Do you have an elevator speech?

Picture this: you just stepped into an elevator, the doors closed, for the next 30-45 seconds you have a captive audience. They are not going anywhere. You could talk to them about Toastmasters!

An elevator speech is just a brief table topic that answers some of these questions:

• How have you benefitted from Toastmasters?
• What can you do now that you could not do before Toastmasters?
• What personal growth have you seen or coached in your fellow club members?

A personal testamonial, spoken "from the heart", is a very effective recruiting tool. For example, here's one of my elevator speeches:

When I joined my first Toastmasters club, I was so terrified of public speaking, I couldn't even stand before 2-3 people and lead a silent prayer. During my first several speeches I was the "poster boy for public embarrassment" - I sweat buckets, every muscle trembled, I spoke so fast nobody could understand me. I hated that first speech ... until I was finished. But then, I realized I had confronted one of my biggest fears - attacked it head on and won that battle. That first speech taught me that I COULD present a speech and survive the experience. Those feelings were so powerful, I wanted to do it again. So I did: the next week, and the next, and the next.

 

With each passing speech it got just a little bit easier. As my skills, confidence, and poise grew they pushed fear farther out of my life. Within a year I was winning speech contests. In my second year, I began designing and presenting 45-60 minute workshops. In my third year I was invited to present one of my workshops at a Regional conference to an audience of 150 people from 8 states. The conference sought me out! I got rave reviews - written feedback I received indicated most thought it was by far the best presentation they had ever seen on that subject. I had a blast presenting it. This from someone who just three short years before couldn't even lead a silent prayer!!

 

Does this sound like the kind of progress you'd like to make?

 

If so, my Keller Communicators club meets every Thursday evening, 6:30pm in the Keller (Texas) Public Library. Here's one of my cards, on the back it has our meeting day, time, location, and a link to our club website. Why not come visit our meetings? If you like what you see and decide you'd like to join, just let any member know and they'll help you make it happen.

After hearing that, would you want to visit our club? Would you want to learn more? Would you want to achieve progress on that scale?

Elevator speeches are powerful marketing tools! What do you say in your elevator speech? What other techniques have you used for recruiting guests and new members?