The Elevator Speech: Putting Your Best Self Forward

THE ELEVATOR SPEECH

In 2008, Marshall Goldsmith writing in the Harvard Business Review blog said, “In our society we talk about the harmful impact that we can have when we stereotype others in a negative way. What we often fail to consider is the harmful impact that we can have when we stereotype ourselves in a negative way.”

This negative self-assessment is especially apparent when we truly must make a favorable first impression.  Worse yet, it seems that the more significant the encounter, the harder it is to find the right words.

It is critical that you prepare for such events to ensure that your best possible self comes shining through.  Scripting and practice are keys to increasing your odds of making a favorable initial impression.

THE ELEVATOR SPEECH is used in brief, informal encounters.  It’s also useful while networking when a passing opportunity to introduce your unique talent arises.  It must be carefully planned and rehearsed to make the best use of a short window of opportunity.

To start, take inventory of your accomplishments and identify the commonality among them. Think about times when you were proud of your work, significant contributions or were recognized by others at work, school or elsewhere.  Who have you helped, what problems have you solved and what outcomes have you achieved that can be condensed to a short introduction?

The introduction (“Headline”) must be clear, concise, compelling and contain the single thought that leads to your objective:

• “I am an HR professional preparing for an upward career move in human resources management”

It must use concrete, simple language:

• “During my career, I have concentrated on employee relations with specific emphasis in enhancing employer-employee relations.”

It must be memorable:

• “I look forward to a human resources management position that allows me to solve interpersonal problems that detract from the company’s bottom line.  I have every faith that my careful preparation will benefit not only my own career, but the company that chooses me to join their team.”

WHAT DO YOU DO?

How do you answer this question?  Most people respond by giving their title.  They name tasks that they perform on the job, often even a laundry list.  When you ask an IT manager, for example, “What do you do?” they may talk about implementing and or maintaining sophisticated automation systems for a company. They may even mention particular architectures or programs where they have expertise.  All this accomplishes, however, is branding them as a commodity.  It does nothing to demonstrate their true value.

1. The value of implementing a new system
2. What that system does for the company
3. How employees are able to improve performance with the new system
4. How the system actually achieved the goals that were envisioned
5. How the system was implemented on time and under budget
6. What skills (hard and soft) were used to achieve the desired results
7. What actions they took leading to these desired results

These are the types of questions that need to be answered if you seek to articulate a personal value proposition.  To demonstrate how you solve problems.

Any work an employee does needs to do one of three things for the company.

1. Make money
2. Reduce costs
3. Mitigate risks

If your contribution will not doing any of these, there is no reason for a company to pay you a salary. By understanding the value your work or projects bring to a company, you have an ability to start articulating what value you can bring to a prospective employer. You are no longer a commodity, but you are a value added solution.

The template below is designed as a guide only and need not be rigorously followed.  The important thing is that you make the most of a brief window of time to introduce someone to the very best you.

ELEVATOR SPEECH TEMPLATE 

My name is ________________________________________________ and I am here because ______________________

I am from [have lived in] _______________ and received my formal education at ____________­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­____&________________.

 ^{[DIFFERENTIATION]} My unique expertise includes: ________________________________________________________________

 ^{[DECLARATION]} I am especially good at [certified in]: _______________________________________________________________

For the last ___ years I have been specializing in [studying]: ________________________________________________________

 

^[DELIVERY] I offer proven competence at _____________________________ making me valuable to [target industry and/or company]

My immediate goal is: ______________________________________________________________________________________

But longer term, I want to _______________________________ and am especially interested in [target industry and/or company]:

Thank you for your time.  It has been a pleasure meeting you.

Might we exchange business cards?  Please keep me [Restate Your Name] in mind when my preparation meets your needs.