Do You Have Your Elevator Speech Ready???
Recently I attended several workshops concerning recruiting and the job search process. One of the things the speaker stressed was the importance of having your “elevator speech” ready. It is coined an elevator speech because of the fact that we meet many poeple who could be instrumental to our career in an elevator and your speech needs to be short enough to deliver in the duration of an elevator ride while still being effective. This elevator speech is also called a positioning statement. It is basically the response you should have to the ever-popular request of “Tell me about yourself.” Your positioning statement or elevator speech should consist of the five or so things that you want that person to know about you and can also be used on the resume.
As I sat in that workshop, I figured this concept was basically common sense and I would just “wing it” if asked to tell about myself. However, the facilitator had us write out our elevator speeches and read them in front of our collegues. In composing mine, I realize that it can be a bit more difficult that one thinks. To “wing it” often results in your most important points not getting across. After I took the time to pick out those points I deemed most important and composed my elevator speech, I realized that this small time investment resulted in a better quality speech.