To execute well in a network meeting or an interview, you must present yourself in a powerful way. As most of you are aware, the elevator speech has long been utilized as a tool in this area. This presentation focuses on who you are, what you’ve accomplished and where you’re going. At Wiederhold & Associates, we have refined the elevator speech and taken it to a different level.
We call ours the “2-Minute Presentation”, and when done correctly, will connect you to your audience as well as align you with the opportunity or the situation.
The 2-Minute Presentation should be as close to 2 minutes as possible, be modified to fit different audiences and contain three distinct components:
- Humanization
- Elevator
- Differentiation
Basically, it’s your elevator speech on steroids. Here’s how it works.
Humanization
The goal is to make a connection. It’s amazing what happens when you find a mutual connecting point to your audience. Remember, relationships are built on personal information, not business. Lastly, the power of the concept of “I, therefore, you.” If I share something with you of a personal nature, you will feel compelled to share something with me. Connecting to people on a personal level is an essential part of both networking and interviewing.
Elevator
There are two key messages here:
- My career moves are logical.
- I’m clearly on the left side of the career bell curve and the best is yet to come.
The Differentiation Statement
The differentiation statement answers these two questions in a powerful way:
- Why should I hire you?
- What distinguishes you from other network connections or candidates?
Bring Your A-Game
Both networking and interviewing have become highly competitive. On top of that, people have limited time to give you. Bring your A-game with one of the most powerful tools you can put in your toolbox – a well developed 2-Minute Presentation.
Jim
