My "go-to" Exercise For Structuring Complex Interview Questions On The Spot
An easy way to learn how to structure responses to a complex executive concern or interview question on the spot. Practice wherever 5 minutes a day!
Client: I generally structure my responses “First, Second, Third”. But I consistently get feedback that I am not structured enough in my verbal communication during interviews and in leadership meetings. What is a better approach?
The “Big 3” management consulting firms invented and perfected case interviews — an interview format where the interviewer proposes a hypothetical question, and the interviewee walks through a structured solution for 20 minutes. These interviews tested for analytical problem solving, strategy, business acumen, and above all, structured verbal communication at a leadership level.
When you look at interviews today for top-tier companies or what executives want in leadership reviews, it’s similar to the skills needed for case interviews. While the topic has morphed from M&A and Sales incentives to measuring product launches or setting goals for teams, the underlying communication challenges are the same. Here’s what interviewers look for:
Thoughtful “framing” or “structure” to guide the listener through the response
Talk through the critical aspects of a complex topic concisely
Ask insightful clarification questions based on a simple prompt
My Deep Dive with Case Interviews
In my Junior year of college, I applied to the “big 3” management consulting firms as a part of the on-campus recruiting process at UC Berkeley. I failed my first case interview with BCG because I lacked structure in my responses.
One of the reasons I struggled with structure was that my mind immediately goes deep, into all the considerations and details. Many threads and thoughts run concurrently in my head. Second, while I am a fast thinker, I could not “do 15 minutes of thinking in 1 minute”. And so, I often missed important considerations. As a result, my response is jumbled and often difficult to tie together.
Fortunately, I had a very nice interviewer who gave me advice on how to prepare. One of the exercises that she shared with me was game-changing. My next consulting interview was in 10 days. And I learned quickly. Ultimately, I accepted a business analyst role with McKinsey and Company post college graduation.
Want more guidance and practice on improving your framing and executive communication? The next cohort of Master Executive Presence & Communication with GenAI course starts next week on June 9th and runs for 3 weeks.
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A Simple Exercise
Here is the one exercise that helped me with on-the-spot framing more than anything else. It is now the first exercise I recommend to clients who struggle with framing and structuring their thoughts.
Exercise: Talk through how to do a task from beginning to end without stopping or going back.
The task can be of anything: how to bake a cake; how to log on to a new wifi; how to change the tires on a car.
Create a structure for it upfront, and then go into the details.
Practice anywhere, any time.
Example: “Tell me how to bake a cake.”
Come up with an overall structure at a high level: “To bake a cake, there are three steps: find the recipe, mix the ingredients, and bake.”
Pause. Get any feedback on the structure.
Talk through the details of each step: “To find the recipe, you can search the internet, consult a cookbook, or ask your friend. Most recipes call for eggs, flour, water, and vanilla extract. Then, follow the instructions to mix the ingredients in a bowl, and transfer the mix from the bowl to a baking pan. Finally, to bake the cake, preheat the oven, then place the baking pan with the mix in the oven for 45 - 50 minutes. Take it out and let it cool.”
Et voila: a structured yet exhaustive answer. I love this exercise because it lets you practice the critical aspects of structured communication:
Coming up with and committing to an overall structure before having thought through your answer in detail, and then adjusting your response to your structure.
Getting your brain to focus on the details of the step at hand, rather than openly thinking of all the possibilities
Practicing how to “let go” of a detail you think of out of order. Because this is an exercise in landing the key points and not an exercise in being complete.
Having something that you can work on at any time, anywhere. Waiting in line? Talk to yourself about how to perform the task you’re waiting for. Bored in a meeting? Mentally describe the project from beginning to end.
Our daily communication is not done with frameworks. This exercise changed how quickly I can come up with a framework, get feedback from the interviewer, and then go into the details. Give it a try — and let me know how it goes for you!
That’s all folks! See you next week at 3:14 pm.
Yue