What I've learned about great elevator pitches. 🗣️ · The Public Speaking Community🔥

Feb 18 (edited) • General

What I've learned about great elevator pitches. 🗣️

and I have been running a networking call for the past few months. I've also just done 11 short 'elevator pitch review calls' with members of my community over the past few days, and have a bunch more on the calendar.

I'm looking to answer: What makes an elevator pitch or self-introduction TRULY memorable for the right reasons, and leads to further conversations?

Here's what I've got so far.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 = 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜 🥱

There's an idea that an elevator pitch or self-introduction needs to be this incredible 1-liner that can be used in ANY situation. I also believed this to be true. Where does this idea come from? Too much Shark Tank, perhaps...

Even when we craft the PERFECT sentence, after we've said it a bunch of times, it sounds memorized and scripted. It FEELS memorized and scripted. It may look good on your landing page, but it doesn't help us to stand out, connect or be memorable. It's generic, at best.

𝟐. 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 🎯

Great elevator pitches and self-introductions are tailored to the situation. No different from a landing page written for a specific ICP in mind. Examples are relatable and relevant. Details are drawn from the context itself. There's a clear understanding of who you're talking to. You're present.

Mention other people: "Oh, I loved what Jimmy said about [xyz]."

Mention the space: "As I came into the event hall, I noticed [xyz] and it made me think about [abc]."

Little details like this are enough to make you stand out. An impromptu feel to your speaking projects confidence. Noticing a theme here?

𝟑. 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥

We often feel pressure to state our experience, our title, our degrees. It feels icky. It sounds icky. But we do it anyway lol. Sorry, but no one cares where you went to university.

Talk about someone you've helped recently.

Talk about something you're working on that you're excited about.

Talk about what a client said about you.

Don't forget, we're in the business of helping people. Focus on the good work you do that puts people first rather than the superficial metrics of success society often draws our attention to.

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: Be yourself + be mindful of others + be mindful of where you are. Pretty simple. But often, it's easier said than done 🥲

What makes for a great elevator pitch or self-introduction?

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