Everyone wants their message to be memorable, particularly when they are making a presentation. How do you have enough of an impact to make people remember you?
You will have heard about the concept of an elevator pitch where you have just 30 seconds to tell someone what you do and how you can make a difference, all in the time it takes to travel in a lift with that executive you’ve been trying to speak to for months. Small business owners will know this as the “magical minute” you have at formal networking meetings to pitch your business.
In many cases, the key is simplicity. Say what you want to say, but give just enough detail as to get across the understanding. The more information you bombard your audience with, the less they hear. Remember your key points.
When you are making your elevator pitch you just want to give away enough information to make the other person agree to meet you to hear more. The response you are looking for is “Oh that sounds interesting … let’s arrange a meeting so you can tell me more”.
There is a lot we can learn from the world of advertising! A great advert doesn’t list everything there is to know about a company or their product or service. It doesn’t list the key features and benefits either. They tell a story to highlight the key point they want to get across. Who doesn’t remember the SMASH martians laughing at our antiquated potato peeling skills? Only after we have remembered how it made us feel, or the joke, do we remember it was advertising instant mashed potato!
Next time you want to be memorable remember – keep it short, focus on one specific that leaves the audience wanting more and if you can, tell a story to emphasise your point.