Prof. Rick Reis
For whole post, visit https://tomprof.stanford.edu/
Folks:
The posting below gives you some key tips on giving great “elevator speeches”. It is by Adam Blood. The article is reproduced with permission, and is from the April 5, 2016 issue of the online publication, Graduate Connections Newsletter [http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/current/news/articles], from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is published by the Office of Graduate Studies. ©2016 Graduate Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Regards,
Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
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Tomorrow’s Research
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Going Up: The Elevator Speech
As a graduate student, talking about your research to a non-specialist can be tricky. Even more of a challenge is translating what you’ve done in graduate school to how it makes you a great fit for your next career. While you may have a general idea of what you’d talk about for two or three minutes, presenting that information well can be daunting.
As a public speaking instructor and debate coach, what stands out to me about these short speaking situations is their ability to wreak havoc on the nerves of either those who are nervous about speaking to strangers, or those who are naturally quiet and would prefer to avoid being put on the spot. The key here is that speaking well in these situations is something that can often take a lot of practice, even for those who naturally have the gift of gab. These tips will show you how to practice these kinds of speeches so that you can be ready when the situation arises.
What is the Elevator Speech?
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DEVELOP A CRUCIAL TRANSFERABLE SKILL
"Aside from fielding questions about their jobs at cocktail parties, researchers may need to summarize their work briefly while interviewing for a position, asking for money, taking a visiting politician on a lab tour or wooing a potential collaborator at a conference."
-Roberta Kwok, Two minutes to impress
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The Elevator Speech is a short speech between 20-30 seconds and two minutes. It got the name “elevator speech” or “elevator pitch” because it’s the length of an elevator ride. In this short time period, the speaker is expected to quickly and effectively relay information about an organization, a product, a process, or even their own credentials as a potential employee or contact. The scenario is usually something like this: you get onto an elevator with a person who could help you or your organization. Until those elevator doors open, you have a captive audience. The trick is making every second count and effectively conveying your message.
There are a few challenges connected to this kind of speech. First, it is almost entirely an impromptu speech, meaning it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to have the advantage of preparation, notes or reference material, or visual aids. It also means you don’t know who your audience is—you may be speaking with an expert from your field or an employer who has a vague idea about your research. What complicates the impromptu nature of these speeches is that until they happen, they’re referred to completely in the hypothetical. You may not know who the audience is, what exactly the message needs to be, or what other factors are going to come into play, until the moment arises. After all, when you ride the elevator, you speak with both people you know well and relative strangers.
That said, the real challenge is how to say everything you need to say in such a short time.
TIP 1: KEEP THE SITUATION IN MIND
As odd it may seem, it helps to practice for impromptu speaking situations. Imagine a scenario where you run into a promising contact in an elevator. This could be a potential employer or a potential client. Since it’s basically an imaginary scenario, feel free to have some fun with it. You could practice how you’d introduce yourself if your childhood hero happened to get into an elevator. What matters most is that you practice speaking confidently and energetically as you communicate your message.
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TAILOR THE SPEECH
"Engineers are curious about how the technology works, but executives are seeking a high-level conceptual picture that tells them how they will save money or... For whole post, visit https://tomprof.stanford.edu/
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