What is an elevator speech?
Imagine you are at a downtown hotel for a community luncheon meeting. You step into the elevator and there is one of the wealthiest, most generous philanthropists in your community and you have 30 seconds together on the elevator. What do you say about your organization that makes the greatest impact on this person in this brief encounter? That is your elevator speech. It may take a few minutes or a few hours to develop this brief, succinct, message that summarizes the heart of your organization and the passion of your mission. It’s okay that it doesn’t answer all of the questions; the important point is to make a great first impression and have them wanting to know more about the organization and how they can get involved. An elevator speech is a compelling summary of your organizational mission and work that can be shared in less than 30 seconds. An elevator speech should the effect of wanting the listener to learn more about your organization.
