It is a rare find. Do you have it? Most don’t. Can you tell me about your business and why you are the best in your field? Oh, and I need it a couple of sentences, not paragraphs. If you can do it, I congratulate you. I always ask my media training participants and most will tell me they can. But when I turn the camera on and place a microphone on the trainee and push the record button, low and behold, most fail the test.
It’s often called the elevator pitch. In other words, can you quickly and effectively word smith your best pitch with a stranger in an elevator? It’s a great test and the reason most fail is simple. Most people have never crafted and practiced delivering their best message(s). While I work under the umbrella of “media training”, this type of training is applicable to not only media appearances but to board meetings, sales pitches, speeches, luncheons, pretty much every type of business application. And that’s why it is no critical.
Step one. Work on two or three sentences which best explains your core principles and services. Step Two. Practice saying those sentences out loud until you can comfortably and confidently deliver your message. Step Three. Write down your sentences on an index card because tomorrow you will forget what you rehearsed. Use the card to remind you of your messages every few days until delivering your pitch becomes second nature.
Do those things and you will pass my test and deliver your best message any time, any place. Even in an elevator.