Interview preparation that equips someone to walk in and win the room. In that peak moment, in that room, with those people, "getting the job" or "getting to yes" is, in practical terms, an abstraction. No one is offering us a role then and there. They're not there to offer us a job. But they are making offers, in every moment. Can we shed our need for "yes", and widen our aperture in order to catch them? If we can't get a yes, if we no longer seek it, what's an achievable, even pleasurable goal? The top of the pyramid, the apex, is co-creating a vital exchange with our interview partners (that other human being is always our partner, always and ever). This isn't an abstraction. It's achievable and practicable, if we're willing and able to do it. The apex is to be able to win the moment by offering who we are and what we're there to give in a fashion that is both vivid AND precise. Speaking on our topics in a way that is substantial, personal and, like the apex itself, pointed. It's receiving offers and enriching them, before sending them back for the next offer. Responding authentically to our partner, finding synergy between question and answer. "The ouch matches the pinch", as my acting teacher would have said. We ascend to the apex in many steps, self-discovery being one of the most propulsive. Going inside the pyramid. What's there? What do I actually believe, feel, want to say, beyond the standard offerings? Exploratory practice gets us closer to the top. "Get your communication out loud, and on its feet. Better to be uncomfortable, sweaty and messy NOW, so that you can be relaxed and precise when it counts. This work can’t happen inside your head.” Use the interview as a field of possibility to develop a skill. Good actors often ask themselves before walking on stage, "what am I working on tonight? What quality? What technique?" Maybe it's one of the aforementioned elements to win the room. But it could be simpler. One says, "I trust in my knowledge and insight; but I want to work on physical relaxation and attunement to my partner." Another: "directly answering the question... and being bold while doing it." One more: "catching an attitude of loving the hard questions, even when I don't." The pyramid awaits. And we might discover that the true apex, the ultimate win, is finding ourselves simply enjoying an exchange, enjoying those people and, most preciously, enjoying ourselves in what had previously appeared to be a high-pressure moment. 🗝🏄♀️