The Elevated Elevator Pitch

Plant a seed; don’t describe a tree.

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So picture this: we’re at a cocktail party for the launch of a new book about philanthropy and you end up waiting in line at the bar with another guest. They say, “What brings you here?”

What do you say? No, really, think about it, what do you say.

We get this wrong a lot. Not because we’re dumb or careless, but because we’re humble. We don’t want to seem arrogant by reciting our bios when we first meet someone.

We also get this wrong because we are fish in water. We don’t always have a clear picture of what’s most compelling about what we do and how to articulate that to someone who is outside of our field, or even in our field, but new to us. Often we’re coming to a gathering like this straight from our own busy lives. It’s like we’re swimming around all day in our own little corners, with all the details of our work, and we’re just flopped onto land and expected to describe the whole ocean. It’s hard.

The whole point of a so-called elevator pitch is to plant a healthy seed for building a longer term relationship.