Biz tip of the week: Delivering an effective elevator speech

In the last BizTips article, we discussed the importance of a well crafted elevator speech. Here are some tips to help you deliver it.

Capture the audience’s attention right away and make them want to hear more. Get them engaged by asking a question, telling a story or starting with a joke. When you speak, do it loudly, clearly and with passion. The audience will sense the passion in your voice. Clear and confident communication will create a feeling of trust and it makes a great impression.

Do not start your presentation with your name. Until you capture their attention, the audience has no reason to remember you. Motivate them to want to know who you are first, and then give them your name. If you start with your name, most of the listeners will not remember it even a few seconds later.

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Be very clear and specific about what you want from the audience. Avoid making general statements like “if you know a business owner, I would appreciate an introduction.” Instead, be more specific on the type of business you are looking for. A more effective statement would be “If you know someone who owns a bakery or a restaurant, I would love an introduction.” The easier you make it for the audience to help you, the more likely they will.

If there is a time limit for your elevator speech, stay within that limit. If your speech goes over the established time, you may appear unprepared and selfish to the audience. It certainly might create a negative impression with people in the room.

There are also different styles of delivery to consider. These include telling a story, effective use of props and audience engagement. In a future BizTips article, we will examine these various styles of delivery.