***The Do's and Do Not's of the Elevator Speech

By Nancy Daniels The Official Guide to Public Speaking
The official guide to Public Speaking

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While the value of the elevator speech is undeniable, there are some rules and regulations that you should consider when using your 30-second presentation.

DO

• Keep it brief. Remember the length of the elevator speech should be about the same amount time it would take to ride in an elevator from the top floor of the building to the bottom.
• Create and practice your elevator speech in advance. Use the time you drive to work to go over your material a few times each week.
• Have several different versions of your presentation. Each situation is different. Being prepared for a different approach, depending on the situation, is extremely valuable.
• Make your speech memorable. Give your listener one piece of information that he/she will not forget.
• Mention why your product or service is better than that of your competition.
• Ask for a business card. The next day send an email and give another piece of information that was not covered previously.
• Be passionate about your topic. Your enthusiasm will ignite your listener’s interest.
• Talk to the individual just as if you were having a conversation in your living room.
• Smile.

DO NOT

• Get side-tracked. Stick to the basic information that you have prepared in advance.
• Push. A little gentle urging is one thing but avoid the hard sell.
• Sound rote or memorized. The last thing your listener wants is a memorized sales pitch.
• Talk just about yourself. Good selling means good listening skills as well. Pay attention to the other person’s needs.
• Use technical language that the average person would not understand.
• Forget to give one of your own business cards. He/she may not need your service or your product at the moment, but may be more than appreciative of your name and number weeks or months down the road.
• Keep on speaking if you can clearly see that your listener is not interested.
• Expect everyone you meet to be interested in what you have to say. Some will; some won’t.

In my next article, I will focus on the differences between the elevator speech and the personal introduction.