What's Your Elevator Speech?

No matter what you do, or who you are, at some point you will be given a moment to ‘pitch’ yourself.  A ‘pitch’ here is that description of who you are, or what product you sell, or what you stand for, or what makes you unique, or sets you apart, etc.

An ‘Elevator Speech’ is simply this pitch made in the time it takes to ride an elevator.  This is the time you have to make that great first impression, explain to someone your passions, make the sell, or simply inform someone about you.  The pitch is made in about 30 to 60 seconds and should be very precise, concise, and on message.

Considering the vast number of professionals who don’t know what an elevator speech is, don’t be alarmed if you don’t have one; most of the time we don’t take the time to boil ourselves down to a 30 to 60 second message.  We can assure you, with great confidence, that those who have perfected their pitch have given it countless times and reaped tremendous rewards.

The elevator speech allows us to demonstrate our passion(s) in a short time frame.  It doesn’t matter if you are a talker, or a listener, we all need a solid ‘pitch’ about ourselves and/or those things that matter to us.

A few years ago I was raising money for a capital campaign.  During the elevator ride to my meeting, I was in the car with a stranger who engaged me in conversation.  Although I understood the ins and outs of the campaign, I fumbled around during this brief time to give a concise explanation of what I was doing and highlighted what I thought was urgent.  Unfortunately, I missed the important talking points I was so good at delivering with a client in a meeting.

I remember this story because sometime later on, when I was introduced to the critical need of having a good ‘Elevator Speech,’ I recalled this example.  Knowing that the elevator is simply a metaphor for the timing of the speech, I set down to being able to articulate myself in 30 to 60 seconds.  After years of preparing numerous pitches, I’ve condensed, written, re-written, and finally compiled a methodology for creating an effective ‘pitch.’

Take these tips below and work with them.  Subtract and add your own points as necessary, after all, it’s your pitch! Remember, no matter what:

Understand Your Product

          We cannot underscore this point enough.  We’ve heard a number of pitches where the speaker(s) did not truly understand their product(s).  Sure, the energy and desire were there, but the speakers were not completely confident with their product.  (Product, in this case, is the essence of the ‘pitch.’  It doesn’t matter if you are talking about alligators, zebras, or anything in between, if you don’t understand the ins and outs of your ‘product’ the listener will see right through you and you will lose credibility.)

          Take some paper and write down what you are preparing to pitch.  As an example: you are raising money for a library to buy books and extend their offerings to the public.

          As mentioned above we need to know what are product is.  Can you tell me what the purpose of the product might be in the above example?  An idea could be education for children and adults.  This purpose is what we are really doing and trying to convey to the listener in a tightly managed amount of time.  Buying the books and creating an avenue for additional offerings is how the library is going to accomplish this goal.

          Writing this and, obviously, more information down on our paper you can begin to write what you want to say.  On the initial drafts it’s not important how long the speech is; what is important is moving the ideas from your mind to the page.

Clarify Your Intention

          Understand your purpose.  If you are raising money for the library and the purpose is education, you don’t need to mention the need for more chairs and desks.  This is where the work comes in.  Good, no great, pitches are written and re-written numerous times.  Take the time to continually write out the intention until it is perfect.

          Every time you write out the intention, you take the opportunity to tighten up the language, remove unnecessary words, etc.  This exercise alone will help you solidify your purpose in the pitch.

          In addition, try to avoid using large, complicated vocabulary in the pitch.  Ensure your pitch can be understood by everyone who hears it.  While it is most important that you pitch decision makers, treat everyone to the same pitch.  Be careful not to dumb-down, or fluff-up your language because of your perception of the listener.  While this may be necessary at a later point, the elevator speech is geared toward using a limited amount of time to convey a concise message.

Make Your Speech Memorable

          As you want to be remembered for your speech, also be remembered for your passion on the topic.  People, in general, want to be excited with you.  When you make your pitch be excited and let your passion be both heard and seen.

          Following the library example from above, be sure to engage the name of the library and connect it with your listener so they develop proper empathy you’re working to achieve.  If you can place anecdotal information about the library and thus brand the library with the listener, your speech will be that much more meaningful to the listener.

Your nonverbal communication skill set will be very important here.  If you tend to be very reserved, you will need to learn to animate yourself appropriately.  Likewise, if you ‘talk with your hands’ be careful with allowing your gestures to speak louder than your speech.

Practice, Practice, Practice

          Need we say more?  Practice is the very essence of success.  If you want to be successful at anything you must be willing to commit the necessary time.  Crafting and reciting the perfect speech will take time and practice.  Consider it this way: you will get one shot in this 30 to 60 second window.  One shot.  Take the time to word it properly and recite it clearly.

          When practicing the speech, say it to yourself while looking in the mirror.  This is what your listener will see while they hear you.  Please do not skip this step.  Practicing in the mirror will help you build confidence, and having confidence in your pitch is critical.

          Another practical reason to recite your speech in the mirror is to observe your nonverbal communication skills.  This practice time gives you an opportunity to work on these often overlooked pieces of the communication model.

          In the shower, during your commute, during your break, in your head, out loud, etc.; these are all opportunities to practice your speech.  Practice to make it perfect!

Follow-up Action Item

           Start writing today.  It will take some time to create your perfect speech.  Don’t be frustrated if you can’t get it down right away, keep working on it.  Keep writing and listening to others and what they say, you might want to incorporate some of the things others say into your speech, but you’ll never know unless you get started.  Use the list above and/or refine it to your expertise.  Either way, just do it!

Takeaway

          There will always be a time when you need to ‘pitch’ yourself and/or a product.  Taking the time to articulate this pitch in 30 to 60 seconds will set you apart from everyone else.  Adding this tool to your communication toolkit will open more doors for you than it will close.

Delivering Your Best

The Family Business

As members of the “Entrepreneurial Family Business Club” we understand a few things about being family members in, running, and strategically surviving and thriving in the family business atmosphere.  Unlike some members, but like so many others, I chose to join the family business.  Of course, there have been days where I longed to be anywhere else and days where I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

There is a degree of misconception that surrounds the aura of the family business.  It is important to understand that family businesses account for approximately 50% of US GNP, they are found in both the private and public sectors, they are found in every industry and niche, and they range the spectrum in both scope and size from the “Mom and Pop” to Wal-Mart.  Chances are very high on of the last places you shopped was a family business.

While there is no real and common definition of a family business, the concentration here is on the smaller, more entrepreneurial business model.  This will range from the sole-proprietor to larger firms.  Entrepreneurial family businesses are sometimes smaller in relative employment size but can be larger in both gross and net profit than their counterparts.

As I have written, contemplated, and talked at length with others about the family business model(s), I enjoy engaging discussions with others who are either in a family business (as a family member or an employee of one) and those who are outside of one.  While the questions and statements often run the gamut, here are three very common ones:

How Do You Work With Family?

How Do You Create Boundaries?

I Want My Child In The Business But They Don’t Want to Be Here

How Do You Work With Family?

This is my favorite question to answer and not because it is the one I am asked most often.  I truly enjoy working with my family members.  Yes there are days when we don’t want to talk to one another, but there are more days where we laugh and grow together.

Working with family is hard, very hard, and there is no amount coaching, counseling, conferences, etc., that will ever alter this fact.  Inside the family dynamic there are hundreds of pieces to adjust.  Not only are we family, but we know more “truth” about each other than we might know about a non-family member employee.  This works both ways.  We can know of and be disappointed in the actions of the member from their personal life, or we can know the same and be proud.

In our experience, mine included, the successful family business is one that is able to communicate in healthy ways and set clear, concise expectations of one another.  When the older family member defines the expectation for the younger generation, it is important the younger member define an expectation of the older member.  While the older member might refine, or redefine, this expectation, it serves as a strategic communication point in the business. 

As a practical tactic, it is important that members of the family have scheduled meetings where only business-related items are allowed for discussion.  In addition, it is wise that the family members spend time away from the office environment together and not talk about business-related matters.  These are hard to do, but well worth the effort to execute.

How Do You Create Boundaries?

Having, over the years, over eight family members in and out of the business, I understand this need.  The first rule of thumb is to create very sustainable and reasonable job descriptions.  The second is to avoid the unhealthy need to control the actions and/or behaviors of family members.

Drafting, discussion, redrafting, and delivering an agreed upon job description for the family member is critical.  If and when the time arises when work is not being performed to expectation, or they are performing someone else’s work, there is something concrete and practical to refer them to in an effort to realign their behaviors.  A secondary reason for this is that it gives the member purpose.  In an effort to avoid nepotism or favoritism (if avoiding such is desirous), both parties have the document(s) to refer to.

Allowing the family member to perform their work without your control is important.  As we begin the impossible task of maintaining their actions and behaviors, we set an insurmountable expectation that will do nothing but present us with disappointment.  In lieu of this reality, work to allow the family member to develop, with proper training, coaching, etc., into the professional they are to be.  While I realize this reads as being flippant, it has been our experience that those more successful entrepreneurial family business firms give the family member and non-family member relative amounts of leeway in order to develop in healthy and productive ways.

I agree there is a lot more to boundaries between family members, but these two are two of the more important lessons.

I Want My Child In The Business But They Don’t Want To Be Here

          A few years ago I took a phone call from the CEO of a small company.  As a caring mother, she wanted her children to follow her into the multi-generational family business.  She is an astute person and exceptional leader running a very successful enterprise.  As she spoke I listened very carefully to her words and how she used them. After a few questions and more listening, I asked her how I could help.  She replied by asking me what did she need to say to convince her children to join the business.

          My reply then, as now, was simple.  You Don’t.  One of the worst things we can do in the family business model is foster environments of nepotism.  Forcing a child to join the ranks is as potentially disastrous as having Nero-like children joining the business.  While the former can grow into enjoying the business, the latter is more dangerous as they have the tendency ostracize family and non-family members as well as present a continual drain on both tangible and intangible company resources.  The latter can also reform, but not without more struggle.

          As we talked, I encouraged her to talk independently to her children first, and then collectively.  As an intelligent leader, she knew what to look for but needed the right questions to ask.  We talked and agreed that allowing her child to clearly voice their life objectives was a wise decision, as this allowed her to voice her concerns about the company.  As a group, she was then able to speak with intention to the entire family about her goals and how, if willing, they could fit in.  (An important point about the inclusion of family members to the business is that they need a specific role and set of responsibilities.)

          We spoke sometime later and while there was some angst in the process, she shared with them the various positions she wanted them to begin with and charted a path for success, should they work for it, and allowed them to make up their own minds.

          This opened the future family members up to a new reality.  Here was a job that they had a qualification, or potential, for, and has a path for success.  The children that joined the business and are thriving today because this CEO had the courage to be upfront with them, without forcing them to be a part of the business.

Follow-up Action Item

          If you are in the family business, look around.  Are the members there because they want to be?  Are they forced members, Nero-like, or both?  If you are in a position that can make critical decisions, it’s time to have important conversations with these members.

Takeaway

          The entrepreneurial family business model is a very detailed and dynamic model.  While there are no real “silver bullets” to solve familial issues in the workplace, the above can help to set you on the path to developing a healthy and productive environment.

Delivering Your Best

Stay In The Question

Have you ever experienced the kind of clear water that betrays the true depth of the surface bottom, such as that in an open body of water?  It’s possible you have at least seen a picture of this.  How did this make you feel?  Did you feel a sense of ease or clarity because what you could see was plain to you?  Or, maybe you felt a sense of beauty in nature?

Clarity in the communication model evokes the same or similar emotions.  Having the courage to ask questions allows for clarity in all our relationships, whether they are professional, personal, or a combination of the two.  In the communication model, understanding is the key to measuring expectations; and, asking questions fosters this harmony with others.  When we ask questions that are timely and relevant to the task-at-hand, we are engaging in more responsive communication. 

Unfortunately, we often feel a sense of inner betrayal when we ask questions.  Our inner selves tell us not to ask a lot of questions because the receiving person, or group, might have a belief that we are not as intelligent as we should be to the task.  Thus, most of us don’t want to admit when we don’t understand.

In order to cultivate productive people in the leadership model, you must be able to get them to communicate.  Over the years and through various failed attempts at effective communication, I realized that I needed to re-evaluate my approach.  My thought process was centered on ensuring my needs were met.  While this is important to leadership, I now believe that successful leaders first realize the other person’s needs must be met in order for my needs to be met.  This is accomplished through effective communication, and this effectiveness is centered on the principle of asking questions, or staying in the question with the other person.

While it is imperative that you develop a few questions that fit the needs of your environment, here are the three that I ask without fail:

What is your understanding?

What questions do you have?

What can I do for you?

What Is Your Understanding?

Asking questions that open the conversation is crucial.  It may be easier to ask questions that close the conversation (Yes/No questions, e.g.), but these do not necessarily encourage further thought and consideration.  As is the case, I always start by asking for the other person to restate their understanding of the discussion/task.

It is important to not interrupt their statement of understanding.  Allow the other person to take as long as is necessary to articulate their understanding.  Critical, active listening is crucial here.  Often, they will ask additional questions/statements that add to their clarification.  Try to be as specific as possible in response to their question and in as few words as possible.  You may need to practice this, but it is important to not overrun the recall of their understanding with your words.  Once they have finished use this opportunity to clarify any points.  This is also an opportunity to praise the person.  Remember, in the leadership model praise can be a tool for furthering effective communication.

Listening actively and completely, and without interruption is important not only to ensure the other person has understanding, it is also a good opportunity to work on your critical listening skills.  While you work on these skills, you also present the image to the other person that you are interested and engaged with what they are saying to you.  Again, effective leaders listen and the people that communicate with them know this.

What Questions Do You Have?

This may or may not have been addressed in the first question, but I always follow-up with this question.  If there are additional questions, keep the answers on point and relevant to the accomplishment of the task.  Avoid the temptation to wander down the tangent tree and pick interesting but irrelevant berries of knowledge.  If the additional information will not immediately help with the task in question, avoid this.

Another point to focus on during this question is to ensure the other party knows that at any point during their execution of the task they are supposed to ask questions when they arise.  One way to reinforce this is to forge a healthy give-and-take communication model with them; let them know their questions are safe and not avenues for you to attack them.  If you are listening to their questions and doing your part keep the questions/answers on track you will create healthy communication.  Obviously, too many questions begin to border on the trivial but as a leader it is your job to focus their clarity through questions of your own.

When you answer these questions, and any for that matter, put your heart first.  Listen to the issue of clarity and respond with a desire to be helpful.  It has been our experience that when leaders genuinely cultivate emotionally-mature environments, the people around them ask better questions and are otherwise more knowledgeable at executing their tasks.  In addition, these people are generally happier and more responsive when someone else has a question.

What Can I Do For You?

          This is the most important step to consider when staying in the question.  With various answers, you can clarify the question/statement with a follow-up question.  Keep drilling down with more questions until you and the other person understand exactly what they are, in return, asking of you is important to effective communication.

          A secondary consideration here is the level of commitment this creates within the leadership model.  Asking this question to someone exposes them to careful consideration of the task, and if they confirm there is nothing you can do for them they are now in charge of the task.  This holds an edge, however.  The person charged with the task may run into a roadblock along the path to completion and now feel they cannot ask you a question due to their earlier response.  Be watchful for this.

By creating an environment of staying in the question, your appropriate follow-up during the execution of the task will be to ensure that you ask this question again (possibly more than once depending on the time frame).  You can also realign an errant person and help them back to the path with this question.  It has been our experience that good leaders want to help others be successful.  If this is you, take heed and stay in the question for the duration of the task.

Follow-up Action Item

          Look at your current communication style in your relationships.  Do you ask questions?  Do you actively listen when someone is answering?  Practice asking a few more meaningful and probing questions that further understanding.  Then, practice critical listening, giving your full attention to what is being said.  This is a skill that is honed with practice!

Takeaway

          Leadership is about communicating.  Effective communication includes staying in the question.  Always ask questions and always be listening.  Often times, when we present a strategy and stay in the question, others present outstanding tactical ideas (ideas about accomplishing the strategy).

Delivering Your Best