You Have 30 Seconds to Sell Me...

Update: My car still works. Holding my breath through the rest of this week...

Also, this is marginally related to finance/careers etc. but I just find it interesting. It’s an article that talks about how to master the “elevator pitch” – the idea that you have to sell someone on an idea in the time it takes you to ride an elevator to your floor. I find it interesting because I’m terrible at delivering “elevator speeches” – these short 30 seconds you have with someone to explain a business idea or make a first impression or get a point across. I think the idea of having an elevator pitch on things you’re passionate about it is really important – even if it’s not business related at all.

As a writer, I enjoy the luxury of spending hours with words on paper. Crossing them out, perfecting them. Contemplating the significance of each word. People are surprised at how bad I am with words in person. I stumble through words, I don’t complete expressions in the right way, I begin saying one thing and fray off into other thoughts. It’s quite comical even.

So maybe I’ll try to practice this week on various topics using some of the tips they record in the article:

An elevator pitch has to be direct, easy to understand, based on hard facts and sprinkled with enough pizazz to get someone to carve out those 30 minutes of their time to hear more. Use basic concepts and simple sentences. Context is compelling.