Our Center Elevator Speech
If you have ever read a book or attended a seminar about networking (the social kind) or marketing, rule number on is that everyone needs an elevator speech. This speech assumes that most people have an attention span of five seconds or less so when you are asked what you do, or what your business does, you can provide a quick response that is clear and interesting enough for people to want to learn more.
I am trained in marketing communications, and have been both a marketing and public relations consultant so you can imagine my embarrassment and frustration to not have an elevator speech! At one point in the early stages of Center for Balance by Design, we had a strategic planning meeting and one of the big questions was "What if we do not figure out what IT is?" (IT being what the Center does.) I kept saying IT was about creating an inclusive work culture...and people would just glaze over. The word "culture" obviously meant more to me than to most others because I have gotten a lot of blank stares.
A couple of weeks it just came to me. I was at a networking (the social kind) event in western Massachusetts. It was a program to attract engineers to ACEC (American Consulting Engineers Council) of Massachusetts. I am a member of the ACEC membership committee. I had a name tag on with my name and "Center for Balance by Design". One of the engineers came up to me and asked "What does Center for Balance by Design do?" I said (effortlessly, like rolling off a log) "We create structures to optimize teamwork." He said, "I completely understand. You hold forums for engineers to help them find common ground and communicate. We really need help in this area." I was speechless. He completely understood the essence of our work based on my one short sentence. I tried it out with some other people, and everyone liked it. Some people added their own emphasis because "structure" has many levels of meaning. For example, one architect thought I was speaking about physical space or objects, like the shape of a room or shape of a table...and our work includes physical space and a number of other "structures" like work processes, compensation systems and organizational structures (to name just a few). As our meaning of "structure" is broad and inclusive, everyone's interpretation is correct.
I am trained in marketing communications, and have been both a marketing and public relations consultant so you can imagine my embarrassment and frustration to not have an elevator speech! At one point in the early stages of Center for Balance by Design, we had a strategic planning meeting and one of the big questions was "What if we do not figure out what IT is?" (IT being what the Center does.) I kept saying IT was about creating an inclusive work culture...and people would just glaze over. The word "culture" obviously meant more to me than to most others because I have gotten a lot of blank stares.
A couple of weeks it just came to me. I was at a networking (the social kind) event in western Massachusetts. It was a program to attract engineers to ACEC (American Consulting Engineers Council) of Massachusetts. I am a member of the ACEC membership committee. I had a name tag on with my name and "Center for Balance by Design". One of the engineers came up to me and asked "What does Center for Balance by Design do?" I said (effortlessly, like rolling off a log) "We create structures to optimize teamwork." He said, "I completely understand. You hold forums for engineers to help them find common ground and communicate. We really need help in this area." I was speechless. He completely understood the essence of our work based on my one short sentence. I tried it out with some other people, and everyone liked it. Some people added their own emphasis because "structure" has many levels of meaning. For example, one architect thought I was speaking about physical space or objects, like the shape of a room or shape of a table...and our work includes physical space and a number of other "structures" like work processes, compensation systems and organizational structures (to name just a few). As our meaning of "structure" is broad and inclusive, everyone's interpretation is correct.
posted by Donna Denio at 2:32 PM
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