The biggest body of work I do with clients on the job search is story development.
However, even the most compelling stories and data can fall flat during delivery, leaving you puzzled about what went wrong.
Effective storytelling is a powerful tool in interviews. It enables you to connect with your audience and convey your message with impact.
Today, I want to share some of the most common techniques I work with people on when developing and delivering stories.
Your strategic guiding principle
Fellow Coach and Product Leader Nancy Chu calls this a “spicy take” and teaches a framework called BLUF (bottom line up front).
When working with clients on stories for common interview questions, I coach them on establishing a unique perspective that guides their approach before getting into the story.
This principle serves as your North Star, ensuring your narrative remains consistent and authentic.
It hooks the audience into listening more actively.
Plus, it differentiates your story from countless others that interviewers hear daily.
Framing the context
Next, you want to establish with the audience where you were and what challenges you faced.
This initial framing helps your listener understand the significance of your story immediately.
Without proper context, even the most impressive achievements can lose their impact.
The person you’re talking with most likely doesn’t recall all the details of your history, and you won’t always have the opportunity to talk through it.
So, framing your experience with phrases like “while I was the Lead PM at company” reinforces you’ve done the job before. And it should precede the details of the story before rushing to describe actions you took.
You should also repeat this at the start of each new story.
Connecting the problem with results
This is probably the biggest gap I see with most people’s stories. They talk about all the actions they took and once summarising the results the interviewer is left wondering and thinking how those results connect back to the context that was set (or not) at the beginning.
Don’t make people guess what problem you were trying to solve until after you’ve gotten to the results.
Always link the challenge directly to the outcome you achieved.
Here’s an example of what I mean:
If you’re telling a story where you know the results relate to something like retention (e.g., “we increased retention by X% which grew ARR by $Y”), you need to state up front that churn is the problem you were trying to solve. You can even get specific with the numbers up front (e.g., “our first 14 day retention was 72% and I made it a priority to improve it”).
This ensures your audience is primed to evaluate the steps you’ve taken as you talk through them rather than taking on the cognitive load of revisiting everything you just talked about when you list out metrics and impact at the end.
Making data tell a story
The numbers are important, let there be no doubt about that. But data isn’t just numbers; it’s evidence that supports your narrative. I’ve written before about storytelling with data and when it comes to interviews, it’s not just the what or the how, but also the who.
Don’t just say:
“I met with senior leaders.”
Instead, be more specific and say:
“I setup a meeting with the VP of Finance and Director of Sales.”
Again, this subtly reinforces the levels of leadership you’ve been challenged by, that you’ve successfully influenced.
It should also go without saying, but you need to quantify your impact wherever possible to provide concrete proof of your success. Especially as a Product Manager, as impact matters more than everything else.
Let me know if you want tips on writing stories where you have limited data, as this is another challenge my clients encounter.
Engaging your listener
Part of effective storytelling is knowing how to engage your audience.
You can’t always anticipate what kind of interviewer you’re going to get, and just talking for 5 minutes straight can feel awkward.
Pay attention to your interviewer’s reactions and adjust your delivery accordingly.
When you finish telling a story, and there’s an awkward silence, the next time you answer a question or tell a story, end with a question. This makes the interview more conversational and gets them to engage.
And don’t rely too heavily on seeking direct validation.
So instead of
“Did that answer your question?”
Ask something more open-ended like:
“What areas would you like me to talk about in more depth?”
Keeping the interview more conversational also helps you build rapport.
Dropping story threads
This is one of my favourite techniques because it can be done in multiple ways.
Story threads are small bits of a different story that relate to what you’re currently talking about.
If you’ve built a large story library (I recommend ~20 stories for effective interview prep) you won’t always get the opportunity to tell your most powerful story because you don’t control what questions are asked.
When telling a related story, drop in a story thread and offer to talk about it in more depth.
Here’s an example of what I mean:
“After deciding to roll back the feature, I had to convince my VP that we would halt further work on it, focusing instead on the complete rebuild of the search experience. That was a really challenging process so let me know if you want me to walk you through how I approached that.”
In this example, the main story is about rolling back a feature that didn’t work, but there was a really challenging part of the story that has to do with influencing a VP—going into depth about that might derail the story or take too long. So, dropping a story thread signals to the interviewer you’re prepared to talk about something else if they want to learn about it.
Another great place to drop story threads is in your initial elevator pitch with recruiters or hiring managers. When constructing your elevator pitch, you should absolutely mention high-level story threads that you’re prepared to talk about for at least 5-10 minutes.
Planting intriguing elements early that you’ll revisit later in your narrative also signals preparation.
These threads create anticipation and keep your interviewer engaged throughout your answer.
Putting it into practice
The best storytellers practice deliberately. Before your next interview, practice some of these techniques out loud or with a practice partner.
If you’re looking to do some practice with me, book a mock interview and we can practice these together.
Remember, the goal isn’t perfection—it’s authentic connection through well-crafted narratives.
By mastering these storytelling techniques, you’ll transform ordinary interview answers into compelling narratives that showcase your unique value proposition.