Developing an Elevator Speech

elevator speech

So, what do you do for a living?

We are asked this question numerous times throughout our lives, and your employees often get the same question. Developing an elevator speech that you can share throughout your organization lets you make the most of those moments and hopefully sparks a more in-depth discussion.
Not being prepared can make you seem flustered, confusing or out of touch with your organization. Each elevator speech is an opportunity for your business, and you have to make the most of it. An elevator speech is not only for the company leaders, is beneficial for all employees in the organization to develop and be comfortable with giving. Consistent communication allows all employees do be able to succinctly describe what your company does in a persuasive manner.
Keep is simple and short
An elevator speech is meant to be brief, easy to understand and persuasive. It shouldn’t take technical or industry knowledge for the listener to be able to understand your pitch. Your pitch shouldn’t be more than one or two sentences, make sure that it doesn’t take longer than 30 seconds to deliver.
Clearly identify the most important takeaway
You want to have one crystal clear thing for your audience to remember. This is the objective of the pitch and it communicates your unique selling proposition. If you’re having trouble getting started on identifying the key takeaway begin by writing down on a sheet of paper the top ten things your company does, what your product or service is and why your company is unique. After you’re done take a pen and start crossing things off the list with a critical eye, even crossing off parts of sentences can help you begin to narrow it down.
Practice, practice and then practice again
Practice delivering the speech to people inside and outside of your organization and solicit feedback from your audience. Try your speech on as many people as possible, and then just when you think you’ve got it nailed down, record yourself delivering the pitch. Hearing yourself deliver the message is important. It allows you to hear what your audience will hear and gauge the tone and pace of delivery. Try to use a video recording device if you can so that you can look at your body language as well. Keep
I wanted to share an example with you of an elevator pitch that we have developed for AcuMax. Note how this is a quick couple of sentences that explains what AcuMax does, why it is unique, how you can use AcuMax and what you gain by working with us. “The AcuMax Survey measures a person’s unique wiring that is developed by specific chemicals creating neural pathways in the brain.  This forms at 24 months and – as opposed to personality or behavior – never changes.  The data unveiled with our 5 minute Survey provides a deeper insight into people and immediately lets us know the environment they best thrive within.  Knowing idea flow, how one processes thought, their preferred work style and how they make decisions takes away the Mystery of People – not only with candidates but with all of your direct report and co-workers.”

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