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WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO US…

ALEX BROWN• L I C E N S E D

A T T O R N E Y

• M A N A G E S T H E L I V E W I S E C O A L I T I O N ’ S S O C I A L M E D I A P L A T F O R M S

• B A C H E L O R D E G R E E S I N P O L I T I C A L S C I E N C E & P S Y C H O L O G Y

TUNET TE POWELL• A U T H O R

• B A C H E L O R D E G R E E I N C O M M U N I C A T I O N

• O M A H A T E D X S P E A K E R

EXAMPLES1:

• I'm saving the people who are saving the world! (she pauses and smiles.) I'm Alice Anderson, a lawyer for non-profits. My company, Anderson Non-Profit Strategies, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, specializes in helping non-profits keep their fund-raising legal. For more information e-mail me: alice@anpslaw 

• I am a Techno Shock Therapist (pause for laughs).My name is Andy Ebon, founder of EBS Virtual Communications. I help my clients with their internet marketing and promotion needs through web development, web site promotion and helping them incorporate their eMarketing with their overall marketing plan. Tell me about your current website?

• Hi. I'm Ed Swiss, and I connect people to computers. I create simple, effective user interfaces that make it easier for people to do their jobs. Would you like me to simplify your workplace?” 

1 H T T P : / / W W W. E X P R E S S I O N S O F E XC E L L E N C E . C O M /S A M P L E _ E L E VAT O R . H T M L

SIX-STEPS TO PREPARE YOUR ELEVATOR SPEECH2

• Identify your goal. • Explain what you do.• Communicate what makes

your organization unique.• Engage with a question.• Put it all together• Practice

2 H T T P : / / W W W. M I N D T O O L S . C O M / PA G E S / A RT I C L E /E L E VAT O R- P I TC H . H T M

IDENTIFY YOUR GOAL

• Why are you here? • Do you want to promote

yourself, your organization or do you want to pitch a new idea?

• Also, consider who you’re talking to. Is it a potential volunteer, donor, etc.?

EXPLAIN WHAT YOU DO!

• In one-to-two sentences, please write down what you do.

• Focus on the problem you sold and how you help others.

• Try to add a success or an important statistic.

WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE

• Jot down one thing that distinguishes you or your organization from the rest

• What is your organization already good at?

• Where are you making the most progress?

• What can your organization offer that nobody else can?

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

• Here, take everything you’ve written down and say it all together.

• We will give you thirty seconds to read it to yourself.

• If it takes you more than thirty seconds, we’ll walk around and help you condense it.

EXAMPLE: LIVEWISE CASS COUNTY

S U C C E S S E S

• Rx take back event

• Youth group attendance

• Youth volunteerism

• Youth activities

• Growth of LiveWise Cass County’s Board

S T R E N GT H S

• Youth group education

• Youth group events

• Numerous partnerships with other organizations

PRACTICE

• Find a person or organization that you wish to know more about. Partner with them and practice the speeches with each other.

• Give constructive feedback to help make their pitch better.

• It’s not just enough to know what you’re going to say, you need to be persuasive in your delivery.

• Business cards – you always want to end your conversation with a business card.

DELIVERY

• Make sure you are speaking very clearly. If there are certain words you have mispronounced in the past, be sure to work on saying those words clearly.

• Your tone should match your subject matter. • Example: If we’re talking about the overwhelming number of people that have died from tobacco use, we should have some compassion in our voices.

• Don’t rush it! Don’t think about the amount of time you have. Focus on the message.

• It should not sound like you’re reading or as if you memorized a speech. This should flow freely. That’s why we have to practice. It should become a natural part of what you say and how you say it.