The elevator speech. You have 60 seconds in an elevator with someone and what do you say? In the fundraising class that I teach we ask students in one of their assignments to write their elevator speech and it is one of the worst things I have to grade the entire class. It’s not unique to my students however it is almost all nonprofits (and businesses) and I’m guilty as well. We all have been.
The reason we write such brutal and unmemorable elevator speeches is because we are trying to accomplish the wrong thing.
Normally we try to best summarize our work and get our message across in a succinct way. A seemingly innocuous approach but what we should really be asking is “what will make this person remember me and my organization?”.
This is the concept of trying to make things stick, a book I’ve finally started to read, which has 6 principles to make things stick that can act as a guide for nonprofits in their marketing, communications and storytelling:
6 Principles to Make Things Stick
- Simplicity
- Unexpectedness
- Concreteness
- Credibility
- Emotion
- Stories
Without a doubt, we in the nonprofit sector need the most work on #1. Simplicity. When we do get the chance to talk we just want to say it all. Whether this comes from pure passion for the cause or fear we won’t get another opportunity I’m not sure but it leads to easily forgettable interactions. In their book Made to Stick, Chip & Dan Heath put it this way:
To strip an idea down to its core, we must be masters of exclusion
Masters of exclusion. I love that phrase. It’s easy to figure out what we can say, harder to determine what we should say and hardest yet to understand what doesn’t need saying at all. HubSpot recently had a good article on how Apple launches their products and, surprise surprise, one of them was simplicity. With the release of the new iPhone 5s and 5c they simplified their message down to two things: twice as fast and has a fingerprint sensor. The iPhone 5 conversation came up on the weekend with friends asking what was new about it. What do you think I told them? It’s twice as fast and has a fingerprint sensor. By being masters of exclusion Apple was able to make their message stick and I didn’t even get it from Apple themselves. I got it from someone else, HubSpot.
Is that all that the product is about? No, there’s all kinds of other things, technical specifications, colours, etc. but they start with faster and sensor and let people take it from there if they want. And that’s one of the things you need to be ready for, people to want to go deeper or just move on. With that, here’s…
5 questions you can ask yourself to make things stick and be a master of exclusion when looking at your elevator speech:
- What is the one thing you want people to remember after the conversation?
- What are the 1 or 2 key points you would want someone to be able to repeat to others?
- What can we say later on if they are interested and we have more time/attention?
- Which words can you replace with even easier to understand words?
- How can you make it even simpler?
By asking these questions and keeping in mind how you can be a master of exclusion and be memorable your elevator speech, and other communications, you’ll make things stick. And that should be the goal.
By @bradyjosephson on RE:charity
No matter what field or position a candidate is applying for, they have to supply a resume that covers their background and expertise, however all recruiters know that intuition plays a key factor in selecting the right person for a role. When it comes to filling design jobs and other traditionally creative ones, there’s even more importance placed on identifying the right person to fit the role and within the existing team. They will often offer a portfolio of their work with their application, however that can only go so far to tell you how they think, and how they work.
Number one on my list when I’m applying for a job is to go in with tremendous amounts of enthusiasm. I’ve found that to be the greatest asset I can bring to the time I’m visiting with recruiters and hiring managers. With rare exception, they will choose to work with friendly and pleasant people. Enthusiasm and energy can be a game changer, especially when you might be an underqualified or fringe candidate and you’re looking to separate yourself from the pack. I recall several times being faced with questions during interviews I couldn’t quite answer, but rather than duck and evade them or highlight other positive qualities unrelated to the inquiry at hand, I turned them into chances to talk about how much I’ve learned and how quickly I can get up to speed.
Nobody will get hired on enthusiasm alone, of course, but it can be a characteristic that helps you leave an impression on someone. Here are three other things to look for in a candidate during the interview that will demonstrate whether they will be a good fit within the creative department at your organization:
1. Collaborative:
Freelancers and consultants can work well alone, but the majority of us feel relief in being a part of a bigger company. There’s no end to the benefits that come with participating in conversations with colleagues that will ultimately highlight everyone’s strengths and make your final product better. During the interview, you can get a sense of how the candidate will function within the team they are looking to join. Give them a chance to show how they problem-solve with a situation that requires multiple people and lots of attention. How they envision their role in getting everything in order will illustrate what they might be like to work with on a day-to-day basis. It’s not just a role they’re filling; it’s a spot within a cohesive unit.
2. Assertive:
They’ll need to get along with others, but also know when to hold their own and to speak for themselves. It’s important that workers take ownership over their projects whenever possible, and having someone who is meek or standoffish could jeopardize your enterprise. Find someone who will make sure that the assignment not only gets done but also in its best form. They should take pride in what they do, and also in the brand they represent with their work. Make it clear to them from the start that your company will reward them however possible as they show their prowess for motivating others and keeping up the positivity. Be sure to bring up incentives and what they see as top motivating factors.
3. Humble:
Even if they are masters at their particular field, they should know how to keep any unflattering arrogance in check. They should be able to seamlessly join a team and find their place. During the interview, especially on a follow-up one, you can learn more about them by asking them to describe times they failed and what they learned from the experiences. How they respond will reveal a lot. Listen carefully to what they choose, but also pay heed to how they say they grew from it. Even at high-levels of a company, errors take place, many of them unexpected. Overcoming adversity is key to a successful group. If you have the right people in place, when those issues arise, they’ll be able to navigate around them together.
A word of advice: sometimes it’s the job descriptions that get things off on the wrong foot – if the list of responsibilities and qualifications reads flat, you’re likely going to get a set of candidates to match. When it comes to recruiting creative professionals, you’ll want to give them a glimpse up front of what you and your culture are like. Find ways to spice up the job listing to help yourself get in front of the right candidates. Don’t forget that interviews and application processes are two-way streets and you should make sure you are also at your best. Some of the techniques that go into hiring tech or business people might not work for creatives. You, too, will have to do your homework and adapt to the clientele and audience whom you wish to reach.
Author: Danny Groner is the manager of blogger partnerships and outreach for Shutterstock.
