Pitch Perfect

November 29, 2016 |

There is both science and art in that perfect elevator pitch.

“The purpose of an elevator pitch is to describe a situation or solution so compelling that the person you’re with wants to hear more even after the elevator ride is over.”
 – Seth Godin

A one-and-a-half minute crisp speech to interest a potential investor or collaborator in your idea, the elevator pitch is one of the most commonly used corporate concepts, but also one that is easy to get wrong! It is a lot like the game of Shipwreck, where you must convince the captain to give you a life jacket.

So here are ten quick tips you should keep in mind while structuring an effective elevator pitch:

1. Dress Rehearsal
Know what you’re talking about thoroughly. Be sure to rehearse your pitch, breaking it down in terms of the three-act structure – the Setup, the Confrontation and the Resolution. At Sideways, we call this the 3 Cs – Context, Conflict and Conclusion.

 

2. Time Call
Time your pitch carefully because there will always be too much to say and too little time! Don’t waste your time on pleasantries. Give yourself a shout-out every 30 seconds.

 

3. The Plot
Come up with a 2 or 3 line effective summary of your pitch – you never know when you may have to cut short your carefully prepared long version.

 

4. Feel the Audience in the Auditorium
Try to understand the person you are talking to. Feel out your audience and shape your pitch accordingly. Getting a quick sense of the kind of person you are talking to will help you connect with them better.

 

5. Suspense…Drama…Intrigue…
Don’t load your pitch with too much data that is hard to process in the short time you have. Drop a point of intrigue; something to grasp the attention of the listener that ties nicely with your concept.

 

6. Plenty of cues
Be to-the-point when you are speaking and drop entry points wherever possible for the listener to join in the conversation. A conversation works better than a monologue! “Do you agree with this?” or “What are your thoughts on this?” usually work well.

 

7. Don’t Lead the Audience
Never, at any point of your pitch, assume that your listener knows the subject you are talking about. Don’t ask questions like “Have you watched this?” or “I’m sure you must have heard about this”.

 

8. Keep Your Dialogue Short
Don’t advance your pitch forward so much that the original idea is lost, and at the same time, don’t expand it with too many details either. Be succinct in what you say such that the overall impression conveyed is one of being neat and crisp.

 

9. Don’t Ad Lib
Think like a business leader from now! Be prepared to defend your ideas and answer any questions about them. An elevator pitch is a mini-performance – own it.

 

10. A Chance for an Encore
Most important of all, leave your listener with a strong call to action. Give them your business card or get theirs to follow up.

Break a leg!

Recently, our trainer Ashank Bhandari was at Viacom18 to help creative trainees from different verticals master the art of delivering effective elevator pitches! A peek at how that went:

 

speech-bubbles-creative

 

Want to know more? Get in touch with us!

44 Comments

  1. 2obtaining on June 20, 2022 at 7:01 pm

    2securities



  2. sildenafil on July 5, 2022 at 4:16 am

    sildenafil

    sildenafil



  3. 18 month doctorate without dissertation on July 5, 2022 at 12:23 pm

    help with dissertation https://professionaldissertationwriting.org/



  4. define dissertation on July 5, 2022 at 2:14 pm

    dissertation proofreading services https://professionaldissertationwriting.com/



  5. help with dissertation proposal on July 5, 2022 at 4:46 pm

    writing a dissertation literature review https://helpwithdissertationwritinglondon.com/



  6. service writing on July 5, 2022 at 7:32 pm

    dissertation title generator https://dissertationwritingcenter.com/



  7. all but dissertation on July 6, 2022 at 12:23 am

    dissertation help free https://accountingdissertationhelp.com/



  8. dissertation help service general on July 6, 2022 at 3:05 am

    dissertation defense questions https://examplesofdissertation.com/



  9. viagra on July 6, 2022 at 4:27 am

    viagra

    viagra



  10. dissertation only phd on July 6, 2022 at 6:05 am

    dissertation title examples https://writing-a-dissertation.net/



  11. how to write a dissertation proposal on July 6, 2022 at 9:37 am

    writing a dissertation prospectus https://bestdissertationwritingservice.net/



  12. dissertation writing support on July 6, 2022 at 11:57 am

    help writing https://businessdissertationhelp.com/



  13. buy dissertation writing services on July 6, 2022 at 4:23 pm

    proposal and dissertation help geography https://customdissertationwritinghelp.com/



  14. how long is a doctoral dissertation on July 6, 2022 at 4:57 pm

    dissertation research https://writingadissertationproposal.com/



  15. writing an abstract for a dissertation on July 6, 2022 at 9:14 pm

    dissertation paper writing service https://dissertationhelpspecialist.com/



  16. dissertation template on July 7, 2022 at 1:12 am

    dissertation cover page https://dissertationhelperhub.com/



  17. writing your dissertation proposal on July 7, 2022 at 1:55 am

    writing your dissertation in a week https://customthesiswritingservices.com/



  18. revatio on July 10, 2022 at 4:04 pm

    revatio

    revatio



  19. resorts casino online on July 25, 2022 at 4:43 pm

    juegos de casino online https://download-casino-slots.com/



  20. casino games free online on July 25, 2022 at 6:59 pm

    online casino signup bonus no deposit https://firstonlinecasino.org/



  21. top casino online on July 25, 2022 at 8:47 pm

    best online casino canada https://onlinecasinofortunes.com/



  22. grande vegas online casino on July 26, 2022 at 12:10 am

    rsweeps online casino 777 https://newlasvegascasinos.com/



  23. online casino that accepts echeck on July 26, 2022 at 1:48 am

    atlantis casino online https://trust-online-casino.com/



  24. most trusted online casino on July 26, 2022 at 3:46 am

    free online casino real money https://onlinecasinosdirectory.org/



  25. online casino codes on July 26, 2022 at 7:32 am

    888 casino online help https://9lineslotscasino.com/



  26. caesar casino online on July 26, 2022 at 9:00 am

    real online casino no deposit bonus https://free-online-casinos.net/



  27. online casino live roulette on July 26, 2022 at 12:39 pm

    online casino vegas https://internet-casinos-online.net/



  28. best online casino games on July 26, 2022 at 2:18 pm

    jack online casino https://cybertimeonlinecasino.com/



  29. inferno casino online on July 26, 2022 at 6:21 pm

    mgm casino online https://1freeslotscasino.com/



  30. golden nugget online casino on July 26, 2022 at 9:02 pm

    riversweeps online casino free bonus https://vrgamescasino.com/



  31. wind creek online casino real money on July 26, 2022 at 10:32 pm

    online casino with real money https://casino-online-roulette.com/



  32. online cash casino on July 27, 2022 at 12:54 am

    best no deposit bonus online casino https://casino-online-jackpot.com/



  33. resorts world casino online on July 27, 2022 at 4:57 am

    resorts online casino https://onlineplayerscasino.com/



  34. borgata online casino app on July 27, 2022 at 6:56 am

    casino online for real money https://ownonlinecasino.com/



  35. gunlake online casino on July 27, 2022 at 10:07 am

    turningston online casino https://all-online-casino-games.com/



  36. fastest payout online casino on July 27, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    cafe casino online https://casino8online.com/



  37. vpn browser on August 7, 2022 at 11:06 am

    vpn windows 10 https://freevpnconnection.com/



  38. buy vpn subscription on August 7, 2022 at 2:35 pm

    best vpn location for netflix https://shiva-vpn.com/



  39. best vpn on August 7, 2022 at 4:03 pm

    best vpn avast https://freehostingvpn.com/



  40. open vpn on August 7, 2022 at 8:11 pm

    best vpn china https://ippowervpn.net/



  41. best vpn 2018 on August 7, 2022 at 8:46 pm

    buy express vpn https://imfreevpn.net/



  42. best vpn for privacy on August 8, 2022 at 12:03 am

    free vpn account https://superfreevpn.net/



  43. how to buy vpn on August 8, 2022 at 1:43 am

    vpn for netflix free https://free-vpn-proxy.com/



  44. vpn chrome extension on August 8, 2022 at 5:17 am

    do i need a vpn https://rsvpnorthvalley.com/