Mastering the Elevator Pitch with Elizabeth Nonas
Imagine for a moment you're in an elevator. The elevator stops to let people on, and in walks Ms./Mr. Executive from That Really Cool Company You Want to Work for Someday. They’re stuck with you for thirty seconds. How do you make an impression?
On Wednesday, April 12th at 8 PM, we had Elizabeth Nonas talk to IC Women in Communications about elevator pitches. An elevator pitch is essentially a thirty second summary of why you're awesome. Easy in concept, difficult in execution. How do you keep their focus on you? How do you work the line between confident and bragging? How do you form a coherent and professional sentence?
Have no fear, Nonas is here.
Elizabeth Nonas’s Guide To A Successful Elevator Pitch:
What is your mission? By knowing what your end goal is, you can tailor your pitch to your specific needs. Who are you talking to? Is it an executive, an alumni, or someone else? You most likely can’t get a job opportunity from an intern, and you can’t exactly casually grab a cup of coffee with Bob Iger.
In other words, know what you want from someone. Are you trying to get a job, internship, or coffee and a chat? Know who you are to them. Are you someone who has ambushed them on the street or are you on a networking trip? Also, think about surrounding circumstances. Understand that you can’t control everything. Maybe they got a raise last week and are in a great mood and ready to listen. Maybe their partner asked for a divorce before work (don’t do that to someone by the way, that’s just rude).
Why should they listen to you? What skills do you have that make you worth their time? If you spend the whole pitch talking about how much you love the company, or why this job would help you, you haven’t sold yourself. Give them only applicable information. Have a strange major title like IMC, CMD, or TVR? Tell them exactly what you study in your major. Figure out what makes you unique. Do you have a personal connection to the work that makes you passionate about it? Bring that up. Your job is to show them why can help the company in ways others can’t.
Are you confident? BE PROUD OF YOURSELF. Show them you work hard. Show them you’re determined. Don’t be afraid to tell them how awesome you are. Just make sure you bring it around to how your greatness benefits their company. Make sure you practice your pitch so you're not worried about tripping up your words. MAKE NO EXCUSES. Don’t preface with “Well, I’m just starting out...” or “I’m not an expert but...” or anything that undermines your worth. People are always going to look for reasons not to hire you. You’ve got to sell yourself because no one's going to do it for you.
In summation: Have a goal. Know you can’t control everything. Tell them why you’re unique. Be your own hype man. Have confidence.
You’ve got this.
