when I tell a story, is the same part that would stimulate your brain when you hear it.

So it’s been used for generations to pass down information, history, religion, whatever it is, stories are powerful.

And the thing that we haven’t talked about, the third key:

“Is to really know thyself.”

And, to be able to mine out some things that really are who I am.

One tool that does that really well, is Strengths Finders. In our work, we help people mine that story. So, as they tell a story, we can identify some things that they really are.

So, typically, interviews for some of the things that we’re working with, are really brief.

“I have 15 minutes before a commission. So, I don’t want to have a laundry list of things that I am. I’ve got a few stories. I’ve got a few characteristics, which identify me.”

I plug those into a story, and I can answer really any kind of question with a story… and a characteristic about me… and interchange those things as needed.

Andrew Hryniewicz

Okay, so it’s sort of like a kit of parts.

Chris Zervas

Correct. Absolutely. Andrew, very smart.

Andrew Hryniewicz

Okay, that’s perfect, Chris. Thank you so much for your time.

Chris Zervas

Absolutely. Well, buddy, thanks for having me on your program. It’s great to be with you tonight, and I appreciate it very much.

Narrator

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