The Elevator Speech
One of the most frequent questions you will be asked over the course of your life and professional career is:
“So, what do you do?”
For many of us, this can be quite difficult to answer because we juggle a variety of responsibilities, jobs and hobbies.
Or, sometimes the thing we “do” that puts food on our table, is not the thing we “do” to express ourselves and make our entire beings come alive with excitement.
“BUTTONS” ©2009 Nikolas Allen
But, there is nothing worse that suffering through someone’s long-winded, rambling, unfocused explanation as they stutter and stammer through the laundry list of their job description and responsibilities.
That is why it is important to develop an Elevator Speech. This is a concise explanation of who you are and what you do.
The concept of an Elevator Speech is that your summary is short enough to finish in the time it takes an elevator to get between floors.
The Elevator Speech is often used in networking and social events, where you need to quickly summarize your unique talents and interests.
It’s important that your Speech is casual, easy to understand, and not too tech-y or overly stuffed with biz-jargon.
“SUTTER STREET” ©2009 Nikolas Allen
For those of you multi-hyphenates who have several areas of interest (i.e. Musician-Artist-Filmmaker), don’t overwhelm people with everything at once.
Focus on the one area that most applies to the person asking. Dole out the additional info only as needed.
It’s also important to gauge the actual interest of the person asking.
Is it a rhetorical question?
Stick to the basics.
Is it someone you need to impress?
Focus on your passions, unique skills and accomplishments (and be sure to slide them a business card so they can reach you if they need to).
Are their eyes glazing over from disinterest?
Either change the topic or move on.
“LEVEL 5″ ©2009 Nikolas Allen
I had a woman approach me at a restaurant, who had seen my picture in the paper from a recent art opening.
She asked, “What kind of art do you do, are you a painter?”
I replied, “No, I’m a digital pop artist. I’m also passionate about branding and marketing and I enjoy helping other artists create and market their own personal brand.”
Her blank expression indicated that I was speaking a foreign language.
So, I slid her a business card, said she could visit my website to learn more, and moved on.
In some occasions, there’s just no point in wasting time with explanations. If that’s the case, feel free to step off the elevator.
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It should be noted that the Elevator Speech is the younger sibling to the Elevator Pitch.
The Elevator Pitch is different in that it’s a two-minute presentation geared towards selling your product or company idea to an investor.
If you’re ready to shmooze investors, this 2-minute video fully describes the anatomy of an effective Elevator Pitch.
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YOUR TURN:
So, what do YOU do?
Welcome to Nikolas Allen Art dot com. I am a Contemporary Pop Artist with a background in music, advertising and video production. 
Comments
I wish EVERYBODY would follow these rules ALL THE TIME! (Gotta train people, though, I know.)
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