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interview COACHING

ERC 2023 StG/CoG/Adg/Syg call

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SCOPE

 

The key to a successful interview is transmitting the proposed research in a compelling and convincing way in a very short time frame. Most researchers struggle with adapting the narrative to fit the audience (panel members), often focusing too much on technical details rather than “zooming out” and providing a broader context. Another typical mistake is to try to summarise all aspects of the project, instead of identifying key messages. 

 

We help applicants make the most of their opportunity and prepare a strategy for how to impress the reviewers, while convincingly answering their questions. We offer personalized interview preparation training with the aim to sharpen the transmitted message, develop a clear storyline and give the researcher the opportunity to rehearse extensively. 

 

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INDIVIDUAL Interview COACH

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Our standard training package consists of two separate training sessions, both with a duration of approximately 2 hours. Two experienced trainers familiar with the ERC evaluation process help the candidate develop a personalised strategy for how to present his/her project, based on a previous in-depth review of the submitted proposal.

 

In each session, the candidate gets to rehearse his/her presentation several times and in different ways, while we provide continuous feedback on aspects such as:

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  • Presentation content: scope, focus, logical order, take-home messages, etc.

  • Delivery: verbal and non-verbal communication, pace, confidence, enthusiasm, audience engagement, etc.

  • Feedback on presentation design: slide design, visual narrative, indicative titles, graphical profile, etc.  

  • Preparation for the Q&A session: recurring questions, what to expect, how to structure the answers, how to address scientific dispute, etc

 

Session 1: What to expect
We will start with a brief overview of the evaluation process and evaluation criterion, to review how you will be evaluated, and by whom. You will then be given the opportunity to practise your presentation in different ways, where the focus of our feedback will mainly be on the content and structure, in terms of scope, focus, weight, take-home messages and visual narrative. Depending on how we do with time, we might also start to review the Q&A
preparation session, or we leave it for the second session.
 

Session 2: What to expect
In the second session you once more present your project and we provide feedback especially on the changes that have been implemented since the last session. Here we will also be focusing more on the delivery of your presentation and aspects such as timing, pace, confidence, etc. The second half of the session will be devoted to help you prepare for the Q&A session.

 

One of the things that differentiates us from most other consultancies is that we personalise our training to fit the specific needs of the applicant, so the content/order indicated above may change after the initial discussion.

Want more information?

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For more information and to book an individual interview preparation package, please contact me below.

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