Mastering Your Elevator Speech for Effective Communication
The Elevator Speech
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“
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”
•
Is a tool used by job-seekers and for organizations and
individuals with products and services to sell.
•
Gives your audience the “who, what, and why” in about a
minute – the length of time it takes to ride from the top to the
bottom of a building in an elevator.
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:
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events designed specifically for networking
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casual networking opportunities we encounter nearly every day – the kids’ soccer games, plane
flights, waiting in line to buy tickets, etc.
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career or job fairs
•
cold calls to employers
•
cold calls to absent employers – leaving your Elevator Speech in the form of a voicemail message
virtually guarantees the employer will call back
•
(Assuming your speech is sufficiently compelling, call after hours when you know for sure you
will get the employer’s voicemail)
More on the “Elevator Speech”
•
Opportunities within your own company to talk
with higher-ups, let them know you’re doing a
great job, and position you for promotion
•
Job interviews, where the Elevator Speech can
provide the answer to at least two common
interview questions: “Tell me about yourself”
and “Why should I hire you?”
O
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l
i
n
e
y
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:
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?
Example retrieved from:
http://www.senecac.on.ca/library/OLD/Research_Help/Citing_So
urces/apa_images/apaInTextUnknownAuth.gif
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Know your audience.
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Employ a “You Attitude”.
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Stress your benefit to the listener and
touch on how you’re better than the
competition.
Example retrieved from: About.Com/Reference pages in APA
format http://0.tqn.com/d/psychology/1/0/m/8/references2.jpg
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p
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h
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)
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This principle encompasses many names: “unique selling
proposition”, “value proposition”, benefit statement,
competitive advantage, deliverables, differentiation…
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The bottom line is the same: what can you bring to the
employer, and how can you do it better than anyone else?
K
n
o
w
Y
o
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r
s
e
l
f
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Be sure to include:
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key strengths
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adjectives that describe you
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a description of what you are trying to let
others know about you
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a statement of your interest in the company or
industry the person (audience) represents
T
r
y
t
o
a
n
s
w
e
r
:
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The listener’s unspoken question is: “Why
should I do business with/hire you?”
S
o
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n
d
B
i
t
e
s
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Short, 15-30 second Elevator Speeches are referred
to as “Sound Bites”. You would use your Sound Bite
in situations where you are meeting a lot of people
and probably not spending a great deal of time with
any one of them.
•
The trick is to make your Sound Bite so intriguing
that people will want to spend more time talking
with you.
S
o
u
n
d
B
i
t
e
s
(
c
o
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.
)
At its most basic level, the Sound Bite’s structure is:
Hi, my name is __________. I’m in the _________ field, and
I’m looking to _______.
The last blank would be filled in with your current career
aspiration, whether it is to stay within your field and move up
or move into a different career.
S
o
u
n
d
B
i
t
e
s
(
c
o
n
t
.
2
)
•
A college student or new graduate might add
the following to the basic structure:
•
Hi, my name is _________. I will be
graduating/I just graduated from _________
with a (diploma/degree) in ___________. I’m
looking to ____________.
S
o
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n
d
B
i
t
e
s
(
c
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t
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3
)
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You can stick with the Sound Bite’s basic structure and see
where it takes you. It may not take you very far because it
lacks two things: a “hook” and a request for action.
•
If you add an element of intrigue – a “hook”— by
incorporating your ‘unique selling proposition’, the ensuing
conversation has considerable potential.
E
x
a
m
p
l
e
O
n
e
◦
Networker 1
: Hi, my name is Pat Southwick. I make dreams
come true.
◦
Networker 2:
How do you do that?
◦
Networker 1:
I’m a wedding planner. I plan dream weddings
for couples. I’ve been working for myself, but I’d like to get
in with one of the big resorts that hosts weddings.
E
x
a
m
p
l
e
T
w
o
•
Networker 1
: Hi, my name is Sam Watson. I’m
responsible for this country’s future.
•
Networker 2
: This I’ve got to hear about!
•
Networker 1
: I’m a teacher! I love shaping the
minds of the next generation, but I’m also
interested in getting into corporate training.
N
o
w
y
o
u
t
r
y
!
•
Who am I? (introduce yourself)
•
What business/field/industry am I in? (Identify yourself in terms of a job
function or contribution. What do you do?)
•
What group of people do I service? (be specific – do you have a niche?)
What position am I in? In what capacity do I serve?
•
What makes me different from the competition? (Develop a statement of
the primary differentiation of yourself. The differentiation is the single
most important thing that sets you apart from the competition.)
•
What benefits do my customers derive from my services? What benefits
can employers derive from my skills based on my proven
accomplishments?
R
e
f
e
r
e
n
c
e
s
Hansen, Katharine. Fantastic Formulas for Composing
Elevator Speeches. Retrieved February, 2, 2009, from:
http://www.quintcareers.com/writing_elevator_speeches.ht
ml
Hansen, Katharine. The Elevator Speech is the Swiss Army
Knife of Job-Search Tools. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from:
http://www.quintcareers.com/writing_elevator_speeche
s.html
Elevator speech is a powerful tool for job-seekers, organizations, and individuals to succinctly convey important information within a minute—a time frame similar to riding an elevator. It can be used in various situations such as networking events, casual encounters, job interviews, and more. This tool helps in creating a memorable impression and highlighting key points concisely. Remember key elements like knowing your audience, emphasizing benefits, and differentiating yourself from competitors to craft a compelling elevator speech.
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Presentation Transcript
The Elevator Speech DEVELOPED FOR THE COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE BY SHANTAL SHANTAL WOOLSEY, 2009 WOOLSEY, 2009 BY
The Elevator Speech The Elevator Speech Is a tool used by job-seekers and for organizations and individuals with products and services to sell. Gives your audience the who, what, and why in about a minute the length of time it takes to ride from the top to the bottom of a building in an elevator.
The Elevator Speech is an effective tool that The Elevator Speech is an effective tool that can be used in any number of situations: can be used in any number of situations: events designed specifically for networking casual networking opportunities we encounter nearly every day the kids soccer games, plane flights, waiting in line to buy tickets, etc. career or job fairs cold calls to employers cold calls to absent employers leaving your Elevator Speech in the form of a voicemail message virtually guarantees the employer will call back (Assuming your speech is sufficiently compelling, call after hours when you know for sure you will get the employer s voicemail)
More on the Elevator Speech Opportunities within your own company to talk with higher-ups, let them know you re doing a great job, and position you for promotion Job interviews, where the Elevator Speech can provide the answer to at least two common interview questions: Tell me about yourself and Why should I hire you?
Outline your elevator speech using these Outline your elevator speech using these questions: questions: 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? Example retrieved from: http://www.senecac.on.ca/library/OLD/Research_Help/Citing_So urces/apa_images/apaInTextUnknownAuth.gif
Things to Remember Things to Remember Know your audience. Employ a You Attitude . Stress your benefit to the listener and touch on how you re better than the competition. Example retrieved from: About.Com/Reference pages in APA format http://0.tqn.com/d/psychology/1/0/m/8/references2.jpg
The Elevator Speech (cont.) The Elevator Speech (cont.) This principle encompasses many names: unique selling proposition , value proposition , benefit statement, competitive advantage, deliverables, differentiation The bottom line is the same: what can you bring to the employer, and how can you do it better than anyone else?
Know Yourself Know Yourself Be sure to include: key strengths adjectives that describe you a description of what you are trying to let others know about you a statement of your interest in the company or industry the person (audience) represents
Try to answer: Try to answer: The listener s unspoken question is: Why should I do business with/hire you?
Sound Bites Sound Bites Short, 15-30 second Elevator Speeches are referred to as Sound Bites . You would use your Sound Bite in situations where you are meeting a lot of people and probably not spending a great deal of time with any one of them. The trick is to make your Sound Bite so intriguing that people will want to spend more time talking with you.
Sound Bites (cont.) Sound Bites (cont.) At its most basic level, the Sound Bite s structure is: Hi, my name is __________. I m in the _________ field, and I m looking to _______. The last blank would be filled in with your current career aspiration, whether it is to stay within your field and move up or move into a different career.
Sound Bites (cont. 2) Sound Bites (cont. 2) A college student or new graduate might add the following to the basic structure: Hi, my name is _________. I will be graduating/I just graduated from _________ with a (diploma/degree) in ___________. I m looking to ____________.
Sound Bites (cont. 3) Sound Bites (cont. 3) You can stick with the Sound Bite s basic structure and see where it takes you. It may not take you very far because it lacks two things: a hook and a request for action. If you add an element of intrigue a hook by incorporating your unique selling proposition , the ensuing conversation has considerable potential.
Example One Example One Networker 1: Hi, my name is Pat Southwick. I make dreams come true. Networker 2: How do you do that? Networker 1: I m a wedding planner. I plan dream weddings for couples. I ve been working for myself, but I d like to get in with one of the big resorts that hosts weddings.
Example Two Example Two Networker 1: Hi, my name is Sam Watson. I m responsible for this country s future. Networker 2: This I ve got to hear about! Networker 1: I m a teacher! I love shaping the minds of the next generation, but I m also interested in getting into corporate training.
Now you try! Now you try! Who am I? (introduce yourself) What business/field/industry am I in? (Identify yourself in terms of a job function or contribution. What do you do?) What group of people do I service? (be specific do you have a niche?) What position am I in? In what capacity do I serve? What makes me different from the competition? (Develop a statement of the primary differentiation of yourself. The differentiation is the single most important thing that sets you apart from the competition.) What benefits do my customers derive from my services? What benefits can employers derive from my skills based on my proven accomplishments?
References References Hansen, Katharine. Fantastic Formulas for Composing Elevator Speeches. Retrieved February, 2, 2009, from: http://www.quintcareers.com/writing_elevator_speeches.ht ml Hansen, Katharine. The Elevator Speech is the Swiss Army Knife of Job-Search Tools. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from: http://www.quintcareers.com/writing_elevator_speeche s.html
