I’ve been working with Karin Blair for almost five years now as my development coach.  She’s seen me and walked with me, figuratively and literally on the beach, through a variety of transitions.  I have a few clients I’ve worked with for several years, and I find there’s something really magical about connecting with a coach and that kind of longevity in the relationship to see the development arc over a substantial time.  I count Karin as one of the most important people in my life, and I’m so grateful for the work we do together.  

We sat down recently to record a podcast episode to share the benefits we’ve received from development coaching and how we’ve navigated various life transitions.  One topic that came up was the challenge of figuring out how to talk about yourself and a new identity you’re leaning into.  Karin shared how she’s working to let the word “writer” now begin to come off her tongue with some authenticity and comfort level as she’s writing a book about strategic leadership.  I was immediately brought back to fumbling around with introductions five years ago as I was becoming a development coach and not quite nailing the words as I tried to share this new career path with those around me.  I can still see some of the blank stares and hear the follow-up questions as folks tried to grasp if I was moving into life coaching or if I meant athletic coaching or something else, they’d never heard of.  It was a humbling experience and solidified my interest in helping others get comfortable sharing their new passion as they were working through major transitions in life.

One common term for this ability to clearly and concisely share what you’re into is “The Elevator Pitch.”  I can see many of you cringing just at the mention of this term as I often get this response in my work with clients as they seek to craft and articulate a new identity.  So, let’s demystify this phrase and turn down a bit of the anxiety it can produce.

The Elevator Pitch comes from the idea that you should be able to describe what you do or what you’re passionate about in less than 10 seconds or the time it takes to ride in an elevator.  In that time, a complete stranger should be able to grasp a bit about what makes you tick.  This is not the time to rattle off your resume or the details of your thesis.  This is your chance to give just a little flavor of yourself and what might be of interest for you and this other person to connect on in the future.

Here are a few tips for getting better at this:

1.  Be Concise – Remember the point here is to speak clearly and concisely to leave the listener with a sense of what you’re about before they reach their floor, and the elevator doors open.
2. Be Authentic – You should use words that are comfortable to you and are part of your everyday lingo, so it all sounds natural.
3. Practice – Test these couple sentences out on your friends and family in low-risk situations so you can refine the verbiage before you’re in a situation where you want to nail this intro.
4. Customize – If you do the above, it will allow you to make slight adjustments to these sentences on the fly to make them more appropriate to the audience with which you’re engaging.  The answer should vary slightly if you’re ata casual cocktail party vs. riding in the elevator with the CEO of the company you’re about to interview with.
5. Pause – Once you share your pitch, take a moment to let the other person respond to open up dialogue and see what’s interesting to them.

As an example, I mentioned it took me a while to get comfortable talking about being a development coach and helping others understand what I meant when I said it.  After many go-rounds, this now flows naturally off my tongue when people ask, “What do you do?”  My response now is, “I’m a professional development coach.  I help folks get clear on where they are now, where they want to be, and plotting the incremental steps to get there.”  And then I pause because what comes next is so important in where we take the conversation.  I have to let that other person react, and that response enables us to deepen the connection, either in that moment or for a follow-up.

If you're interested in working on your ability to authentically share what you do and what you’re passionate about, give this Elevator Pitch worksheet a try as a starting point.  If you could use a little more support and want to learn about how we help individuals navigate major transitions in life, drop us a line at The Next Playbook to chat about your goals.

-Derika

P.S. To hear the full conversation with Karin, join us at The Next Playbook Podcast and sign up for our Newsletter to hear about new posts. You can also follow us on social media via Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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