Written by: Bahar Selman, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Are you ready to stand out from the crowd and show your full potential to the universe?
You may have great ideas and a perfect resume, however, if you don’t know how to explain them, you won’t be able to show your potential and worth. You may not be visible enough and stand out from the crowd!
As a career coach, I am helping professionals globally become aware of their self-worth and boost their self-confidence to experience success and fulfillment in their careers. When we start working together for the first time, I would like to discover the impactfulness of your elevator pitch.
Do you know how a perfect elevator pitch can help your career?
Elevator pitch is a short speech that provides other people with information about you. It gives your audience quick information about your background and experience. This information could range from your past experiences to your current skill sets. It is just like introducing yourself on your first day of school to your friends or teachers, but the only difference is that this speech has to be more vigilant and professional.
A powerful elevator pitch helps you to create an impactful first impression. As the saying goes, first impressions are the most lasting impressions. So, if you are thinking of pitching an idea, attending a career fair, or currently out looking for a job, then a good elevator pitch can give you a headstart on your colleagues!
Why Is an Elevator Pitch Important?
An elevator pitch is of prime importance not only in your professional life but also in your social exposure. When you meet people for the first time, it demonstrates who you are. A precise, and to the point elevator pitch is simple and allows the listener to understand you clearly.
Even people with tons of confidence fail to deliver a short and smooth elevator pitch. They can be overwhelmed by the presence of others and often have the usual jitters. Providing a good elevator pitch requires plenty of patience and practice.
An elevator pitch is a perfect tool for networking events and social gatherings. It provides you a prepared script in hand. An ideal elevator speech is between thirty seconds to two minutes; this limitation helps you explain yourself and the value of your idea in the most efficient way.
When you have an elevator pitch that makes you feel confident, you are always ready whenever an opportunity arises, like a job interview, fundraising for your start-up, networking, etc.
A well-organized elevator pitch can save you so much time and effort in the long run. Remember though, make sure to use your language tailored to different audiences.
How to Create an Elevator Pitch
Elevator pitches need time and effort before they start creating value for yourself. Follow the below-mentioned points to create an elevator pitch worth of your level.
1. Short and Precise
Keep your elevator pitch nice and short. Let the words be the visual representation of yourself and your self-esteem. The text should be focused on informing others about yourself in a precise manner that does not take a massive amount of time and at the very same time conveys the message. Your speech should not be for more than two minutes and not less than 30 seconds.
When seeking jobs, your thought-provoking pitch will be an excellent plus point that will get you hired in no time. Employers usually have a wide variety of experience in this area and employ people mostly on hearing her elevator pitches.
2. Delivered in a Natural Tone
Remember that your tone and body language matter a lot when you feel the need to give your speech, either when taking an interview or when visiting career fairs and expos. Your elevator pitch shows that you are a nervous person or a confident one. So, remember to tone up your speech with practice before actually delivering it. Your tone of voice impacts the audience's perception of you. If you want to build your authority and credibility, please make sure you have a calming but strong tone of voice.
3. Focus on Your Background and Past Experiences
First and foremost, after introducing yourself and your current level of education, you can start listing to your past experiences and the types of skills that you have acquired over time. This helps your employers and listeners to understand your efficiency better and use it in their company or firm.
If you hail from different educational backgrounds, try putting forward that one required at the given time.
4. Mention Your Present Skillset
Your CV does an excellent job of describing your past background and experiences. Your everyday speech should also focus on the current skill set that you have acquired recently. This adds a cherry on top of your elevator pitch.
5. Make Sure That You Speak Clearly
When delivering an introductory speech, always remember to be loud and clear. Speaking slowly will help in understanding your objectives and your pitch relatively more easily. Speaking loudly and using a mic may allows for better sound transmission if you are talking to a large crowd.
6. Word Choice Should be Easy and Understandable
Most importantly, your choice of vocabulary in your speech should be easily understandable. Complex language and indirect explanations only hinder your message from being transferred.
7. Speak with Confidence
Overall, speak with confidence like you know you're worth it. Always show up with confidence and be ready to pitch your ideas.
Areas Where You Need an Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is required almost in every form of life but is truly vital in your professional life. Whether it be career fairs or expos to executive companies and firms, all of these require you to have a precise and attractive pitch. Your pitch might help you in introducing yourself to your colleagues or either representing your company or firm at any level.
In short, having one already to roll will helps increase your potential of employment and your workability.
Summary
When you put your energy, dedication and practice into your elevator pitch, you can see you progress day by day. Maybe promoting yourself is not familiar to you, like any skill, you can develop it even from scratch like muscle if you are dedicated. Working with a coach, who is specialized in confidence and career development, can help you to find courage and motivation for crafting your elevator pitch. Thus; with professional coaching, you can make your learning process easier and save a significant amount of time.
Want To Learn More? Go Deeper?
Then book a complimentary one-to-one coaching session with me to discuss further your career goals.
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Bahar Selman, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Bahar Selman is an ICF accredited professional coach (ACC) and a master trainer focusing on personal and professional growth, building confidence, and leadership. Her mission is to help many millennials achieve success and fulfilment in both their careers and lives. She successfully managed brands and led professional teams in companies like Danone, Hayat, Diageo, and Red Bull for over a decade.
She has been serving clients globally with personal and business coaching, delivering training programs and workshops. Bahar has actively trained over 5.000 individuals worldwide through online and offline platforms.
Through her continued wide reaches, she can also help promote her passion for diversity and inclusion with a focus point on supporting women in their career paths.
