Tips for Your Elevator Pitch

When someone asks, “What do you do?” most of us launch into our planned elevator pitch.

We explain who we are, what our company does, who we serve, and why our work is different. Hopefully, we have practiced enough to sound polished without sounding rehearsed.

Then we wait for a reaction.

This approach treats an elevator pitch as a performance vs. a conversation.

In improvisation, there is a different mindset that can be helpful when thinking about situations where you may use your elevator pitch: make your partner look good.

That means recognizing that a successful scene depends on both people. Great improvisers pay attention to what their partner needs and contribute in a way that helps the interaction move forward.

That is a useful mindset for business conversations, too.

Stop Acting Like the Star of the Show

A traditional elevator pitch often has one star: you. The other person is there to listen.

An improv-inspired approach changes the question from, “What do I want to tell this person?” to “What might be useful or interesting to this person?”

That small shift can change the entire conversation.

Imagine meeting a potential client at a networking event. You could launch into a detailed explanation of everything your organization does.

Or you could offer a brief introduction, pay attention to their response, and ask a question.

“What are you focused on right now?”

“How did you get involved in that work?”

“What is the biggest challenge your team is facing?”

Now you have something much more valuable than an opportunity to deliver your memorized pitch.

You have information.

Make the Conversation Better

In improv, making your partner look good is a practical strategy. When your partner gives you something interesting to work with, the scene becomes more interesting for everyone.

The same is true of an elevator pitch.

If the other person says, “We’ve been struggling with employee turnover,” you do not need to immediately force your conversation back to the next line of your pitch.

Stay with what they gave you.

If they mention an upcoming expansion, a difficult business challenge, or an area of personal interest, that is an opportunity to learn more.

A great conversation is rarely created by delivering every point you prepared.

It is created by noticing what the other person gives you and responding in a way that moves the interaction forward.

The Goal Is to Create Interest

This can be difficult for people who have worked hard to refine their message. You may worry that if you do not deliver your entire elevator pitch, the other person will not understand everything you do.

The purpose is to create enough interest to continue the conversation.

Sometimes the best thing you can do after introducing yourself is stop talking.

• Pause.
• Ask a question.
• Follow their curiosity.

You may discover that the most relevant part of your work is not the part you planned to lead with.

Practice Making Your Partner Look Good

The next time you practice your elevator pitch, try something different.

Practice the first 15 or 20 seconds. Then have a colleague respond with an unexpected question, comment, or concern. Your job is to build from what they gave you. Such as:

• Ask a follow-up question.
• Connect their comment to something relevant.
• Let their response influence where the conversation goes next.

That is the improv principle of making your partner look good in action.

The best elevator pitches feel like a conversation.