SECTION 1: Communicating Your Potential

Communicating your ideas and vision is a skill that is necessary in almost every possible context one could imagine. Whether it is getting your ideas across in an interpersonal conversation or communicating your company's vision in front of a board of directors, it is essential to employ sound communication strategies. Sharing your ideas and inviting people to understand your thoughts is imperative whether you are a school teacher, small business owner, artisan or president of a nation. The ability to communicate, persuade and influence is a responsibility for us all, especially those of us who recognize the importance of the call to leadership in all of our lives. 

 

Once you can see a vision in your mind’s eye the next step will be to communicate that vision to the constituents that vision will impact and serve and the fellow vision carries that will support you in the process of bringing that vision into reality. A very popular strategy for communicating your ideas and your vision is an elevator pitch. An elevator pitch allows you to communicate effectively, in a way that engages your audience and inspires them to deep listen. 

 

The key steps in structuring an effective pitch involve starting with one clear sentence that explains who you are and how you add value to your listener or those in your sphere of influence. Then you tell a story. A story allows for you to make complex ideas digestible and interesting to the listener. Storytelling also helps listeners to empathize with your cause or purpose. One of the key ingredients in any story is the why. The Why usually exposes a problem or challenge that requires your unique value proposition and solution. 

 

Watch the video below for even more insights into developing an effective elevator pitch.