Elevator Pitches are 30-60 seconds to describe your thing to someone. That’s about how long a ride in an elevator is with a captive audience, so why not shoot your shot?
There are three kinds of elevator pitches:
Introductory elevator pitch for job seekers to use at networking events
“Tell me about yourself” responses for job seekers
A pitch to get stakeholders interested/engaged/invested in your work
So let’s decide which one you are. Got it? Great.
Next up, what is your GOAL? This will shape your pitch. You want someone to know you better? To throw buckets of cash at you? To want to like you? It matters what you want.
I grabbed these prompts from Tina Essmaker’s worksheet:
What is unique about you? List 10 things that articulate your value. If you’re not sure, ask the people in your life how you contribute value to them.
What are your compelling desires? What are you interested in? What are your resources (experience, training, education, background)?
Desires + Resources = Opportunities
What needs can you meet in the world, where are there opportunities to add value or contribute in a way that is unique to you?
Finally, SUM IT UP: I (verb) (who?) to (action/outcome/result) by means of (how you do it). An example: I help clients level up by using narrative reflection activities to build and tell their stories. Finally, we need to know your why. Your prospective employer/funder will need to have connection to continue, and you have a short amount of time to win them over.
A quick recap:
Know your goal
Know your audience
PRACTICE - the better you are, the easier these will come to you. Remember, you’re the pitcher, and like baseball, no one pitches without practice!