These Tips Will Help You Nail Your Elevator Pitch

What is an Elevator Pitch?

An elevator pitch is basically the answer to the dreaded question – Tell me about yourself and its variations. Having an elevator pitch prepared will help you land a job, network at social events and meet like-minded people. Think of this pitch as your 30-second verbal resume.

Your Skills

This should be the opening of your pitch you should use it to convey your talents and skills. This includes your most notable professional accomplishments, transferable skills, if you are still in college, you can discuss your influences and favorite subjects.

Notable Achievements

The second part of the pitch will include the greatest strength and the best compliments you have received on the same.

For example: Instead of saying that you “write really well”, you can use a term such as “Adept at playing with words and generating compelling copy”. This would help capture their attention.

The elevator pitch should consist only the essentials. Describe your skills and professional accomplishments. The basic structure of an elevator pitch is structure as-

1. The problem faced
2. The solution
3. How you can help

Your pitch should match your personality, if your words do not add up to your appearance, the person will have a hard time trusting you. Dress well, this is a no-brainer. If you are looking for a potential employer or an investor in your idea, it is essential that you dress well because this will play a huge role in how you are perceived.

It is essential to display confidence in your speech. Say like you believe it because if you don’t, you lose a chance to capture the other person’s attention. Instead of using I and me, try using terms like

-Talented at.

-Effective

-Proficient with

Research, look up what other people in your profession and industry are doing and the upcoming trends. This will help you stay on top of your game.

Ask For Help

The goal comes at the end of your pitch. This is where you will ask the other person for their help. Always remember that if you do not ask, you will never know whether it’s a yes or no.

Additional Tips

You should practice at least 2-3 versions of an elevator pitch and use the one that is appropriate for the situation. Although the pitch should not seem like memorized lines. It should flow naturally, similar to a conversation.

Practice your pitch in front of the mirror and try to include gestures and expressions that go well with the words. You can look up presentations from notable speakers and notice how they employ their body language to keep the audience captivated.

An elevator pitch is useful in all walks of life. You might be at a social gathering where you get a chance to network with other professionals. You can easily make minor modifications to your pitch to suit different social situations.

Example

I’m currently working as a social media specialist in [Company name]. My managers have commended my ability to point out the details while keeping the big picture in mind. I can turn the most boring information into something that people would like to read. I’m looking apply to my skills to make a positive change in lives of people.

Here are some courses on improving your presentation and pitching skills

Business Planning for Creatives: Write Your Business Plan and Pitch

This course will help the students to create their own business plan. It also offers a free 14-page business plan template. Find out more here.

The Creative Art of Pitching Stories

This course approaches pitching stories from a creative perspective to maximize confident and well-targeted pitches. You can find the course here.

The Perfect Pitch: How to get a “Yes” Every Time

It provides an 8-step process that will boost your email and cold call response rates. More details here.