Introduce Yourself
It’s interesting that this idea has come up in the blogosphere, both with the PhoneGnome folks and Pat Phelan over at Free Roaming, both within about 24 hours of each other. They are talking about somewhat different things, but the idea is the same: coming up with a succinct explanation of something or someone.
This idea is currently working its way though my brain. A few weeks ago, I was representing my employer on a call with some external people. They wanted our opinion on a particular business matter. Also on the call was a legal person and a manager a few levels up the reporting chain from me. I talked with her after this meeting. One piece of feedback she gave me stuck in my mind: learn how to introduce yourself better. Be more succinct. Make yourself sound like an authority. Play up your accomplishments.
This got me thinking: it would be good if I came up with an elevator pitch for myself. I’ve seen different opinions about how long that elevator pitch should be. I’ve heard anywhere from 8 seconds to 1 minute, with the most common being 30 seconds or so. 30 seconds seems too long, so I will go for 15 seconds.
If you had 15 seconds to introduce yourself, what would you say? If you were me, what would you say? I’d love to hear your thoughts, if you have them. Meanwhile, I will continue to mull this over and come up with my own elevator pitch over the next few weeks.
