What should be in your elevator pitch?

Add a good topic to start a conversation at first. Be sure to stay within 30 seconds without talking too fast. Your speech in the elevator should be brief. Restrict your voice to 30 to 60 seconds.

You don't need to include all of your work history and career goals. Your proposal should be a brief summary of who you are and what you do. In general, you can use an elevator pitch every time someone asks you, “What are you doing? or “What does your company do? It is a concise and convincing summary that answers the question and ideally intrigues the questioner enough to ask for more or take some desired action. Your promotional speech may not result in a lengthy conversation the first time or even the fourth time you do it.

If you're going to be presenting to different types of audiences, you'll want to personalize your presentations accordingly. Your keynote speech is as useful at virtual networking events, interviews and professional fairs as it is during in-person meetings. Your presentation speech is a way to share your knowledge and credentials quickly and effectively with people who don't know you. Once you've established your buyer profile, personalize your presentation speech to address the pain points and needs of the type of buyer you're talking about.

You can stay with yours a little longer with this type of elevator pitch, as long as the story is entertaining enough to capture the public's attention. The best way to feel comfortable giving an elevator speech is to practice it until the speed and “tone” are natural, without it sounding robotic. Even if it's a short speech, your promotional speech should be convincing enough to arouse the listener's interest in your idea, organization, or background. The reason it's called an elevator pitch is because it should be short enough to be presented during a short elevator ride.

In essence, a promotional speech is a 30- to 60-second “announcement” about you, according to Sonja Moffett, a professional engagement partner at the University of Southern New Hampshire (SNHU). Writers, sales executives and others have a limited amount of time to publicize their unique selling proposition, so it's essential to have a well-crafted and proven sales pitch. As mentioned earlier, elevator courts come in different shapes and sizes depending on the circumstances, and you'll see several different styles in the templates and examples later in the post. A presentation speech is a brief description of your professional and educational achievements and information relevant to your professional abilities and goals.