September 22, 2014-
The Muse offers a lot of helpful daily articles and blog posts for job seekers and business owners alike. Today's article was called How to Tell People What You Do- and Be Remembered.
The key message from the article is that you need to say something that will connect with your listener's emotions; people won't remember the finite details of your job/business/mission, but they will remember your overall message if you connect it to their senses. The article even provides a template (see below) so you can start crafting your own elevator speech.
From the article:
"Use this fill-in-the-blank template to write a new “So, what do you do?” introduction for yourself. And this time, with feeling!
I’m a [insert your job title].
Officially, my job is to [insert your clear-cut job description, e.g., seek out publicity opportunities for my company / write grant proposals / coordinate our annual healthcare conference for 5,000 people].
But really? I [insert your emotional job description, e.g., make A-list celebrities fall in love with our mission / help create miracles for underprivileged kids who still believe in magic / create the party of the year, where hardworking nurses get to kick up their heels and go buck-wild!].
To sum it all up: The key to writing a job description that people will actually read, listen to, and remember is using phrases like:
“But really…”
“Which really means…”
“Basically? It’s all about…”
“Which is a fancy way of saying…”
to get straight to the emotional core of what you do, and why.
The people you’re connecting with will probably bounce back with a few questions. They may need a bit of clarification. They might request a simple run-down of your skills and credentials.
But one thing’s for sure: You’ll spark a new feeling. And you won’t be forgotten."