Every question deserves a clear, focused answer, and the second component of your response should be your message. It captures in one sentence the point you want to make.

In a job interview question above—”Tell me about yourself”—the message could be: “I thrive on creative projects.” If you’re answering the question “How is Project X coming along?” and your grabber is “It’s on track,” your message might be: “We have already found ways to reduce costs by 40%.”

You have to support your message with proof points.

If your message in a job interview is “I thrive on creative projects", when you give the reasons you can say that: 

• "In university, I studied graphic design at a top school."
• "I love nothing better than wo...