Small Message, Big Impact: The Elevator Speech Effect

Now, we need to point out that it's not just CEOs, entrepreneurs, and sales professionals who can benefit from being able to make pitches like this.

For instance, you can use an elevator speech to pitch a new product idea to your boss. You could use it to raise money for a charity you care about. A great elevator pitch could get you a job interview at an organization you've always wanted to work with. Or, it could help you start a relationship with a valuable new client.

"Small Message, Big Impact" shows you how to create a compelling, intriguing pitch so you can get noticed, create opportunities, and achieve your goals.

Terri Sjodin is the principle and founder of Sjodin Communications, a public speaking, consulting, and sales training firm. She's been teaching and consulting for over 20 years to Fortune 500 companies, members of Congress, industry associations, and academic conferences.

So, keep listening to hear where some people go wrong when they prepare an elevator speech, five key features your speech should have, and the best way to introduce your pitch when an unexpected opportunity arises.

"Small Message, Big Impact" has 12 chapters, and comes in at just over 200 pages.

The first chapter is all about what an elevator speech is, and what it can do for your personal and professional life.

In chapter two, the author encourages you to define your intention. Before you start to do any work on your elevator speech, you have to be clear about why you want to create one in the first place. What do you want to happen as a result of this pitch?

We should point out that an elevator pitch shouldn't be designed to close a deal. The goal is to start a conversation and advance you towards a specific goal, even if that advancement is just one small step. For instance, some common outcomes of an elevator speech is a follow-up phone call, or permission to set a follow-up meeting.

One mistake the author often sees is that people try to put a ton of information into their elevator speech. She calls this the Data Dump. And you've probably heard of a Data Dump before; it's when you get bombarded with so much information, including technical data and statistics, that your eyes quickly glaze over.

Your pitch can't have this effect, if it's going to work. It has to be both informative and persuasive. You have to educate while also building a compelling argument.

So how can you avoid going into information overload?

The author gives us five steps to do this, which she calls Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, and Action.

You first grab the attention of your listener. Then, you make them feel the need for change. You next satisfy that need with a solution. You help them visualize the future with your proposed solution or plan. And last, you tell the person how you want them to take action.

Now, incorporating all five of these steps might sound like you're sharing way too much information already. But the steps are a guide. And, you don't have to go on at length for each one. Even one sentence will work to capture someone's attention, or make them feel the need for change.

These five steps are based on the work of a nineteen thirties Purdue professor called Alan Monroe. And the author says this pattern can be a very effective tool for people crafting an elevator speech. You can also use it to help plan presentations and other messages.

There are some practical and fun exercises in this chapter to help you start using these five steps. In the next chapter, the author goes into much more detail about why each step is necessary, and effective.

In chapter three we start building the outline of the elevator pitch. One useful approach is to begin by answering three questions. Why should your listener choose you? Why should your listener choose your company? And, why should your listener act now?

Another approach we liked even better is called the past-present-future method. To use this method to create an outline, line up your talking points like this.

Start by discussing where your listener was in the past. Next, establish what's happening in the present, and pin down what their company is achieving or not achieving. Last, explain how you can help improve their future.

We like this approach because it's easy to remember, and it just makes sense.

If you purchase the electronic version of this book, you'll have instant access to some downloadable worksheets that will help you create your outline. Paper book purchases are provided with a link you can type into a browser to access those same worksheets.

Now, imagine you could distill all this information down to just a few things you need to know to write a great pitch. What would they be?

Well, the author addresses this in chapter four. She says there are three benchmarks any great pitch has to have.

First, you have to build a solid, persuasive case, supported by logical arguments and evidence. Next, you have to be creative. Your talking points need to be intriguing and interesting. Last, you have to have great delivery. You have to present your pitch using your own authentic voice. You need to be genuine and truthful.

After she goes over the need for each of these three benchmarks, the author devotes one chapter to each one. So chapters five, six, and seven focus entirely on working each of these elements into your speech.

We'll look at the first of these, which is the need to build a persuasive case.

You first have to prepare for two different types of situations when you might need an elevator speech: planned and spontaneous. And there are some good tips, examples, and guidelines for each of these.

Take Meredith, an up-and-coming interior designer at a cocktail party with friends. She's just out to have fun, and has no intention of networking. But she suddenly bumps into the owner of a not-yet-finished boutique hotel she's been trying to get an appointment with for weeks.

Here's what she says. "Hi Mr. Hightower, I am an eco-smart and energy efficient interior designer, and I would love to share with you my three minute elevator speech on my vision for an innovative concept for your hotel."

What's important about Meredith's opening sentence is that it's a necessary segway into her pitch. Meredith has communicated her intention, and how much time it will take up.

The author says that in spontaneous situations, you really need an introduction like this to communicate who you are, why the other person should care, and how much of their time you'll need if they turn out to be interested in what you have to say.

Now, the other person can always say "no." But you're giving them a choice, instead of launching into your pitch right away. We thought this was a classy and courteous way to introduce yourself and politely ask for more time and attention.

Another important concept in this chapter is how to balance your content. You only have three minutes, so you have to make sure you're giving enough time to all the areas you need to cover.

The author treats this problem like a math equation. Throughout the book, she covers six main components the pitch has to have: an introduction, a body with three main points, a conclusion, and a close. This means with three minutes, you can devote thirty seconds to each component.

We liked that she broke this down because it really helps with pacing. If you know you have 30 seconds for each part of your pitch, it helps keep panic at bay and helps make sure you don't go over the time limit you requested.

The math also helps you avoid what the author calls a top-heavy presentation, which is a rookie mistake. A top-heavy presentation is when you spend too much time at the front end of your pitch, and then you have to rush through the end, which is ineffective.

Another chapter we liked was chapter eight. Here, the author has some useful advice on how to put yourself out there and create opportunities to get your pitch heard. We thought this was a thoughtful and relevant addition to the book.

In order to get heard and seen, you're going to have to put yourself out there. That means you have to be willing to use your imagination, and take risks.

That being said, we need to throw in a word of caution here. Some of the ideas and case studies in this chapter are a bit, well, out there. In fact, we think some of the tactics could cross the line into being truly irritating, which would defeat the purpose of your pitch.

For instance, one real-life case study profiled an up-and-coming ad executive who really wanted to get the attention of the man in charge of awarding an advertising account for a regional car dealership.

This executive decided to ship a variety of car parts to the man's house, each with a special message. So, he shipped a steering wheel that said "We'll steer you in the right direction," and a fender that said, "We'll protect your rear end." In the end, he shipped one car part every half hour for a 12-hour period.

Now, there's no doubt it was a creative idea, and the author thought it was a brilliant move. But creative and classy are two different things.

Just imagine you were the recipient, and had 24 car parts piled up in your home by some advertising professional who wanted your attention, and your business. Would you be impressed, or annoyed? We fell on the side of "annoyed." Although we should point out that the young professional did end up winning the car dealership account.

Our point here is that while you should be creative when trying to get someone's attention, you also need to use good judgment and common sense.

There is some good advice later on in this chapter about referrals and elegant introductions.

When you ask someone for a referral or an introduction to someone you want to meet, it's really important you ask in a polite, no-pressure way. Always remember that when someone refers you to someone else, they're putting their reputation on the line if you don't measure up. So you have a responsibility to do your best in these situations.

If they seem reluctant about referring you, then take the pressure off immediately. If you suspect they're uncomfortable, quickly say something like, "No worries, maybe this isn't a good time. If you feel it would be appropriate in the future, I'd appreciate it."

Always be gracious. And, always send a thank-you note when someone does refer you or set up an important introduction. We thought this was classy advice that can't be repeated often enough.

So, what's our last word on "Small Message, Big Impact?"

We liked the book, for several reasons. First, it's really easy to read, and you'll get through it quickly. The information is practical, useful, and relevant. The author doesn't waste time with a lot of unnecessary information or long personal stories. She modeled the book after her elevator speech, keeping it interesting, concise, and actionable.

The author thoughtfully wraps up each chapter with a bulleted list of key points. These are useful if you need a quick refresher after finishing the book.

What we liked most about this book is how hands-on it is. There are worksheets and evaluation forms included in almost every chapter. This really help readers start crafting their own elevator speech.

All in all, we have no trouble recommending such a useful book.

"Small Message, Big Impact," by Terri Sjodin, is published by Portfolio Penguin.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.