What is an elevator speech?

What is an elevator speech?

An elevator speech is a short message about who you are, your career aims and the benefits you bring to the company. It is a short message about who you are, your career aims and the benefits you bring to the company.

Communication skills play an important role in workplaces. An elevator speech is one of those effective communication tools that can potentially lead you to success in your career.

Where did it get its name from?

It got its name from the scenario of the professional who walks into his or her office building and gets in the elevator with the CEO. ‘So tell me,’ she says, ‘who are you and what do you do here?’

With the average elevator ride reported to be 16 seconds, you can’t waste time. This is your chance; you have a captive audience with someone influential in the company. Although it may seem trivial or unlikely, every professional is advised to have an elevator speech. You never know when the opportunity will arise, do you think you will be ready?

Reviewing your elevator speech

Ideally, you would like to give an articulate, concise summary that conveys that you are an intelligent professional, are involved in your work and can express yourself well to others.

When reviewing elevator speeches, think about things like:

• If you were the CEO and had this conversation with this employee, would you hire them?
• Was it clear and coherent?
• Can you provide any tips on how to improve it?