Brandon A at Newly Corporate was nice enough to tag me in his “8 for 2008″ post, so I wanted to participate while also providing some value. This blog meme ties in well to a topic I’ve been considering for awhile now – the concept of what makes people interesting.
I had to give an elevator pitch to a room full of people when I started grad school in September. An elevator pitch is a one minute speech about yourself given solely to make a good, memorable impression on someone. Some of the feedback that I and others received is that we talked too much about our jobs and not enough about things that distinguish us from every other young professional. Talking about my job comes very naturally to me – it’s an easy topic to fall back on when I have nothing else to say. I imagine many people of all ages feel the same way.
In reality, my job is boring to other people, and their jobs are often boring to me. We all know what work is about, but we still talk about work because it’s what we do all day and it’s what we’re comfortable with. I noticed this most at networking events - the first question everyone always asks is what company you work for and what you do – but are those answers memorable?
Here are some things I will consider the next time I write an elevator pitch:
Making a Good Connection
Making an impression is really about making a connection. You have one minute to find something in common with the person you are pitching to. At that point, the person will decide if you are worth their time or not, so make your minute count by talking about lots of things people can connect with. (Hint: your job probably isn’t one of them!)
Staying Relevant
Think of three words you would want someone to use when describing you. Now come up with examples from your life that support these three words. This will keep you from talking about things that don’t add value for the listener. Also, your pitch will be more cohesive and have a “takeaway message” that brands you in the listener’s mind so he or she remembers you later. Bonus Tip: If you are feeling very confident, you could even find ways to subtly drop these three words into your pitch for an even better effect.
Sticking in People’s Minds
People will best remember you if you have something in common with them. Even if you don’t, you can also stick in their mind by providing information about yourself in bite-sized facts that have meaning to the other person.
How do you make something have meaning to another person? By appealing to core human emotions. Example: “In 8th grade, my father sent me to a ju-jitsu class to learn to defend myself. I left the class crying because I couldn’t do a single push-up, and I needed to be able to do literally hundreds per class. Four years later, I left the class again as a blackbelt.” No, I didn’t make that up, and yes, that counts as one of my 8.
Spicing Up Your Speech
The way you say something matters. This has to do mostly with tone, expressions, and body language, all of which can be hard to control without practice. One thing anyone can control, however, is their wording. I could say “My dad was in the Air Force, so we moved and traveled a lot.” Or I could say, “An Air Force brat, there are only two continents I haven’t been to – South America and Antartica.” To me, the latter sounds more intriguing and memorable.
With those tips in mind, here are six more interesting and memorable things about me (though I won’t claim relevancy, this is a blog after all):
3. I don’t mind public speaking, but I prefer singing, especially when I have a large crowd to draw energy from.
4. I stopped eating meat last Thursday. It hasn’t bothered me so far, so I think I’m going to keep it up and convert to a vegetarian lifestyle. More on that later.
5. When I was visiting my cousin in Arizona 4 years ago, we decided to get matching tattoos on a whim. So now I have a black and white butterfly on my right lower back that symbolizes change and growth. I wanted to use butterflies as a theme for my website, but felt that a butterfly wouldn’t appeal to guys and didn’t want to limit my audience. Instead I have a grasshopper – I’ll let you figure out the reference.
6. I could read a 500 page book in one sitting, yet my attention span for movies is only about 80 minutes. As a result, the movies that appeal to me are usually for little kids, which drives my friends nuts.
7. I take personality tests like it’s my job, but only if they are short. More than 40 questions and I’ve likely already lost interest.
8. I ran the 2007 Chicago marathon in 91 degree weather, with my husband, because we were raising money for children and breast cancer awareness. It was our first marathon and a lot of people got sick from a lack of water. We decided not to do it again in 2008.
Most people will never actually give an elevator pitch aside from practice because real conversations where one person talks for a full minute are uncomfortable. Still, by mastering the elevator pitch, you will know what’s interesting about you and be able to share it with others at your next networking event.
And my tag – Anyone else who wants to do this. Okay, no excuses now.
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
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