Welcome to The English Farm! In this lesson, you’ll learn and practice giving elevator pitches. You’ll also learn about how to reserve lessons and do homework on the platform.
If you haven’t done so already, introduce yourself to your teacher. Then discuss:
- Do you like what you said in your introduction? Why or why not?
- Do you know what an elevator pitch is?
Have the student introduce themselves if they haven’t done so already. Start giving feedback here.
Lower-level students: Model an introduction for the student. When doing reflection questions, scaffold.
- What was good about your introduction?
- Can you talk about anything else in your introduction, like hobbies, the city you are from, etc.?
- When you introduce yourself in your own language, do you include other information in your introduction?
Higher-level students: Instead of only asking if they know what an elevator pitch is, ask:
- Have you ever practiced one?
- Why do you think elevator pitches are called “elevator pitches”? (answer in warm-up)
- What would you say in an elevator pitch that you might not say in an introduction?
- When would you use elevator pitches?
Read the following to your teacher:
An elevator pitch is a quick way of introducing yourself in professional settings. There are usually three parts to an elevator pitch: your present, past, and future. It’s called an elevator pitch because it should take roughly the same amount of time you’d spend riding an elevator.
This section should help you with seeing the student’s pronunciation abilities. Pay attention to the pronunciation of words below and note them down on the student’s lesson record. Give feedback!
- elevator, professional, pitch (Japanese loan words)
- introducing, professional, three, present, roughly, riding (“R” vs “L”)
- elevator, pitch, quick, yourself, should, take (vowels)
With your teacher’s help, fill in the blanks:
1. Start with an introduction
- Hi, my name is ______. I work at [company name].
- Hello, I’m _______. I’m from [country].
2. Talk about your past achievements
- I attended [university name] and studied [degree].
- My biggest achievement was __________.
- I’ve worked on projects in [industries].
3. Talk about your future goals
- In five years, I want to ___________.
- I’m hoping to work in ___________.
- I hope I will ___________.
For lower-level students, give an example first, then have the student fill in the blanks. You can do as many as you have time for, but try to do at least one per section.
Start with an introduction
- Hi, my name is John. I work at The English Farm.
- Hello, I’m John. I’m from New Zealand.
Talk about your past achievements
- I attended the University of Victoria and studied Linguistics.
- My biggest achievement was helping someone start their own company.
- I’ve worked on projects in finance and banking.
Talk about your future goals
- In five years, I want to be able to start my own company.
- I’m hoping to work in tech.
- I hope I will learn English quickly.
Now put it all together and present an elevator pitch to your teacher. Remember, it’s okay to make mistakes. Your elevator pitch can be adjusted and used in any professional setting.
Homework: Write out your elevator pitch using the homework system. Don't forget to reserve your next lesson!