The Importance of Telling a Story
One of the most important parts of a consular presentation is the story you tell. Most lives make sense, especially from the perspective of the people living those lives. The goal in a consular interview is to relate one’s life story in a plausible way that will build confidence and convince the consular officer that you are telling the truth.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you when you talk to the consular officer. Generally, if your motive is lawful, the truth is the best way to convince the consular officer. If you prepare for your interview, and you aren’t convinced by your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do. The consular officers are required by law and therefore trained to be skeptical. If they get a whiff of fraud, lies, or evasion, they don’t need to articulate that in order to deny you your visa.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve along with your life, and your presentation can evolve with it.
The importance of the narrative has been important in my career since my days as a trial lawyer, where we were encouraged to present the “story of the case” to the jury, as a consultant in investment immigration matters, where we create a story for the USCIS adjudicator - see https://pazanconsulting.com/news/tell-me-a-story-the-value-of-a-solid-narrative-in-source-of-funds, and as a consular officer, where I always asked myself, who is this person before me?
