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If you’ve ever tried to recite a speech entirely from memory, you’ve likely discovered that it’s no easy task. And it’s not just the sheer brainpower required to memorize a speech you’ve written ahead of time that makes it difficult — having to recall that speech in front of a live audience adds a further level of complexity.

Fortunately, the following infographic walks you through the process of memorizing a speech, step by step. 

Instead of having you memorize text verbatim, the infographic shows how you can use visualization techniques to organize different sections of your speech in your memory. The infographic also offers several tips and tricks for boosting your memory, from eating foods rich in fatty acids, to taking naps.

Know of any other tips for memorizing speeches? Share them in the comments section below.

 Whether or not you use it, we’ve all heard of Snapchat. And regardless of your preconceived notions about it, this photo/video sharing app has quickly become popular with adults over the last year, making it a serious contender in the social media world. Snapchat is no longer just for teens, but for moms too! So how can marketers take advantage of this increasingly mainstream tool?

The Scoop on Snapchat

When it was initially released in 2011, Snapchat was an instant favorite among teenagers, largely due to the fact that content would disappear after being viewable for only a brief amount of time.

Basically, you communicate in real time by taking a picture or short video (called a “snap”), adding a quick caption, and sending it to people who are connected to your Snapchat account. The snap is available for viewing for only a few seconds after it is opened and then it disappears.

You can also create a “story”, which strings all your snaps together and allows them to be viewed by any of your Snapchat connections for 24 hours. To connect with someone on Snapchat outside of your phone contacts, you have to look them up by their username, Snapcode or QR code.

Snapchat Doesn’t Keep Score

Snapchat is stripped down social media and is all about living in the moment and sharing authentic experiences.Their photo effects aren’t made to give a “professional” look to your images, like on Instagram. There’s no editing, like on Facebook. There’s no popularity contest for who has the most Snapchat friends. There’s no keeping score. Period.

Life on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, for example, tends to be more about the rush of scoring likes and comments. Many Instagram and Facebook users even view these things as a barometer of popularity and self-worth. Many users will create content designed for the sole purpose of collecting “likes”, and delete posts that haven’t drawn enough attention.

Those who follow you on Snapchat can view your snaps and stories, but there’s no option to “like”, comment, or share them. That takes a tremendous amount of pressure off of users to create content that will receive a lot of “likes” versus creating content that is authentic. Society in general could take a cue from Snapchat’s stripped down approach. Marketers should follow this same philosophy in creating authentic content and not just focusing on the popular vote.

Discover – Marketing on Snapchat

Unlike Facebook, you can’t pay for ads to pop up on a news feed in Snapchat, because there is no news feed. If you want to see what someone is up to, you have to follow them. Which means that anyone following you actually cares about what you have to say.

Snapchat’s current large scale marketing opportunities appear in the form of an online magazine layout in the Discover channel feature. Discover channels allow select publishers to have a permanent place on Snapchat where they can post content from various sources, use a mix of text and photos, and long or short form videos. These publishers can then include some advertising snaps in the middle of their stories.

When this feature launched a year ago, there were only eleven channel partners (CNN, Comedy Central, Cosmopolitan, Daily Mail, ESPN, Food Network, National Geographic, People, Vice, Yahoo News and Warner Music). That number has now more than doubled to twenty-one channels, and will no doubt continue to grow.

While Discover partners is an exclusive club limited to high-traffic media companies, all marketers should take note on the creative concepts being used on these channels. Any person or business can create a SnapChat account (like Audi, GrubHub< and even the White House), but you need to generate creative and interesting content in order to gain more followers. Your audience may not yet be as broad as it is on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, but you will know they are genuinely interested in what you have to say.

How Do You Get Started on Snapchat?

Signing-up for a Snapchat account is not much different from setting up any other social media account. You’ll need to provide an email address and birthdate for your company (make it over 18 so you don’t end up classified as a child). You’ll be asked for a phone number, but you can skip over that.

Be sure to keep all of your social media branding in sync so that users can easily find you across all of the social channels. 20th Century Fox is an example of what NOT to do when setting up your SnapChat account. If you went to look them up on Snapchat as “20thcenturyfox”, which is how they are listed on Twitter, you wouldn’t get a match. No suggestions will appear at all. That’s because their Snapchat account is FoxMovies. So if your business is already listed as ClearPivot on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, then it’s wise to also use the ClearPivot name on Snapchat.

What Should You Post?

After you setup your Snapchat account, practice posting some snaps to get used to capturing experiences while you’re in the moment. Remember, Snapchat users like authentic content and the interaction is all about sharing experiences. Also, be sure to post often since content disappears after a brief amount of time.

If you really want to increase the human connection between the company and its audience, have one employee take over the company Snapchat account every day and make a story about their day. Having a different employee do this every day will show the personalities of the people behind the company, and further strengthen your relationship with your Snapchat connections.

Tidbits for Specific Industries

Cosmetic Companies

Snapchat has a very useful timelapse and fast forward feature, which would be great for how-to stories. This would be a very effective way to showcase a new product and how to best use it. Also, every makeup wearing woman loves tips on how to apply makeup like the pros. You could have a different story everyday on how to properly apply lip liner, mascara, brow liner, eye shadow etc. Stories on how best to store, care for, and replace makeup would a hit as well.

Hardware or Craft Stores

Customers of these businesses tend to be do-it-yourselfers, so what better way to connect with these users than with a DIY story. Home improvement stories can range from large construction projects, like building a deck, landscaping, or finishing your basement, to smaller projects such as replacing a light switch, installing cabinet hardware, or which light bulbs are the most energy efficient. Craft DIY stories can also have a variety ranging from quilting to scrapbooking, or anything in between. The sky’s the limit with DIY stories.

Local Coffee Shops/Bars/Boutiques

These types of businesses tend to host frequent events that appeal to those within their community. Wouldn’t it be great to post live snaps from the event to draw more interest from those who perhaps didn’t know about it or forgot to mark the event on their calendar? Since these businesses are local, a user could see your snap from the event and drop in to check it out before the fun ends.

Don’t Miss Out on the Next “Big One”

The full marketing potential of Snapchat remains widely untapped. That could change very quickly this year. Gary Vaynerchuk declared that 2016 is the year for Snapchat:

“…if you’re running a business in 2016, you need to be thinking about Snapchat as a channel to grow your customer base. Period… I haven’t seen this much consumer attention on one social platform since early 2007 and 2008 with Twitter.”

The millennial generation makes up the majority of the workforce in America and are quickly taking over the world of business. They are increasingly not tuning in to traditional media like broadcast TV and print newspapers.. The most effective resource to reach this prime target audience is through social media, and more importantly right now – Snapchat!

“Do you have any questions for me?”

We’ve all been on the receiving end of that question in an interview. If you’re prepared, you’ve probably got some good questions you usually cycle through.

But we want to be better than “good” in an interview. We want to be standout candidates that hiring managers are excited to extend an offer to.

One thing you can do to separate yourself from other applicants? Ask good questions. 

Download our free resume templates here to help you create a standout resume.  

“I’m always surprised at the lack of good questions candidates have, and I always respect the candidates that ask insightful questions during interviews,” says Andrew Quinn, director of training and development at HubSpot.

To help you prepare to stand out at your next interview, here are some questions that’ll make hiring managers’ ears perk up. Try them at your next interview and see how the conversation changes.

14 Questions Hiring Managers Wish You’d Ask During Job Interviews

1) How does this role contribute to larger company goals?

It’s not terribly difficult to find a candidate that can execute on a role. It is terribly difficult to find a candidate that can not only execute on their role, but also understand how it fits into larger goals. This includes being able to self-manage, prioritize high-value activities, and grow their role in a direction that aligns with the company’s growth. 

How It Helps You

This information can be hard to come by if your company isn’t very communicative or transparent, so this is a good chance to get that information while the gettin’s good, and use it to guide your decisions if you land the role.

2) What do the most successful new hires do in their first month here?

This question shows that you’re the type of person who likes to hit the ground running, instead of spending a week filling out HR forms. It also shows that you recognize patterns of success and want to replicate only the most effective performers.

How It Helps You

Every company has its weird nuances, its own environment, and its own unspoken expectations. This helps you start with a little bit of the insider info so you don’t suffer a case of “if I knew then what I knew now” in six months.

3) What metrics would you use to measure success in this role?

Asking a question like this shows that you’re goal-oriented and aren’t afraid to be held accountable for those goals. You don’t shirk accountability. You welcome it — and will work hard to hit the goals you’re responsible for.

How It Helps You

It’s shocking how many people don’t actually know what they want from their employees beyond a vague idea of some work that needs to get done. Asking this question will force a hiring manager to figure it out — and then can communicate it to you, so you can execute on it.

4) What are some of the challenges or roadblocks one might come up against in this role?

A question like this indicates that you’re already envisioning yourself in the role and thinking through a plan of attack, should you land the gig. It’s also a sign that you’re well aware that no job comes free of roadblocks. It shows that not only are you not afraid to deal with those challenges, but you’re also prepared for them.

How It Helps You

The response you receive should help you better understand some of the less-than-ideal aspects of the job — difficult colleagues, bureaucratic processes, internal politics, and so on. You can use that information to decide that the role really isn’t a good fit for you … or that you’re up for the challenge.

5) What is the biggest challenge the team has faced in the past year?

While the interviewer might be trying to paint a pretty perfect picture of what working on the team might look like, asking this question will help you uncover some of the realities the team has been facing recently. If you end up joining, you’ll inevitably hear about these challenges — and you may have to help solve them, too. This is a question our senior sales recruiter Katie Donohue says she likes to get during interviews.

How It Helps You

It really helps to know what challenges you could find yourself or your team up against ahead of time. In some cases, it could affect whether you accept the role. Not only that, but learning about these challenges could give you some great insights into the steps the team has taken to overcome these challenges already.

6) Why did you decide to work at this company?

This question gives an interviewer a chance to do two self-serving things: talk about themselves and perform a no-holds-barred sales pitch on the company. For promising candidates, the sales opportunity is welcomed. And most people love any excuse to talk about themselves. 😉

How It Helps You

This gives you insight into what motivates your future colleague or manager, as well as insight into what the company offers its employees. If those all line up with what you’re looking for in a job, you’ve got yourself a good fit.

7) You’ve been at this company for while. What keeps you motivated?

If your interviewer has been at the company for several years, understanding why could give you some really interesting insight into the company, how it treats its employees, and a taste of what motivates the people who work there. Plus, it shows you’ve done your research on the interviewer, which is always an impressive sign.

How It Helps You

Depending on the interviewer’s answer, you might learn something about the company’s career training, leadership opportunities, workplace flexibility, internal job opportunities, and more. You might dig a little deeper by following up with related questions, like, “What do you enjoy most about working here?”

8) Where do people usually eat lunch?

Do they take the time to go out? Do people bring lunch but eat in groups? Do folks normally eat at their desks because they’re too busy to socialize? Asking this question serves as a great way to find out a little bit about the company culture. Plus, this is a more lighthearted question that might relax a stiffened atmosphere or lead to a conversation about shared interests.

How It Helps You

Along with learning about company culture, it doesn’t hurt to get a few good lunch suggestions for the future.

9) What is your company’s customer or client service philosophy?

This is an impressive question because it shows that you can make the connection between how the company thinks about its customers and the end result. In other words, how the customer is treated on a day-to-day basis, and in turn, how that shows up in the product. 

How It Helps You

While you might be able to find a canned response to this question on the company’s website, it’ll be useful — and possibly eye-opening — for you to hear it more candidly from an employee. How the company treats its customers could end up informing your decision to join if you are offered the job, especially if you’re applying for a job where you’ll be communicating directly with customers.

10) What are some of the less tangible traits of successful people at this company? 

Ever work with people that just get it? That’s who hiring managers are looking for. This question demonstrates that you understand a job is about more than just going through the motions. Successful people have a specific frame of mind, approach, attitude, work ethic, communication style, and so on — and you want to know what that mix looks like at this company.

How It Helps You

Because these characteristics are often hard to pin down, this question forces a hiring manager to articulate that “it factor” they’re really looking for — even if it wasn’t written in the job description.

11) What behaviors does the most successful member of the team exhibit? Please give me an example.

Asking a question like this shows you’re interested in getting a practical example of what success looks like to the manager of the team you’d be joining. Plus, when you phrase the question in this way, “you leave no room for a hypothetical answer,” says Dave Fernandez, a recruiting team lead here at HubSpot. Instead, you’re pushing the hiring manager to think about their top performer.

How It Helps You

Because this question forces an example, the answer to this question will give you a strong idea of what success actually looks like. That way, you’ll learn what it takes to impress your colleagues and be a star candidate.

12) What behaviors does the member who struggles most on the team exhibit? Please give me an example.

Follow question #9 with this question, and you’ll show the hiring manager that you’re really trying to get a concrete idea of what to do and what not to do as an employee on the specific team you’re applying to join, says Fernandez. And while this question can make a manager uncomfortable, it’s impressive because it shows that the candidate is not afraid to ask tough questions.

How It Helps You

First, you’ll get an idea of what poor performance looks like, which will help you set expectations for the position. Second, you’ll learn how the hiring manager handles a tough question like this — which can teach you something about how office politics are handled in general.

13) How do you deliver negative feedback?

If you would be working with the person interviewing you, this is another tough question that can give you some insight into how the team works. It pushes the hiring manager to think about how he or she would handle an uneasy situation, while at the same time showing your level of maturity in that that you (realistically) expect to receive tough feedback sometimes.

How It Helps You

Just like different people take negative feedback differently, different people give negative feedback differently. Does this person tailor their feedback approach depending on whom they’re giving feedback to? Do they make feedback a two-way street? Their feedback style — especially when it comes to negative feedback — will help you understand how well you would be able to work with them.

14) Do you have any questions or concerns about my qualifications?

This question shows that you’re not afraid of critical feedback — in fact, you welcome it. Interviewers tend to make note of red flags — whether it be something on your resume or something you said — to discuss with a colleague following the interview. This question gives them the green light to ask about any of the things that are holding them back from being 100% on board with hiring you.

How It Helps You

You get a chance to address concerns face-to-face without being too confrontational. This could be the difference between an offer and a rejection — or maybe even a higher opening offer.

Please share some other interview questions you like to hear as a hiring manager in the comments, and explain why it’s so helpful or encouraging to hear from a candidate.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June 2014 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.