Elements of Great Elevator Speeches

For those of you working on refining your 10 to 30-second and 1 to 2-minute personal commercials, also known as elevator speeches, here's a helpful list of must-have elements.

Elements of a great elevator speech: Purpose Essence of what you do Jargon-free Audience Problem/Need Benefits/Consequences Uniqueness / USP Call-to-action To prepare your elevator pitch, ask yourself these important questions: Purpose: How and when will you use this speech? Essence: Think beyond your job description. Think about the BUSINESS IMPACT or how you impact people. Will you reduce the number of call center inquiries? Will you reduce the number of lawsuits? Will you improve communications processes? Will you help companies find new customers? Use plain language principles: Kill the jargon and buzzwords. Who is your audience? How does your product / service solve their problem or need? How will your audience benefit? What are the consequences of inaction? How are you unique? How are you uniquely qualified to deliver the product or service? What differentiates you from the competition? What is your Unique Selling Proposition? What are your advantages? Call-to-action: What do you want the listener to do as a result of hearing your elevator speech? Are you looking for sales prospects, information, referrals, an appointment, a business partner, an investor, a new sales channel? Ask your listener for help in getting what you need. Ask an open-ended question. This will begin a dialogue, and possibly a new mutually rewarding relationship.