Create Your
Elevator Speech

Presented by:
Ron Drew, PMP

Confidential. Reproducing or Distributing this packet is not allowed without express written consent of © Ron Drew, PMP

About Me
– IT Executive
• SAP, Oracle, FDA, .NET, Project Management, People Person
• Head of Coca-Cola Northeast
• CIO Beiersdorf North American
– Board of Directors Vice Chairman 20 years
• Financial Institution Non-Profit $250 million
• Executive Committee (4 members)
• Finance Committee (Rates, Budget, Compliance)
• Employee Relations Committee (ICP, Reviews, HR)
• Data Processing Advisor (Systems Outsourced)
– Board of Director on CBIT (Universities Computer Science Programs)

– Member Water Pollution Control Authority for Town of Fairfield

– Member Computer Advisory Committee for Town of Fairfield

– MBA, BS and AS degrees in Computer Science and CDP, CSP and PMP Certified

– Satellite Engineer for Internet/TV based dish

Confidential. Reproducing or Distributing this packet is not allowed without express written consent of © Ron Drew, PMP 2

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Are you prepared to do each one of these steps?


How Jobs Are Found

3% Internet Internet Postings
Must Be Clear
17% Resumes and Concise
Recruiters
How the Typical Job is Found

Must Be Clear
Network Group Leads and Concise

80% Networking Marketing Plan
Very
Important

Elevator Speech


Quick Overview of the
Types of Networking Speeches
Announcement or Snippet
• A quick 10-15 second, to get the person’s attention and persuade
them to want more information from you.

Elevator Speech
• 30-60 seconds, letting the person know who you are, what you are
looking for and how you can benefit an organization.

Commercial
• 2-3 minutes of more information about you in detail.
• Be Careful...Don’t lose the person’s attention with boring detail.

Infomercial
• Go as long as the person wants you to.
• This may be your interview.
• Take breaks/stop talking to see if there is still interest to continue.

What is an Announcement?

Announcement is a quick, clear, concise bit of communication that can be
delivered in less than 15 seconds.

As it relates to the job search process,
1. It communicates who you are
2. And creates a point of interest to the listener

You want the listener to say “Tell me more”!


Example of a Announcement

Announcement #1: Announcement #2:

I am Ron Drew and I I am Sally Smith and I
get the “people thing”. save lives.

IT Leader Pharma Chemist

Betty: Hi, my name is Betty Jones. I'm responsible for this country's future.

Listener: This I've got to hear about.

Betty: I'm a teacher! I love shaping the minds of the next generation, but I'm also
interested in getting into corporate training.

Listener: Tell me more.


What is an Elevator Speech?

An Elevator Speech is a clear, concise bit of communication that can be
delivered in 30-60 seconds.

As it relates to the job search process,
1. It communicates who you are
2. What you’re looking for
3. And how you can benefit a company or organization

It does not dwell on the past!
1. Do NOT talk about your last company unless it relates to the
person you are giving your Elevator Speech to.

An Elevator Speech is a forward thinking statement about:
1. Who you are
2. And what you bring to the party.
Hopefully the listener will say: “Tell me what you do”!

Prepare an Elevator Speech

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE- Before writing any part of your elevator
speech, research your audience. You will be much more likely to
succeed if your elevator speech is clearly targeted at the individuals
you are speaking to.
• Having a generic elevator pitch is almost certain to fail.

KNOW YOURSELF - Before you can convince anyone of your value
proposition you need to know exactly what it is. You need to define
precisely what you are offering, what problems you can solve and
what benefits you bring to a prospective contact or employers.
Answer the following questions:
– 1. What are your key strengths?
– 2. What adjectives come to mind to describe you?
– 3. What is it you are trying to sell or let others know about you?
– 4. Why are you interested in the company or industry the person
represents?


OUTLINE YOUR TALK - start an outline of your material using
bullet points. You don’t need to add any detail at this stage; simply
write a few notes to help remind you of what you really want to say.
They don’t need to be complete sentences.

You can use the following questions to start your outline:
– 1. Who am I?
– 2. What do I offer?
– 3. What’s my niche?
– 4. What problem is solved?
– 5. What are the main contributions I can make?
– 6. What should the listener do as a result of hearing this?



FINALIZE YOUR SPEECH - Now that you have your outline of your
material, you can finalize the speech. The key to doing this is to
expand on the notes you made by writing out each section in full.

To help you do this, follow these guidelines:
– 1. Take each note you made and write a sentence about it.
– 2. Take each of the sentences and connect them together with
additional phrases to make them flow.
– 3. Go through what you have written and change any long words
or jargon into everyday language.
– 4. Go back through the re-written material and cut out
unnecessary words.
– 5. Finalize your speech by making sure it is no more than 100
words long.
• Using MS Word, you can do a Tools, Word Count


Why Prepare an Elevator Speech?

Actually, it is imperative to work on this 30-60 second
presentation until it is perfectly crafted.

This is the one kind of speech that I do suggest memorizing.

Make it such a part of you that if someone woke you up from a
sound sleep in the middle of the night, and asked you what you
do, you would smoothly and without hesitation tell them your
“elevator speech.”

This speech will serve as your introduction to others, so it has to
be good!

A good elevator speech will most likely evolve over days, weeks,
or months.


Why Do I Need A Elevator Speech

At an Interview the Elevator Speech can provide the
answer to at least two common interview queries:
• “Tell me about yourself.”
• “Why should I hire you?”

So you gave your elevator speech.
Does the Listener Remember?
• Who you are?
• What you do?
• Why you are unique?
• What your goal is?

Elevator Speech is everything about you and your goals in 30-60 seconds!!


Elevator Speech versus Commercial

At its most basic level, the Elevator Speech's structure is:

Hi, my name is ___________. I'm in the _______________ field, and
I'm looking to_____________________.

You can stick with the Elevator Speech's basic structure and see where it takes you.

It probably will not take you far because it lacks two things:
1. A "hook" and
2. A request for action.

Beware of a Elevator Speech that inspires the thought
“So What?"
like the above example.

A Commercial will piggy back on a good Elevator Speech!


Elevator Speech Contents

Describe WHO YOU are: Describe WHAT YOU do:

Keep it short Here is where you state
your value phrased as
key results or impact.
Hint: What would you
most want the listener Do you have a “tag”
to remember about line or “hook”?
you?
Hint: This should allow
the listener to
understand how you
would add value.


Elevator Speech Contents

Describe WHY YOU are Describe YOUR Goal:
Unique:
Talk to your immediate
Show the unique goals.
benefits that YOU bring
to the business. Goals should be concrete,
defined, and realistic and
Show what YOU do that include a time frame.
is different or better
than others. Should be apparent to the
listener what you are
asking for.


Elevator Speech Do’s

Make your Elevator Speech sound effortless, conversational, and
natural. Preparation is key
(Don’t wing it!)

Make it memorable and sincere. Be warm, friendly, confident, and
enthusiastic. A smile is often the best way to show friendliness and
enthusiasm, while a strong, firm voice the best way to express
confidence.
(Look at the Person You’re Speaking To)

Keep it short
The wise words of Winston Churchill, "Be clear. Be brief. Be
seated.“

Use concrete, listener-friendly language, but at the same time, don't
be afraid to paint vivid word pictures.


Avoid an Elevator Speech that will leave the listener mentally
asking "So what?“

Speak at a pace that shows your calm and confidence. You want
the listener to think of you as thoughtful and deliberate not as some
manic babbler.
(But remember you only have 30-60 seconds)

Consider including a compelling "hook," an intriguing aspect that
will engage the listener, prompt him or her to ask questions, and keep
the conversation going.

Let your passion show
(Facts actually don't speak for themselves; body language is important.)



Remember the first rule of sales: ABC (Always Be Closing).

Practice your speech.
Experts disagree about whether you should memorize it, but you should
know your speech well enough so you express your key points
without sounding as though the speech was memorized.
1. Let it become an organic part of you.
2. Many experts suggest practicing in front of mirrors and
role-playing with friends.
3. I also advise practicing in the car on the way to
networking events.

Write and rewrite your speech, sharpening its focus and
eliminating unnecessary words and awkward constructions.



Take it slowly. Don't rush through the speech, and do pause
briefly between sentences. Breathe.

Try to achieve a second meeting with the person.

Maintain eye contact with your listener.

Focus on how you can benefit employers and help them solve
their problems.
During your Elevator Speech the listener may be mentally asking,
"What's in it for me (or my company)?"

Be prepared to wrap up earlier than you were planning if you
see the listener's eyes glazing over or interest waning.


Elevator Speech Don’ts

Focus just on yourself, this approach will almost assure a "so what?"
reaction.

Get bogged down with industry jargon or acronyms that your listener may
not comprehend.

Hesitate to develop different versions of your Elevator Speech for different
situations and audiences.

Forget to include your competitive advantage; in other words. how you can
perform better than anyone else.

Forget to update your speech as your situation changes.

Let your speech sound canned or artificial.

Ramble. Familiarizing yourself as much as possible with your speech will
help keep you from getting off track.

Putting It All Together
Prepare and write down everything that comes into your mind first.

Now cut out all the jargon and details. Make your sentences strong short and powerful.

Now connect the phrases into sentences, and the sentences into a paragraph—and make
sure that it all flows together smoothly.

Memorize the key points and practice your talk.

Ask yourself, “Have I really answered the key question my listener wants answered:
what’s in it for me?”

Create different versions of the speech for different occasions.

And last but not least, make sure the whole speech is less than 100 words

Additional Notes: When developing an Elevator Speech for a specific employer you’ve
targeted, do some research on the organization and incorporate that knowledge into
your speech. And if you're cold-calling a hiring manager and get his or her voicemail
don't be afraid to leave your Elevator Speech as a voice message.


Ron’s Elevator Speech
---90 Words---

I am Ron Drew a dynamic technology leader that get's the "people
thing".

I have led a PMO, implemented SAP and Oracle, performed Merger
Acquisitions and built shared service centers.

My competencies are:
Strategic Planning “Aligning IT to Business; thinking out of the box”

Team leadership “Staff likes working for me; Dept Heads like working
with me”

Project Execution “Quality job done on time within budget”

Influence “It’s called credibility, communication and trust”

I am looking for a lead position in IT or PEG SWAT team and open to
consulting.

If NOT talking with an IT person or someone that would know IT, I would revise the second sentence and change
PEG SWAT to Private Equity Group Executive. As example: I have led major business applications, performed
Merger Acquisitions and built shared service centers.

Elevator Speech Examples

VP Operations: Project Manager:

My name is Maureen Smith My name is Jennifer Drew and
and I am seeking an I am looking for a position as a
operations professional project and portfolio
position. I analyze process, management professional
technology and organization specializing in financial services
to find ways of improving direct mailing marketing. I
the customer experience and ensure the flawless execution of
lowering your expenses. I get projects by applying industry-
results by working closely standard controls and using
with the people who serve state-of-the-art marketing
your customers. tools. I'm a dedicated
professional with a proven
track record of delivering high
quality project results.


Elevator Speech Examples

Financial Consultant: Marketing &
Communications
My name is John Jones and I am Manager:
seeking a position as a specialist in
financial protection helping
individuals and families sleep My name is Sally Burns and I am a
better at night. I help accumulate, talented marketer specializing in
protect and distribute wealth as transforming satisfied customers
well as protect life styles. As an into raving fans. I differentiate
independent consultant I am not companies through customized
bound by any one company's testimonials. Unlike fluff
products or services. I can truly marketers, I understand business
meet my clients' goals and solve analytics and add to the bottom
their problems. When is the last line. I am seeking a position as
time that you reviewed your life Marketing and Communications
insurance or evaluated your Manager and open to consulting.
retirement assets?


Questions ?????

This is your introductory speech.
You only have one chance to make a first impression.
Don’t waste it!

Thank You…..Ron.Drew@Hotmail.com
And Good Luck !!!!


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