Small Message, Big Impact ─ The Elevator Speech Effect

You’re at the airport waiting for a flight, burning time by checking your e-mail. Then you spot the CEO of a company you’ve wanted to connect with for ages. He’s also waiting for his flight. Your flight! Should you walk over? What would you say?

We’ve all been there. An opportunity presents itself and you have one chance to share your impor-tant message. The clock is ticking. And in this age of information overload, no business skill is more essential than being able to connect with others quickly, whether in a one-on-one meeting or in front of thousands of people.

Acclaimed speaker and consultant Terri Sjodin defines an elevator speech as a brief presenta-tion that introduces a product, service, or idea. Its purpose isn’t to say everything about your topic—just to intrigue and inspire the listener to want to hear more. And Sjodin suggests you expand your vision of what it can do. “Don’t just think of an elevator speech as a generic tool you use in chance moments—consider the concept as a strategy to manage multiple talking points and to communicate more complex ideas as well.”

Her bestselling book is an entertaining, practical guide to making your message concise, compelling, and effective. She reveals, for instance, how to:

In this newly updated edition, Sjodin offers her time-tested strategies and advice, including sim-ple outlines, worksheets, a sample elevator speech, evaluation forms, and much more.

Whatever your goal, you can learn to craft a fresh, brief, convincing message that generates tangible results.

Terri L. Sjodin is the principal and founder of Sjodin Communications, a public speaking, sales training, and consulting firm. For more than twenty years she has served as a speaker and consultant for Fortune 500 compa-nies, industry associations, academic conferences, CEOs, and members of Congress. She lives in Newport Beach, California.