The 5 Progressive Steps of Communicating Your Value through the S.M.A.R.T. Story

During an interviewing  process, most companies prefer you deliver responses to behavioral interview questions using a format that outlines what happened, what did you do, and what where the results from your actions.  Whether a seasonal professional in corporate America, or business leader, you can Own Your Authentic Power when you use an S.M.A.R.T. Story to communicate the value.

Mastering the S.M.A.R.T. Story

When communicating your value to your manager or clients, use the S.M.A.R.T. Story Method: S=Situation and M=More, A=Action, R=Results, and T=Tie-in.  An S.M.A.R.T. Story allows you to craft your interviewing and networking responses with a definite beginning, middle, and ending.

Let’s review the framework of your story begins with the Situation and More, which describes the contextual details, offering specific numbers about the situation. A key question to ask: “what was the specific situation you were faced”. And, what “More” information can I offer about the situation. Second, the Action shares what specific action did you take to overcome the situation or bring about resolution. Third, Results is the essential part to your S.M.A.R.T. Story because you can share the numbers-oriented, bottom line results. These results convey your return-on-investment value and positions you to leverage salary or contract negotiations. Last is the Tie-in where you use a question or statement to link your S.M.A.R.T. Story back to the important issues or like it to a theme of key competencies (or skills) sought by the employee or the small business.

Using the S.M.A.R.T. Story for Non-Work Experiences

This framework allows you to share as an employee or small business leader the value you bring to the table.  Keep in mind, S.M.A.R.T. Stories can be used for non-work experiences too. Use the S.M.A.R.T Method to link your volunteer work, school experiences, and general life incidents to the value you bring.

The Big Pay-Off

The big pay-off, managers or clients will be impressed because you can offer tangible evidence of your successes. As well as, you will feel more comfortable and confident sharing your value because you can communicate you are well able to do the job.

Now, let’s move forward with your S.M.A.R.T. Story. #Poimena #Leadership