When I was teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, one of my graduate students asked for a bit of help with a paper she was writing for my class.
The draft was in early stages, and she had a lot of important components in there, but the core argument hadn’t come together clearly and cohesively yet.
“Well,” I said, after looking it over, “It seems like you’re trying to say that (point A) here, but recognizing (point B) here, which is why you’re making (point C) here. Am I understanding it correctly?”
She looked at me for a moment, then exclaimed, “How come you know what I’m trying to say when I don’t even know what I’m trying to say?!”
I burst out laughing.
Isn’t it ironic how it’s often so much easier to see other people’s problems, options, and solutions than to see our own?
What’s equally ironic is how that’s never more true than when it comes to introducing ourselves, i.e. the dreaded “elevator pitch.”
I remember years ago being at a business networking event, and giving a rambling elevator pitch that would be better symbolized by a spider web than the straight and narrow path of an elevator.
But when I finished, the other person paused for a moment and replied, “So, it sounds like you’re an influence coach.”
YES! I thought. I was amazed that she was able to say in four simple words what I couldn’t clearly convey in, well, a lot more.
Most importantly, rather than giving a laundry list of services I provide, she homed in on the core value proposition I offered: INFLUENCE.
That’s what it’s really about: knowing – and being able to clearly state – your own value.
Most of us do what we do because we love it, or at least we love something about it. It’s meaningful work that contributes an important value to society.
Yet when we introduce ourselves, those three factors are inevitably lost in translation.
And if it doesn’t seem like we love what we do, and believe in the value of the contribution our role, product and/or service provides, how can we possibly expect anyone else to recognize or believe it?
Fortunately, since then, I’ve learned a lot about the art and science of the perfect elevator pitch, and that’s exactly what we’ll be talking about in this week’s episode of the Speaking to Influence podcast.
Listen to the full episode here or watch it on YouTube here.
I’ll share a few of my favorite, most memorable and pithiest pitches from clients and colleagues, and deconstruct what makes them so powerful.
Of course, the real challenge is taking that newfound knowledge and applying it to our own pitches when the opportunity presents itself.
So I’m excited to invite you to flex that new muscle!
On July 10th, I’ll be hosting a one-time only, FREE pitch-practice workshop: “Elevator to the TOP!” In this workshop, you’ll get:
- Inside tips and tricks for crafting and delivering your perfect pitch that gets to the heart of not just what you do, but WHY you do it
- Fishbowl-style live demos modeling different types of pitches where you can listen and gain personal insights into how to apply what you’ve seen and heard
- Personal PRACTICE in real time with other participants with feedback on what’s working great and how to optimize for clarity and impact for any audience.
I’ve run dozens of these “Elevator to the Top” events for small, private groups and it is always an amazing experience. In the end, when we debrief, the participants aways unanimously agree on three things:
- How much value they got from the experience,
- How fast the time went, and
- How much FUN they had in the process!
Don’t miss this elevator – this is the only time I’m offering it free to everyone, LIVE. And it’s an incredible ride, so register now before it's full!
