Project: Elevator Pitch
In this project, you'll prepare and deliver a 60-second elevator pitch. This elevator pitch should be the answer to the question "Tell me about yourself" when asked by a potential employer for an Automation Assistant position. You will record the pitch, and deliver it live to your peers.
What is an Elevator Pitch?
An elevator pitch (also known as an elevator speech) is a short, persuasive speech you use to introduce yourself, your product, or your company. It aims to explain the concept quickly and clearly to spark interest in who you are and what you do.
Elevator pitches can be used in a variety of situations, including:
- General networking
- Introducing yourself at a career fair
- Introducing yourself at the start of an interview
- Pitching your project or ideas to different stakeholders
The information that you include in your elevator pitch will differ depending on your goal. So one of the first steps when creating an elevator pitch is to determine what you want to accomplish with your pitch.
Introducing Yourself
đź“ş Watch this video for an introduction to elevator pitches.
đź“ş Watch this video to learn more about crafting your elevator pitch.
As mentioned in the video, your elevator pitch should include:
- Who you are, and a bit of background on yourself
- Context or explanation
- Make the connection to the listener
- What you are asking for
- A closing
Creating Your Elevator Pitch
1 - Clarify your goal Nail down the purpose of the pitch, and what you want to communicate to the listener. Consider the best way to describe your field and the type of job you’re pursuing.
2 - Put it on paper Write down everything you would want a prospective employer to know about your skills, accomplishments, and work experiences that are relevant to the position. Then mercilessly delete everything that’s not critical to your pitch. Keep editing until you’ve got the speech down to a few key bullet points or sentences.
3 - Format it A good pitch should answer three questions: Who are you? What do you do? What are you looking for? That should take about 15-30 seconds. The next 15-30 seconds should add details about your unique selling proposition, special skills, and specific ways you could help a potential employer.
4 - Tailor the pitch to them, not you It’s important to remember that the employers listening to your speech will be asking, “What is in it for me?” So be sure to focus your message on their needs.
5 - Eliminate jargon You need to make your pitch easy for anyone to understand, so avoid using acronyms and tech-speak that the average person or job interviewer might not understand. The last thing you want to do is make your listener feel stupid or uninformed.
6 - Read your pitch out loud and then edit it again The language you write in is different than how you speak. Practice your pitch out loud to make it sound more natural. While you should practice, you should not memorize your pitch.
7 - Prepare a few variations You might want to say things slightly differently to a potential business employer than you would to a professor you hope to work with. Also, sometimes you’ll just have 15 seconds for a pitch (kind of a short elevator ride). Other times you may have a minute or two. Focus on mastering a few key talking points, then work up ways to customize your speech for particular situations.
Submission
Record and submit
Record yourself giving your pitch (be sure to use the tips in the lessons on virtual presence!). Upload your recording to YouTube as an unlisted video. Then submit your recording in the form here
Deliver your pitch live
During the next team meeting, you will have the opportunity to deliver your pitch in a small group. Your peers will give you feedback and ratings. You will also have the chance to give others feedback. The live pitches will take place during the week of June 3, 2024.