Workshop2_Deck_vF 021220

How to Give an Effective

Elevator Pitch

The Communications Lab @ HGSE Presents…

Creating and Communicating

Your Vision in Under 1 Minute

February 12, 2020

Workshops

WHAT

WE DO

We are a HGSE resource

created to help graduate

students develop their

presentation skills and to

provide a space and

opportunity for students to

cultivate their oral and visual

communication skills

# About Us

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Note: all photos included in this presentation are from Unsplash.com, a free online service that provides professional quality photos which can be used for commercial or non-commercial purposes

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WHO WE ARE

Associate Director for Student Academic Services

& Learning Design and a research librarian. Ning

oversees Gutman Library's Writing Services and

the Communications Lab in addition to providing

research consultations and leading the library's

learning design projects

# About Us

Ning Zou Preeya Pandya Mbekeani Dylan J. Lukes

Doctoral candidate at HGSE and doctoral fellow

in the multidisciplinary program in Inequality and

Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Preeya studies inequality in college access and

completion for underrepresented students and

policies aimed at reducing these disparities

Doctoral candidate and Presidential Scholar at

Harvard University and HGSE. Dylan studies the

economics of education with a focus on

technology and learning.

bit.ly/hgsecl

WORKSHOP AGENDA

MOTIVATION

INTRO TO ELEVATOR

PITCHES

ELEVATOR PITCH

TIPS

PRACTICE, PRACTICE,

PRACTICE

# EFFECTIVE ELEVATOR PITCHES

WORKSHOP AGENDA

MOTIVATION

INTRO TO ELEVATOR

PITCHES

ELEVATOR PITCH

TIPS

PRACTICE, PRACTICE,

PRACTICE

# EFFECTIVE ELEVATOR PITCHES

PLANNING

UX ENGENEER

Ut et pulvinar odio. Nam

condimentum nisl

AN ELEVATOR PITCH

WHY SHOULD I CARE?

# MOTIVATION

YOU NEED TO CLEARLY …

“Promote Yourself”

…IN 60 SECONDS

“Promote Your Idea”

“Promote Your Research”

WORKSHOP AGENDA

MOTIVATION

INTRO TO ELEVATOR

PITCHES

ELEVATOR PITCH

TIPS

PRACTICE, PRACTICE,

PRACTICE

# EFFECTIVE ELEVATOR PITCHES

PLANNING

UX ENGENEER

Ut et pulvinar odio. Nam

condimentum nisl

AN ELEVATOR PITCH

WHAT IS IT?

# INTRO TO ELEVATOR PITCHES

• A 60 second high-level overview of your story that effectively

details who you are, your impact, your uniqueness and goals

• May need to deliver it under pressure and without warning

• Contexts vary far and wide. Some include:

o Job Recruiting

o Connecting with new colleagues

o Recruiting stakeholders (for business, for a cause, etc.)

o Promoting your research at a conference

www.floraladdress.com

# INTRO TO ELEVATOR PITCHES

AN ELEVATOR PITCH IN 4 STEPS

WHAT YOU DOWHO YOU ARE WHY YOU ARE UNIQUE GOAL FOR PITCH

• Keep it short and sweet

• Go beyond describing or

listing tasks

• State your value through the

results or impact of what you

• Another opportunity to

showcase your value-add

• Put a pause on being humble

or self-deprecating and show

the unique benefits you bring

• Your opportunity to highlight

how you are different or

better (context dependent)

• What is the goal of your

elevator pitch?

• Who is your pitch for and

why are you giving it?

• Personal vs. Professional

Elevator Pitches

2 3 41

010

STEP 1

WHO

YOU ARE

# INTRO TO ELEVATOR PITCHES

One or two sentence intro to

kick off your elevator pitch

and introduce the listener to

who you are

KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET

This should be a maximum 10-15 seconds

• Ex 1: Hi, my name is Dylan, and I am a Ph.D. Candidate at

Harvard studying education policy and economics. I’m an ex-

management consultant that cares about using data and

economic theory to impact positive social change.

• Ex 2: Community college students are often frustrated,

confused or intimated by the opaque process of transferring to

a 4-year college. I’m passionate about solving this problem for

all students, but particularly for first-generation, low income

students with limited support and guidance.

Examples

PRIORITIZE & MAKE IT COUNT

What do you most want the listener to remember

about you? This is the “hook” of your pitch.

Remember to smile and show enthusiasm

This can be a statement or question that

grabs your audiences attention

011

STEP 2

WHAT

YOU DO

Now is not the time to list all

your job responsibilities and

what they entail. Use this

stage to go beyond simply

describing what you do and

highlight the impact of it

# INTRO TO ELEVATOR PITCHES

WHAT’S YOUR IMPACT THROUGH

WHAT YOU DO

Think of this as your “tag line”

CONVEY YOUR VALUE ADD

Your descriptions of what you do should help your

listener learn how you can add value

• Ex 1: “I use advanced statistical techniques to answer

challenging educational policy questions that lack a clear

consensus or robust causal evidence. My research questions are

informed by my passion for economics and my belief that

education is a gateway to a more prosperous future.”

• Ex 2: “I created an app to tackle this problem. It is an advanced

data aggregation and analytics platform that generates academic

plans and trackers tailored to a student’s strengths and

weaknesses to aid them in earning a bachelor’s degree via the

community college route.”

Examples

012

STEP 3

WHY YOU

ARE UNIQUE

This is your time to let your

unique self shine. Give your

listener an inside track to how

your different and why it

matters.

# INTRO TO ELEVATOR PITCHES

HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT?

What unique skills, experiences and perspective do

you bring to the organization or community?

HOW ARE YOU BETTER?

What benefits do you bring to the organization or

community that others may not?

• Ex 1: “My unique set of analytical skills developed during my

time in academics is complemented by a suite of social and

communications skills sharpened from my time as a

management consultant. In a world that increasingly values data

analytics and team based skills, I have both.”

• Ex 2: “My platform is the first of its kind and will be licensed to

high schools and community colleges in California for $10 per

year. This will alleviate the burden placed on academic

counselors and provide cost effective support at nationally

competitive pricing for low-income, first gen students.”

Examples

013

STEP 4

WHAT’S

YOUR GOAL

This is the final stage. Now is

the time to describe your

immediate goals and make

clear what you are asking of

the listener.

# INTRO TO ELEVATOR PITCHES

GOALS ARE CONCRETE & DEFINED

GOALS ARE REALISTIC

• Ex 1: “I read that your organization is involved in education

policy research and provides strategic support to state and

federal level education agencies. Can you tell me how someone

with my experience may fit into your organization?”

• Ex 2: “With 100+ community colleges and 1300 + California high

schools, and no direct competitors, my app aims to capture 10%

of high schools and 25% of community colleges as clients for a

total revenue of $1M + per year. This is an opportunity for you to

invest in an ed-tech start up at the ground-level while making 4-

year institutions more accessible to all.”

Examples

014

WORKSHOP AGENDA

MOTIVATION

INTRO TO ELEVATOR

PITCHES

ELEVATOR PITCH

TIPS

PRACTICE, PRACTICE,

PRACTICE

# EFFECTIVE ELEVATOR PITCHES

015

• Avoid the nitty-gritty details (for now)

o Too much detail may lose yo ur

audience

o You have a short-time to make an

impression and hook your

audience, don’t linger

• Make it 60 seconds or less

o This is not a hard and fast rule

o Adjust to your audience as needed

Title

here

# ELEVATOR PITCH TIPS

TIP #1

“Be Succinct”

016

• This is NOT a memorized monologue

o Find the balance between ad lib

and rote memorization

• Make your audience feel SPECIAL

o Yes, this is a targeted speech that

follows a template…BUT allow

yourself some freedom to let your

unique personality show

o Remember you are having a

conversation

Title

here

# ELEVATOR PITCH TIPS

TIP #2

“Make it Authentic”

017

• Good content and structure may not be

enough

o Your audience might be impressed

by your credentials, experience and

acumen but does your story MOVE

them?

• Create a spark. Hook your listener. Make

an impact.

o Excitement begets excitement

o If you’re not excited, your listener

probably won’t be either

TIP #3

“Be Passionate”

# ELEVATOR PITCH TIPS

018

• Hone your non-verbal communication

o Hand gestures (e.g. “the box”,

“pyramid hands”, “holding the ball”,

“palms up/ palms down”)

o Stances (e.g. “wide stance”)

o Posture

• Nerves

o Being nervous ¹ lacking confidence

o Public speaking can be tough, but

practice can help overcome nerves

Title

here

# ELEVATOR PITCH TIPS

TIP #4

“Be Confident”

019

• Preparation

o What are you going to say? (content)

o When are you going to say it? (structure)

o How long does it take it say (timing)

• Practice

o Developing and refining your 60 second

pitch takes practice and iteration

o Rehearse by section and then combine

TIP #5

“Prepare & Practice”

# ELEVATOR PITCH TIPS

SUMMARY

Tips for Success

Center your elevator pitch around these tips and you will be

well on your way to winning over your audience and

effectively communicating your vision in under 60 seconds.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it is a great place to begin as

you strive to create a polished and impactful pitch.

# ELEVATOR PITCH TIPS

TIP #1

Be Succinct

TIP #2

Make it

Authentic

TIP #3

Be Passionate

TIP #4

Confident

TIP #5

Prepare &

Practice

021

WORKSHOP AGENDA

MOTIVATION

INTRO TO ELEVATOR

PITCHES

ELEVATOR PITCH

TIPS

PRACTICE, PRACTICE,

PRACTICE

# EFFECTIVE ELEVATOR PITCHES

022

PRACTICE PROMPT

# PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Create groups (2-3)

o Give your elevator

pitch without

preparation

o Each person (if

comfortable) should

give this a try

Prepare

o Using the template

we provided prepare

each elevator pitch

stage

o You can write this

down and use script if

needed

Take 2: Elevator

Pitch

o Give your prepared

elevator pitch

o Each person (if

comfortable) should

give this a try

You’re at a conference talk on campus. You

find yourself with the opportunity to talk with

the headliner after their presentation. Time to

put your polished elevator pitch to good use!

Feedback

o Provide feedback to

your peers

o What worked?

o What didn’t?

THANK YOU

#HGSE COMMUNICATIONS LAB

bit.ly/hgsecl

Re fe r e nc es

• Gallo, Carmine. (2018). “The art of the elevator pitch”. Accessed from:

https://hbr.org/2018/10/the-art-of-the-elevator-pitch

• Harvard Business School. (2020). “HBS Elevator Pitch Builder”. Accessed from:

http://about.mjumbepoe.com/elevator-pitch-builder/

• Neely, Joe. (2017). “Top 7 Killer Elevator Pitch Examples”. Access from:

https://blog.toggl.com/elevator-pitch-examples/

• UC-Davis. (Undated) “The 30 Second Elevator Speech”. Accessed from:

http://sfp.ucdavis.edu/files/163926.pdf

• Wezowski, Kasia. (2017). “6 ways to look more confident during a presentation”. Harvard

Business Review. Accessed from: https://hbr.org/2017/04/6-ways-to-look-more-confident-

during-a-presentation