How to write an elevator speech
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Posted in Communication Tuesday
Last week our public relations director came by my office with a prospective volunteer board member. As part of the introduction, the director asked me to outline my role, in 30 seconds or less. Well… I hemmed, hawed and took about 90 seconds to stammer out a rambling answer.
Time to write my elevator speech.
What is an elevator speech? Wikipedia puts it, “An elevator pitch (or elevator speech) is a brief overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The pitch is so called because it can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (say, thirty seconds or 100-150 words).”
Why use an elevator speech? It is important to be able to quickly introduce an organization, product, service, etc. to potential stakeholders. You only have a few moments to make a first impression. Investing time in developing and rehearsing an elevator speech could make the difference between gaining a new customer/supporter and walking away empty-handed.
What are the key elements of an elevator speech? Your elevator speech should have three elements:
- Who you are?
- What you do?
- How you do it?
And, there are three steps you need to take when developing your elevator speech:
- Prepare, prepare, prepare – This is a short speech that needs to sounds like it’s being delivered off-the-cuff. That means you need to put a lot of work into writing, editing and practicing. Then, once you’ve completed the process, go back and edit and practice some more.
- Avoid jargon – Keep it simple. Avoid using terminology that is meaningless outside of your industry or organization.
- Tell a story – Avoid a dry recitation of facts. Listeners will retain more of what you tell them if you share a story.
Next time I’m asked, I’ll be ready.
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