Training Presentation Preparing and Delivering an Elevator Speech Author R.A. Dalton, MKMP, Master Facilitator

Training Standards Understand what an elevator speech is. Understand why you need to an elevator speech. Learn how to prepare an elevator speech. Understand the Do’s and Don’t of elevator speeches. 2

What is an elevator speech? An ʹelevator speechʹ is a term taken from the early days of the internet explosion when web development companies needed venture capital. Finance firms were swamped with applications for money and the companies that won the cash were often those with a simple pitch. The best were those that could explain a business proposition to the occupants of an elevator in the time it took them to ride to their floor. In other words, an elevator speech that worked was able to describe and sell an idea in 30 seconds or less. Today, an ʹelevator speech can be any kind of short speech that sells an idea, promotes your business or markets you as an individual.

Why do you need an elevator speech? An elevator speech is as essential as a business card. You need to be able to say who you are, what you do, what you are interested in doing and how you can be a resource to your listeners. If you don't have an elevator speech, people won't know what you really do. It is a major marketing and promotion tool in your efforts to get senior leader buy-in!

Example of a commercial elevator speech “Working with over 500 of the UK’s leading business thinkers and achievers – people just like you and me – we have developed a proven, structured and highly flexible business change programme – called the Business Edge programme. Its not rocket science. And it doesn't contain any glib answers. But it does contain some of the most powerful questions you can ever ask yourself. Questions that will help you to discover new ways to get your business and life back under control. In other words, questions that will help you to find that “better way” you've always wanted.” For many more examples just go to Google.com and use the following three keywords for your search: elevator speech example

Example of a elevator speech on what Knowledge Management is “Knowledge Management is a structured approach toward harnessing employee experiential knowledge in order to give your organization a major competitive advantage in the marketplace.”

Preparing your elevator speech KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE- Before writing any part of your elevator speech, research your audience. You will be much more likely to succeed if your elevator speech is clearly targeted at the individuals you are speaking to. Having a ʹgenericʹ elevator pitch is almost certain to fail. KNOW YOURSELF - Before you can convince anyone of your proposition you need to know exactly what it is. You need to define precisely what you are offering, what problems you can solve and what benefits you bring to a prospective leader or organization. OUTLINE YOUR TALK - start an outline of your material using bullet points. You don't need to add any detail at this stage; simply write a few notes to help remind you of You can use the following questions to start your outline: Who am I? What do I offer? What problem is solved? What are the main contributions I can make? What should the listener do as a result of hearing this? What you really want to say. They don’t need to be complete sentences. FINALIZE YOUR SPEECH - Now that you have your outline of your material, you can finalize the speech. The key to doing this is to expand on the notes you made by writing out each section in full. To help you do this, follow these guidelines: Take each note you made and write a sentence about it. Take each of the sentences and connect them together with additional phrases to make them flow. Go through what you have written and change any long words or jargon into everyday language. Go back through the re-written material and cut out unnecessary words. Finalize your speech by making sure it is no more than 90 words long if possible.

Do’s and Don’t when it comes to elevator speeches Do make your Elevator Speech sound effortless, conversational, and natural. Do make it memorable and sincere. Open a window to your personality. Do write and rewrite your speech, sharpening its focus and eliminating unnecessary words and awkward constructions. Do avoid an Elevator Speech that will leave the listener mentally asking "So what?“ Do consider including a compelling "hook," an intriguing aspect that will engage the listener, prompt him or her to ask questions, and keep the conversation going. Don't let your speech sound canned or stilted. Do practice your speech. Experts disagree about whether you should memorize it, but you should know your speech well enough so you express your key points without sounding as though the speech was memorized. Let it become an organic part of you. Many experts suggest practicing in front of mirrors and role-playing with friends. Don't ramble. Familiarizing yourself as much as possible with your speech will help keep you from getting off track. Do be warm, friendly, confident, and enthusiastic. A smile is often the best way to show friendliness and enthusiasm, while a strong, firm voice the best way to express confidence. Do take it slowly. Don't rush through the speech, and do pause briefly between sentences. Breathe. Courtesy of Quintessential Careers: Elevator Speech Do's and Don'ts by Katharine Hansen

Do’s and Don’t when it comes to elevator speeches (Continued) Do project your passion for what you do. Do maintain eye contact with your listener. Don't get bogged down with jargon or acronyms that your listener may not comprehend. Do be prepared to wrap up earlier than you were planning if you see the listener's eyes glazing over or interest waning. Don't hesitate to develop different versions of your Elevator Speech for different situations and audiences. Do research the organization and incorporate that knowledge into your speech. Do incorporate examples and stories to help support your points. Provide examples of successful outcomes of deploying your skills. Stories make your speech memorable. Don't focus just on yourself, an approach that will almost assure a "so what?" reaction. Do focus on how you can benefit organizational personnel and leaders and help them solve their problems. Remember as you deliver your Elevator Speech that the listener may be mentally asking, "What's in it for me Do use concrete, listener-friendly language, but at the same time, don't be afraid to paint vivid word pictures. Don't forget to update your speech as your situation changes. Courtesy of Quintessential Careers: Elevator Speech Do's and Don'ts by Katharine Hansen

Author of this training presentation and license for use R.A. Dalton, MKMP, Master Facilitator Office Phone (870) 365-7496 (Mon-Fri 9AM-4PM U.S. Central Time Zone) Email: bob@rdalton.biz Website: http://rdalton.biz LinkedIn public profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/robert-dalton/46/634/836 This PowerPoint presentation is released for use under the following license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/