For executives, nonprofit leaders, artists, writers and rising stars

View from the Bridge, 2016, By Carolyn Rogers. Platinum/palladium photograph, 5” x 7”. Copyright ©2016. Used by permission of the artist.

You’re waiting in line at Trader Joe’s or you’re meeting someone new in an online meeting, when you hear the inevitable question: “What do you do?” or “Where do you work?” Or some version of the question: “Who are you?”

In situations like these, I used to feel suddenly tongue-tied or say too much and watch as the other person’s eyes glazed over. It’s hard to sound eloquent in a chance encounter when you feel put on the spot and unprepared.

This was until I realized that these encounters weren’t chance at all. If you’re out in the world, you’re going to be asked this question at least once a week. And if you’re not, it’s time to show up (even if for now, that just means at virtual events). Why? Because nothing takes the place of face-to-face (from your laptop to theirs) for fostering relationships with potential customers, friends, colleagues or followers.

But how do you prepare for these off-the-cuff introductions? What do you say? How do you practice? This guide shows you how to create and deliver a succinct introduction that sparks a conversation, based on real-world examples from professionals from many walks of life.

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5 Steps to Your Elevator Speech as you read:

The best introductions spark a conversation

The point of a great elevator speech is to start a conversation—not make a robotic announcement. So, once you’ve introduced yourself, get the other person talking by asking them a question. This question can be simple, along the lines of:

• What do you do?

• What drew you to come to this event?

• Have you attended before?

• I had a great conversation begin by saying to someone: “Hi, I’m Gigi Rosenberg, a public speaking coach. Do you know where the coat room is?”

As you choose your content for your introduction, remember that it’s just kindling for a dialogue. But what will you say? And how will you say it? Read on.

5 mistakes you may be making now

You might be thinking: It shouldn’t be this hard to introduce myself. But yet for most of us, it is. Why? Because you may be experiencing these 5 common pitfalls:

1. YOU SUFFER FROM PERFORMANCE ANXIETY. It’s a lot of pressure to sum up your work in a couple of sentences, especially if you’re introducing yourself to someone you want to impress. If you haven’t practiced a response, your performance anxiety may make you hem and haw and botch your answer.

2. YOU SAY TOO MUCH. It’s hard to pick and choose the best bits to put in your elevator speech, so you pack it all in. That wall of words crushes the listener with so much detail, they can’t take anything in.

3. YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR GOAL. What’s the point of the elevator speech you’re about to give? What do you want your listener to do after they hear it? What conversation are you trying to start with this person? Thinking about the goal will help you decide what to include and what to leave out.

4. YOU DON’T SAY IT IN EVERYDAY LANGUAGE. A good elevator speech paints a picture which gives your listener a clear understanding of what you do. You don’t use acronyms or abbreviations or tired, overused words like “impact” or “strategic.” Use analogies, fresh expressions and simplicity to deliver a speech that your listener can understand in one go.

5. YOU DON’T HAVE A FEW SPEECHES. Your answer to the question “What do you do"?” is going to be different at a backyard BBQ than it is at a job interview. One size does not fit all. You need several speeches and you need to know your content so well that you can weave together different aspects of the speech for every situation. Practice makes this possible.

Start with the easy stuff

The beginning is simple:

• What’s your name?

• What’s your title?

• Where do you work?

The only time people get into trouble with this beginning is if they have too many titles. One title is best. Two titles are OK but three are usually too much for the person you’re conversing with to keep in mind. If you have three titles, especially if they’re all similar, you risk the other person not remembering any of them.

If you have several jobs with different titles, then create a few different speeches that you’ll use depending on the setting and who you’re talking to.

The exception to this rule is if you do three clearly distinct things that are easy to remember. For example, Dr. Sophia Glenn is a global economist, 26-year Army veteran and a scuba diver. If she wants to get a conversation going, one of these titles is likely to spark a conversation and she loves talking about any of them.

Pinpoint how you help alleviate a hassle

Once you’ve done the job of naming what you do, expand your speech to include exactly how you help your customers, or what you provide your clientele.

Marketing Mentor Ilise Benun suggests emphasizing your customer’s needs and even using their language. “What does your client come to you for? What is the deliverable, whether service or product, that they are looking for and what words do they use to ask for it?” she says.

Or perhaps your client is coming to you for a specific result. If so, name that result in your elevator speech. If you offer a service, describe exactly how you help alleviate some hassle, frustration or pain, Benun says.

Some examples with clear results include:

I’m Ilise Benun and I show creative professionals how being business-minded will lead to better clients with bigger budgets.

I’m Stephanie Helline and I help healthcare marketing communications directors complete the high priority projects they don't have time or bandwidth to tackle.

I’m Gigi Rosenberg. As a public speaking coach, I help executives, nonprofit leaders and women on the rise calm their nerves and connect with their audiences when they present online or in-person.

Expand on what you do and what you offer

Now, flesh out your speech by answering these questions which expand on your title.

• Who’s your audience or clientele?

• What’s unique or special about what you do or make?

• What’s the problem you solve for your customer?

• If your process is unique or intriguing, describe it.

• What is somebody able to do after they experience your service or offering?

• What are some examples of past work, clients, projects or accolades?

• If you’re a writer, what’s your genre, character and setting of your story? What’s your story about?

• If you’re an artist, what do you make? What medium do you work in? Does your work have a subject or theme?

• If you’re working on a specific project or fundraising for a cause, does this project or cause have a title? If not, name it.

Go for clarity and brevity

When Kevin Swallow gets asked what he does, this is his clear and concise answer:

I’m Kevin Swallow, an artist who creates paintings and photographs that focus on architecture and cityscapes. I document older infrastructure elements such as rooftop water tanks, elevated train tracks, steel bridges and industrial era buildings.

Consultant Linda Cohen has a short speech which cuts right to her specialty.

I’m Linda Cohen, a Kindness Catalyst, and I speak about cultivating kindness in the workplace. My keynote is called “The Economy of Kindness: How Kindness Transforms Your Bottom Line.”

Her speech often leads to longer conversations about the services she provides.

Financial advisor Kim Rosenberg defines her audience, compliments them and then zeroes in on their discomfort in 11 words:

I’m Kim Rosenberg and I help savvy baby boomers and their families talk about money.

Writer Michael Tevlin struggled for years with his speech until he discovered his niche. He calls his current elevator speech “so simple that it’s almost too simple.” For a short elevator ride, it’s just right.

Hi, I’m Michael Tevlin. I focus exclusively on clean energy and cleantech copywriting.

He says that, “depending on the situation, as when I’m in more social situations, I will add, ‘I’m also a fiction writer. I’ve published one novel and I’m working on my second.’”

These brief and clear introductions work well to launch a conversation and encourage the other person to say, “Tell me more.”

Create several add-ons, as needed

Kristofer Dan-Bergman wears many hats so his elevator speech shrinks or expands depending on who he’s talking to. He would never say this whole speech in one go — but he can use parts of it depending on the situation. Notice how he uses specific examples of projects, clients and awards. If you have accolades, you can weave them in as he has:

I’m Kristofer Dan-Bergman, a photographer, mainly photographing people in all shapes and forms. Commercially, I’ve been doing campaigns for Tag Here, AT&T, Kay Jewelers and Clarins. Most of my commercial work is in the studio, but my editorial work is on location. I started out as a photojournalist learning to be fast and capture the moment, which was a great school to learn in.

Add-on #1:

I also do documentaries if I find a story of an NGO [non-governmental organization] that captures me. The last one I did was a couple of years ago when I spent a month in Eastern Africa following a small NGO — Spark Micro Grants — to the 15 villages they operated in in Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi.

Besides helping the NGO with documentary and video, I also had my own private project of portraits of village inhabitants. I brought two portable lights with me and had to work very fast. The series was recently exhibited at Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm, Sweden and they have won several awards: Applied Arts and APA National among others.

Add-on #2:

I also work in conceptual fine art, which I create in the studio. I’ve had several gallery and museum shows with these. The latest concept is a series I call “stiLife” where I work with a blank canvas which is an exploration of time, space and consciousness. Most of my fine art deals with Time and Space (S_PACE and allONE are two examples).

In my street series, I pick up a lot of ideas from the street that I can use commercially as well if it’s how people dress or behave. The latest series I’m working on is what I called ‘LESwalk’ as in Lower East Side Walk. I photograph people walking past a wall, which will be gone soon. It documents the rapidly changing LES. I’ve been fascinated by people walking past a wall for a very long time and my first blog was the Red Wall.

Describe your specialty: What’s unique about your offering?

Donna Matrazzo is a writer who breathes life into potentially dense and complicated subjects. Here’s how she describes her specialty:

Hi, I’m Donna Matrazzo. My business is The Writing Works and I’m a science and history writer. My specialty is “compelling stories on complex topics” -- taking highly technical, obtuse, or vast amounts of material and translating that into pieces that are not only understandable to laypeople, but also entertaining and inspiring.

Carolyn Rogers’ description of her process is thorough, and she manages to make it both poetic and intriguing. Notice how she ends her speech with a call to action in the form of an invitation to her next show and a promise to follow-up.

Hi, I’m Carolyn Rogers. I create hand-made photographic prints with an old-fashioned process, the platinum/palladium process.

I use the platinum/palladium printing process—a time-honored process known for its rich tonal scale and permanence—to capture a softer, painterly effect and to lend a poetic quality to the images. My work is all about light, defining the textures and forms in nature, and patterns of light and shadow in the built and natural environment.

My current project is called Against the Grain: Hand-Made Photographs in the Digital Age. I’m ruled by the sun, as that is my light source for exposing the hand-coated papers. I would be happy to explain the process in greater detail, as it involves various solutions of metal salts and a shot glass.

I’ll be in an exhibit for new members of the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA) this year — the opening reception will be November 15, from 3-5 at NAWA’s office in New York City. I’d love to invite you to the opening — if that sounds good, do you have a card with your email address? Then I’ll send you the invitation as the time draws near.

Let your speech reflect you

Sean Carney has a reputation for being a workhorse in his community. This is the speech that built this reputation:

Nice to meet you, my name is Sean Carney. I’m a contemporary realist painter that gets things done. Allow me to explain: you love my work and would like to commission me to make something personal for you? No problem. You want me to teach a class on how I paint with Minwax wood stain? You got it. You need 30 of my paintings for a solo exhibit? Done. You would like me to give an artist talk in front of a group of 40 architects? My pleasure. So what do you do?

Notice how Carney ends his speech by asking the other person what they do. Remember that the speech is the beginning of a conversation and encouraging the other person to talk will help you build a relationship.

If you’re funny, be funny: Gregory Levinson has been a stand-up comedian so even though his business is serious, he can get away with humor in an elevator speech.

Here’s what Levinson sometimes says:

Person A: Heh, I’m so and so.

Greg: Hi, I’m Greg.

Person A: So, Greg, what do you do for a living?

Greg: I’m an attorney.

Person A: Oh, cool, what kind of law do you practice?

Greg: Elder law. I evict the elderly out of nursing homes when their Medicare benefits run out.

(After Greg lets their mouths drop in dismay, then he says the following.)

Just kidding, I’m actually a business law and estate planning attorney.

After using this speech, his listeners “are quite relieved and say they are so glad I don’t evict the elderly and then we get into what types of business law and estate planning services I provide,” he says.

Elaine Luther also uses humor in her speech. She says:

I’m Elaine Luther and I make assemblage sculptures about how much I hate housework, and also Medals that You Wouldn't Want to Earn.

She always gets a laugh after this. “Now we’re having a conversation, I’m not pitching you at all,” she says. “I’m putting you at ease, letting you ask me questions you want to ask, and giving myself the chance to ask you questions as well.”

Humor can be a great conversation starter and relationship builder. If you’re wondering if you can use humor, try it out on a few friends first and see how it works before taking it out into the world.

End your speech with a Call To Action

The best elevator speeches end with a call to action—that is, something you can ask the listener to do (in a nice way) if they want more information or want to continue the conversation. In Anne Mavor’s speech, see how she invites her audience to engage at the end:

I’m Anne Mavor, a multi-disciplinary artist. My recent project is an installation about white heritage and history, called ‘I Am My White Ancestors.’ It’s a series of photographic self-portraits of me as my white ancestors going back 2000 years looking at the history of oppression and how they participated. It also includes first person audio narratives from their perspectives.

I have been touring this project for years and am always interested in possible venues. The next show will be (insert date). I’d like to invite you to the next one. Could I include you on my invitation list?”

Mavor says that people are usually fascinated by this description of her project so it’s a good moment to ask if they’d like an invitation and include them on her mailing list. If the moment seems right, this is better than leaving it up to the other person to remember to contact you later.

Helen Hiebert uses her elevator speech to not only describe her fascinating process but join her fundraising efforts:

My name is Helen Hiebert. I’m an artist and an author and my medium is paper. I take banana plant waste, grind it into a mushy malleable pulp and turn it into sheets of paper which are smooth enough to draw on, supple enough to fold into book pages and strong enough to construct sculptures and installations.

My next installation, called The Wish, is a giant dandelion with detachable paper seeds which serve as a metaphor for human connectedness: we all begin as a seed, we are all connected, and each of us travels far and wide throughout our lives like the dandelion seed on the wind. Would you like to support this project by purchasing a seed and joining my dandelion?

You’ll have many speeches

Once you have the description of what you do and how you serve your customers, it’s time to craft your rough draft and take it for a spin in the real world. Benun suggests practicing your speech everywhere you go.

“Try them out on people you meet and see how they react. You can even tell them it’s an experiment and ask directly for their feedback. That takes the spotlight off and engages them as helpers, rather than prospects,” she says.

There’s no one right way to write an elevator speech, because so much depends on what you do, what you make, who your ideal customer is and what your goals are. But by following these guidelines, you can craft a concise, clear introduction.

Your elevator speech will always be a work in progress. It will morph as you grow, change careers, narrow and expand your focus and evolve. You may use several different speeches at any one time depending on your audience.

For example, when I meet a potential client or colleague in the elevator, my speech focuses on me as a public speaking coach who works with leaders on how to present with clarity, authenticity and warmth. When I meet another writer, I introduce myself as a playwright and performer who uses these creative skills in my work as a public speaking coach.

Your elevator speech can also cut right to a current project. When I caught up with Della Rae, the Director of Oregon Women's Health Network, that’s exactly what she did.

I’m Della Rae. Right now, I’m leading the Portland Wmxns March and producing the Annual International Women's Day celebration. Will we see you at the march?

You get the idea. Now it’s time for you to create your introduction and go meet your people.

Gigi wrote the first version of this article for Professional Artist magazine.