Question: Describe a time when you had to communicate the same idea to different types of people at the same time.

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Describe a time when you had to communicate the same idea to different types of people in the same presentation.

Follow-up questions:

How do you ensure that your audience understood what you have conveyed?
How did you cater your message to each type of person?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Speaking,Basic – Writing,Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others),Social – Social Perceptiveness

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility),Cognitive – Oral Expression,Cognitive – Written Expression

Other Factors:

Big 5 – Openness to Experience (Open Mindedness),Personality-Job Fit,Practical Intelligence (Street Smarts)

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Communicating with Persons Outside Organization,Interacting with Others – Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates,Interacting with Others – Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others (Informing)

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Interpersonal Relationships – Public Speaking/Presentation

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Adaptability/Flexibility,Human Equity (Opposite of Discrimination),Innovation

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s communication skills.
The candidate’s ability to convey an idea effectively.
The candidate’s flexibility when dealing with various audience.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s lack of output communication skills and lack of flexibility when dealing with various audiences.

Sample Answer:

Each audience is different. One strategy when conveying an idea effectively is to know your audience well. When we rolled out an initiative last month, we made sure that we have captured all types of audience. We also had an open forum to clarify issues that they had about the project.

Question Source: Unknown