Imagine you’re in an elevator and the door’s about to close, when someone steps in. It’s not just anyone, but your idol—the person you look up to and respect the most. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but you only have about 30 seconds, i.e., the duration of the elevator ride, to leave a lasting impression. What you say is important, so it’s always a good idea to prepare beforehand.
What is an elevator pitch?
An elevator pitch is a short introduction focused on sharing the best of yourself in a consistent, polished way. It provides the grounds for you to sell an idea, product, or yourself as a professional to the listener.
As a rule, an elevator pitch isn’t restricted to a certain location or event. It can be done during a social event, formal meeting, job interview, networking event, or even a speaking test. It is also not limited to one-on-one conversations or face-to-face meetings; it can be given during a group meeting, a TED talk, or written on one's professional profile.
What should you include in your elevator pitch?
There are a few things to keep in mind when writing your elevator pitch. First, what type of pitch is it?
- Personal or career-oriented?
- A new business idea?
- A product?
- A startup?
Second, who are you pitching to?
- An employer?
- A client?
- An investor?
Finally, what’s the goal behind your pitch?
- To get an appointment with a potential employer or expert?
- To attract a prospective client?
- To schedule a meeting with a current customer?
After figuring that out, create a skeleton for one general pitch, and tweak it depending on the possible listener and goal. Break it down to elements, points and ideas.
Here are the key elements of an elevator pitch:
- Introduce yourself and talk about your unique selling point, i.e., skills, background and experience.
- Mention your business prospects and long-term career objectives. You must stand out, so describe how your experience is beneficial and what you’ll use it to do in the future.
- Ask the listener to take action, depending on the goal of your elevator pitch.
Remember, it must be concise and straightforward so it doesn’t disrupt the focus of the listener.
What makes your elevator pitch successful?
For a successful elevator pitch:
- Be confident—confidence is conveyed through body language, eye contact, your voice and your intonation. You do not want to ramble, speak under your breath, or speak too quickly.
- Speak clearly—don’t use too many technical terms, and don’t make it complex. Use simple and understandable language.
- Be relatable—if the information you’re giving isn’t important to or needed by the listener, it’s probably in one ear and out the other within seconds. Use attention grabbing tricks like a humorous line, a surprising fact, or an unexpected statistic, so you don't come across as stuffy and uptight.
- Be engaging—an elevator pitch shouldn't sound like a presentation; it should be a conversation.
- Practice in front of a mirror and record yourself saying your pitch—this will help you understand how you’ll come across to other people. You shouldn’t sound scripted or robotic.
An example of an elevator pitch
I asked my colleague at The English Farm, Patrick, for his personal written elevator pitch. Here’s what he said:
“I'm a football-obsessed teacher and musician whose inquisitive nature and thirst for experience and knowledge have taken me to many places, culminating in a 7-year stint living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I genuinely love both teaching and learning and am grateful for every opportunity I've had to do so. Down the track I'd love to complete a Master's degree in Education and, apart from my personal goal of one day writing a book, it's my aim to continue to develop my skills as an educator whilst doing what I love in teaching.”
So, what’s your elevator pitch?
For more on the elevator pitch, see this lesson from The English Farm: “GCAS Strategies 11 Discussion: Elevator pitch.”
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idol [noun]—a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered.
to ramble [verb]—to talk or write at length in a disorganized way.
under one's breath [natural phrase]—quietly so that other people cannot hear exactly what you are saying.
in one ear and out the other [idiom]—heard but quickly forgotten.
