An elevator pitch (or elevator speech) is a concise, compelling summary of your public health story that can be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator. It’s your chance to make the case for why your work can usher in a better, healthier world for us all. This tipsheet includes the tools and strategies public health leaders need to create an attention-grabbing pitch.
Constructing your elevator pitch: 8 tips
- Tell them who you are. Keep it crisp and relevant; just a sentence will do.
- Use a compelling hook. Grab your audience’s attention right away. Try a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question or a compelling one-sentence description of your problem.
- Focus on the why. Once you’ve hooked the audience tell them about the major question or problem you are studying—and why it matters.
- Pick a pattern. Try for example, the problem-solution pattern, in which you define the problem, diagnose it, then offer your solution.
- But think like a highlight reel. In a short talk you can’t drill down deep into your methods or share every single new detail. Share only your 1 or 2 most important or surprising findings, depending on the length of your elevator pitch.
- Stand out. In a pitch >60 seconds, articulate how your research is distinct from others’.
- Conclude with a vision of the future. Leave them inspired by sharing what your work could (eventually) make possible.
- Make it universal. An elevator pitch is typically directed at a broad audience, so tailor your language accordingly: Speak conversationally. Use short sentences. Get rid of the acronyms. And delete the jargon—it’s a barrier to understanding and to action, no matter who your audience is.
Don’t forget to practice
- Try it out on a nonexpert. Practice with your neighbor, a friend—someone outside of your discipline. Ask them to write down what they heard. Use that feedback to revise your pitch so that it meets your communication goals.
- Maintain eye contact. It helps you make a connection with your audience and keeps them invested in what you are saying.
- Don’t forget tone and body language. They can help you tell your story.
- Show enthusiasm. If you don’t seem excited by your work, why would anyone else be?
If you use slides….
- One slide = one point. No slide should support more than one point.
- Write slide titles with purpose. Your audience should be able to follow the logic of your talk merely by reading the slide titles. Think of each slide title as the headline on your slide’s story. So ditch the label (“Results”) and turn it into a memorable assertion (“Integrated mental health care dramatically curbs medication use”).
- More visuals, less text. If people are reading, they aren’t listening. Look for ways to replace text with images — photos, big numbers, charts, schematics, etc.
- Take time to make your data compelling. Distill figures down to only what’s required to understand your conclusion. Take time to think about what kind of chart is right for the job. You can use a tool like Flourish to try out different options.
