Tim Newman [00:00:00]:
Welcome back to Speaking with Confidence, the podcast that helps you build the soft skills that lead to real results Communication, storytelling, public speaking, and showing up with confidence in every conversation that counts. I'm Tim Newman, a recovering college professor turned communication coach, and I'm thrilled to guide you on a journey to becoming a powerful community. Step into your next interview like you own the room, ready to flip every question into a story packed with progress, momentum, and real results. You'll learn one repeatable story structure that turns routine answers into momentum evidence Recruiters remember instead of droning only about responsibilities, you'll show that you're the person who drives things forward, and that difference can be the deciding factor. Why do so many candidates blend together in interviews even though their resumes and backgrounds are completely different? The answer usually comes down to one fatal storytelling mistake the way they describe their experience. Instead of showing real impact, most default to the safe, forgettable statements pulled straight from a job description. An answer like I managed the social media calendar and created content could be lifted word for word from a posting on LinkedIn. It tells the interviewer nothing about growth, momentum, or results.

Tim Newman [00:01:25]:
By contrast, imagine saying I introduced a new calendar system and a B tested different post types, which increase engagement by 30% in two months. That second version demonstrates what changed because you were there. Research backs this up. Studies on hiring show candidates are rated far higher when they tell outcome focused stories about solving problems and and creating value, not just listing activities. And here's why it matters even more. The human brain retains narrative information 22 times more effectively than raw facts or figures. A clear story not only answers question in the moment, but it also stays with the interviewer long after the meeting ends. Yet many applicants never connect the dots.

Tim Newman [00:02:13]:
They describe tasks without explaining why those tasks mattered or how things move forward because of them. They might say they coordinate a project, but leave out that the project was running months behind until they stepped in streamlined communication and delivered it two weeks early. That gap leaves hiring managers with no sense of momentum, only static activity. It's the reason strong candidates often walk out of interviews without offers. Behavioral interview research makes the solution clear. Use narrative structures like STAR because they give interviewers a window into your actual decision making and impact. Effective responses aren't about duties but about transformation. What changed how you contributed, and what results followed as you prepare, pick one example from your resume and ask, did I change anything? Did things move forward? If not, dig deeper until you find the progress point.

Tim Newman [00:03:13]:
Because when you focus on impact instead of activity, you're no longer just describing the Past, you're signaling the kind of momentum you can create next. And that idea opens a door to a principle that completely changes how interviewers perceive your potential. John Maxwell's momentum principle, known as the law of the big Mo, shows why momentum is considered a leader's best friend. It multiplies effort, accelerates results, and shows how people experience progress. Maxwell's point, Momentum multiplies impact means employers value evidence that you created progress, not just that you executed tasks. When you apply this principle to interviews, the difference is dramatic. Instead of sounding like someone who just maintained the status quo, you demonstrate that you spark forward motion. Where wherever you go, momentum in an interview isn't about reciting what you were assigned to do.

Tim Newman [00:04:08]:
It's about showing that your involvement changed outcomes for the better. Saying I manage a team leaves the picture flat. Reframing it to explain how you inherited a disengaged group, set up weekly check ins, created clear goals, and within three months lower turnover by nearly a third. While boosting project completions creates a story of transformation, it signals you didn't just handle a role, you created momentum that mattered. And employers want to see that kind of energy because they're not only hiring for skills, they're hiring for progress from day one. And this is why momentum driven stories land so strongly. They turn your past into tangible evidence of future potential. And a hiring manager doesn't just hear what you accomplished, they start imagining the ripple effects you'd bring inside their organization.

Tim Newman [00:05:00]:
That forward looking picture is what separates you from the list of other qualified candidates. Recent industry data reinforces this. A large majority of employers, about four in five now use skill based hiring approaches, focusing less on static qualifications and more on proof of impact. Demonstrating momentum positions you exactly where these hiring practices are already headed. Research even suggests technology is moving in the same direction. Deep learning models trained on interview transcripts can detect storytelling signals like cause and effect patterns and outcome focused details. These systems have shown promising accuracy when analyzing extended context and audio data. Which means momentum driven stories aren't just effective with people, they're also aligned with how automated tools evaluate responses.

Tim Newman [00:05:53]:
And the takeaway is simple. When you frame your answers around momentum, you give interviewers a reason to believe you won't just take on work, you'll generate lasting progress. So the question now is how to take ordinary moments and shape them into stories that clearly communicate movement. The momentum story blueprint gives you a reliable way to frame your answers, so they highlight forward progress. It's built on the STAR method, situation, task, action and result. But with one KEY twist this version emphasizes movement. Show how you reversed a trend, accelerated results, or expanded impact. When choosing examples, pick episodes where you change a measurable trend, turning we did X into we improved Y by Z and W months.

Tim Newman [00:06:45]:
That shift is what makes your story memorable. So Step one Define a clear situation where things were stagnant, heading downhill, or simply broken. Don't flatten it to I improved a process. Spell it out so your impact is easy to see. Maybe customers were filing repeated complaints about response times where every project was slipping past deadlines. Setting up the before state creates contrast that makes your results sharper. Step 2 Walk through the exact actions you took. Skip throwaway lines like I worked hard or I led a team because those are activities, not evidence.

Tim Newman [00:07:26]:
Instead, trace the mechanics. You studied the workflow, located the bottleneck, and introduced an automated system that cut two approval steps. That level of detail signals intentional problem solving. Step 3 Cement the impact with a metric. Numbers show momentum in action. For example, the situation was a backlog of support tickets. The action you designed a triage system with canned responses and automated routing. The result resolution times fell by the equivalent of weeks to days, with a reported 28% faster turnaround and about 10 hours saved per week in a similar case.

Tim Newman [00:08:10]:
That anchored numerical outcome makes momentum impossible to ignore. This framework doesn't just describe one moment it highlights how your actions triggered ripple effects. A drop in response times also builds trust, strengthens retention, and even drives new referrals. And that's what employees watch for. The compounding effects of your influence. For recorded or video first interviews, trim your story down to the essentials situation, action, result and practice it aloud so you don't drift into values or filler. A reliable way to improve is to record one momentum story, time it, and keep it between 60 and 90 seconds. With one metric included.

Tim Newman [00:08:52]:
That simple exercise sharpens delivery and ensures clarity whether you're speaking live or into a camera. And with practice. This blueprint doesn't just help you structure answers, it marks you as someone who creates lasting value. Momentum storytelling shows interviewers that you won't just meet expectations, you'll move things forward. Research also confirms why this matters. A well told momentum story is much more memorable than a list of duties. Stories stick because they highlight outcomes, not activities, which helps you stand out long after the interview ends. Practice one momentum story today.

Tim Newman [00:09:32]:
Record it, time it, and aim to include one measurable result. If you're preparing for a video interview, record the answer as audio or video to simulate the real setting. If you reframe your answers through momentum and you speak like someone who accelerates results. You become exactly who hiring managers hire. Remember, we're looking for progress, not perfection. That's all for today. Be sure to visit speakingwithconfidencepodcast.com to get your free eBook, the Top 21 Challenges for Public Speakers and How to Overcome Them. You can also register for the Formula for Public Speaking course.

Tim Newman [00:10:11]:
Always remember, your voice has the power to change with you. We'll talk to you next time. Take care.