Going up?
photo by Gideon Tsang
For all the talk I’ve heard over the years about the importance of having an elevator speech, I know exactly one person who ever actually found themselves in an elevator with an important person and used those 30 seconds to pitch his organization.* But that’s not to say you don’t need to be ready to make a brief, compelling argument for your organization or issue e on a moment’s notice – you do.
It could happen at a conference, holiday party, partner meeting, donor visit, or – considering the times – a Zoom breakout. Having a handy speech could make the difference in front of Leonardo DiCaprio, Deb Haaland, or some influential person of lesser fame that crosses your path. There are moments that you should take advantage of. Done correctly, it could help you and your organization make a tremendous leap forward. A huge longshot, no doubt, but you’ll regret not trying.
There are a million ways to do an elevator speech, but I find that the best ones include these elements:
Your name and organization.
A quick non-jargon explanation of what your organization does
A bold, attention-getting statement (This is the most important part of your elevator speed – HIT THIS HARD)
Why people should care
Why it’s important to you personally
What the listener can do
Here’s one way this might play out for a fictional climate change group based on donuts:
I’m Garrison Frost and I do programming at Climate Donut.
We deal with the climate crisis by taking advantage of the enthusiasm that people have for donuts and turning it into real change on the ground.
Did you know that the consumption of certain types of donuts–particularly rainbow frosted–reduce the level of carbon in the immediate atmosphere?
Climate is the issue of our time, and we’re desperately looking for a reason to eat donuts.
For me, donuts remind me of weekend mornings with my father, and so solving the climate crisis this way is particularly special.
With your platform, and obvious love of donuts, we can get the message out and really make a difference.
All kidding aside, it never hurts to think through a basic elevator speech and have it in your back pocket for when the moment comes. Perhaps even share it with your colleagues and leadership, so they’re thinking about it, too.
Go forth and elevator.
* It was my friend Todd Flora, a policy manager for an early childhood development organization where we both worked. He found himself in an elevator with the Los Angeles County Sheriff one day and took the opportunity to explain how children who had attended preschool were far more likely to graduate high school and avoid prison.