Elevator Speech - shortened

Seems the "Spackle and years of self-deception" post took a busman's holiday. Howard over at DigTank expands a bit on it sagely

Until you scrape away the "spackle and years of self-deception," remarkable ideas simply can't be fully realized and/or sustained. That's the reality.

-- Truth plus Creativity equals... Power.

Yeah that truth thing's a bitch, eh? We're in the midst of a bit of step up for a really cool client right now and believe it or not, even the ones with huge possibility and hope often fall into the desire--nay, URGE!--for the dreaded elevator speech. "Fear of no handles," I think we should call it.

Tried out a bit of twist on the elevator-speech myth today: Too many think said pre-packaged speeches should be about what your company does, rather than what it's about; what it cares about. The resulting train wrecks sound like a scientist trying to describe love. Ugh.

The answer is simple, and it derives from the point you were trying to pursue in the first place: Developing a relationship. Take things into the care realm and surprising things happen.

Why? Very, very simple answer that any HR or management type should like:

1. You don't have to be an orator or an actor.
2. There are no seminars or CEUs to give good elevator.
3. Best of all, it's hard to be wrong.

Yeah, yeah--but WHY?

Because it's hard for another person to get worked up about grommets, 960nm fiber optic pumps, or the amazing advances in concrete gnome manufacturing. But they know and can particpate in a conversation that starts with what they care about--human motive. Because everyone's an expert at being a person. And that makes them gifted at elevator.

It makes you a Framer.

That qualification means you understand the concept of "care," which, in 90% of businesses is, let's face it, the thing you have to offer. The only thing you have to do, is ask yourself, pre-speaking: How does what my company do translate into a broader common ambition?

Care, Love, Compassion, Beauty, Joy, Courage, etc an so on.

You may offer officers and badges as your "product," but is that really what you are offering? Is that how your "product" would view and describe itself?

In a service age where product IS people, if you're not making these considerations, you are lost and doomed.