Say It Quickly: Using an Elevator Speech to Get Noticed Valerie Jackson Communication Specialist
Learning Objectives 2 Understand the purpose and role of an elevator speech. Learn how and when to use an elevator speech. Learn how to tailor your speech to those you need to reach. Practice crafting one.
What Is An Elevator Speech? 3 Sums up unique aspects of your initiative in a way that piques interest. Is a short, persuasive speech (30 seconds). Is a verbal brochure. Opens the door to follow-up. Is a key tool in your communication toolbox.
Why Use An Elevator Speech? 4 Elevate your profile in the community. Pique curiosity to garner support. Kick-start conversations as you meet people. Ensure that key stakeholders know about NCTSN they are part of something big!
Speech vs. Message 5 Elevator speech Channel; presents the message in a compelling way to certain audiences. Message Language used in the speech.
When To Use An Elevator Speech 6 YES NO Remember Your Audience
Who Are Those Certain Groups? 7 Key stakeholders whose support you want/need: Funders Community partners Parents and families Media Legislators
Messages For Stakeholders 8 Know what your program stands for. Know what NCTSN stands for. Use NCTSN messages if appropriate.
Ingredients of an Elevator Speech 9 1. Hook 2. Offering 3. Funding 4. Who s involved? 5. Your worth 6. Call to action Not every audience needs/wants to hear every ingredient of your message.
Hook Start Strong 10 A statement that makes your audience go Wow! Use social math: Data show the number of youth in our high schools who feel an adult doesn t care about them would fill our hospital cafeteria three times over. Or use an anecdote: Our local Pop Warner star athlete, Tom, always seemed happy. But because no one knew the warning signs of trauma and depression, it came as a complete shock when he took his own life.
Thinking About Your Hook 11 Different audiences, different priorities and values. An effective hook: Aligns with their values Focuses on what keeps them up at night.
Offering 12 One or two sentences about your work. What problems is your work solving? What issues are you addressing? Whose lives are you changing? Hint: See Hook Start Strong Remember: Be brief! Under 60 seconds.
Funding 13 Who is supporting your programs/services now and down the road? Show existing support to attract other supporters. Helps substantiate and add credibility to your work.
Who s Involved? 14 Who s on board? What are you and your staff s background and achievements? Highlight key expertise Name drop, if appropriate.
Worth 15 How are you better than the competition? What value do you bring to the issues you re dealing with? Comprehensive wraparound services? Key partners? Proven-to-work practices? Community support?
Call to Action 16 What do you want the person to do as an immediate next step? Think small steps: Set up a meeting to discuss further? Visit a Web site? Read a press kit? Attend a meeting/event? Share email addresses? Exchange business cards?
Putting it All Together 17 Hook: # of kids feel adult doesn t care could fill the cafeteria 3xs. Offering: Proven-to-work programs/services. Funding: Part of NCTSN. Worth: Offer cross-section of services to families. Call to Action: Exchange business cards.
Nancy S. Widdoes Managed Care System Administrator NCTSN Affiliate member Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services Dept. of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families Newark, DE
The Elevator Speech in Action 19
Think Strategically 20 Know your community. Who are the big system players? What are the critical issues they face? What is the value you can bring to them? How can partnering with XX help meet programmatic goals?
Your NCTSN Resources 21 Know: What s available and how to access it Who is doing what When to ask for help! Your affiliation with SAMHSA s NCTSN helps with credibility.
Be the Partner They Want & Need 22 1. Put your preparation/resources into action via an elevator speech. 2. Be compelling and passionate about your message. 3. Make clear the value you bring and how it can help them.
Three Success Stories 23
Meeting a Wilmington Official What I knew in advance: Largest city in Delaware; high crime rate NCTSN just released DVD, Kids, Cops, and Domestic Violence. The pitch: Inner-city youth and families; hard to reach, exposed to violence High quality trauma-specific treatment for youth who need it. The result: Child Development-Community Policing Program Initiative undertaken by the City and Delaware Children s Department. 24
Approaching a State Legislator 25 What I knew in advance: Constituents often call legislators to get connected to state services Most legislators need help connecting them. The pitch: Thank for prior support. State of the art treatment available that addresses many of the issues important to constituents: poor school performance, suspension, etc. The result: Provide guide to Child Mental Health Services to all elected officials in Delaware.
Guide to Child Mental Health Services
Assistant Superintendent Meeting 27 What I knew in advance: Suspension rates are high, especially with students of color Delaware is a Race to the Top State. The pitch: 1 in 4 students have been exposed to a traumatic event Students cannot learn if they are not in class We can help! The result: Middle school pilot of Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents (TGCT-A).
Jacob Ham, Ph.D. Program Director, NCTSN Category III site BI-SLR HEARTS Program: Healing Emotions and Achieving Resilience to Traumatic Stress Beth Israel Medical Center New York, NY
Why Use an Elevator Speech? Make the most of being a member of NCTSN. Three years to create a sustainable presence in the community Spread the word about the great work you are doing. Crafting and re-crafting your elevator pitch helps you: Tell your story compellingly, Understand the needs of others; and Offer your best services to meet those needs. Work with your staff to help them use elevator speeches.
My Elevator Speech to You Hook Of the 59 currently funded NCTSN sites, only four programs have been constantly funded by SAMHSA since 2001, not including the National Center. Offering Share my experience of writing an elevator pitch. Our value We did not exist before our funding, but we are making a great name for ourselves in our community. Who s involved? We have the attention of many of the key players in our community: Office of Mental Health, Department of Education, and Child Welfare. Ask 10 minutes of your time to listen to my experience.
My Elevator Speech: The Process 31
My First Draft (70 seconds) Hi, my name is Jacob Ham, I run a federally-funded program, called the HEARTS program of Beth Israel and St. Luke s-roosevelt hospitals. We serve children who have experienced psychological traumas of all types, but we are especially focused on helping those children who experience multiple traumas throughout their young lives. Because these traumas happen for so long and so early in life, the trauma can often derail many areas of development. These are the children who end up being misdiagnosed as ADHD or bipolar and put on a long list of very potent psychiatric medications. Did you know that child abuse and neglect costs us over $100B per year, and yet it is also one of the most treatable mental health issues. Well, our program was created to directly address this major public health issue. We work on this issue on as many levels as we can. One, we provide direct service to these children and families. We represent two major hospitals in NYC, have a staff of over 100 clinicians and treat over 1000 children and families per year. We also work on the service systems in the NYC by partnering with child welfare, the city office of mental health, and the department of education to help everyone understand how to help these children. We also work on a larger social level by helping to validate a new diagnosis for the upcoming revision to the DSM, which is the bible of mental health disorders and defines which disorders exist, are paid for by insurance, and ultimately studied by scientists and researchers. Without having a diagnosis for these children, they will continue to be misdiagnosed and improperly treated. We are funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration but only for three years. This funding also affords us membership in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, which is the nation s coordinated effort to advance the science of child trauma and spread best practices throughout the US. If you would like to join us in our effort to help traumatized children, please contact me and we can meet to discuss the possibilities. Here is my card.
A Few Drafts Later (40 seconds)
My Speech (22 seconds) Hi, my name is Jacob Ham, I run a federally-funded program through Continuum Health Partners that serves children who have experienced trauma. These children are often misdiagnosed and overmedicated costing society over $100B per year. Our program is quite unique in that we work on so many levels: from direct care to changing local service systems to impacting the nation s ability to serve these children. We are funded by SAMHSA and are members of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. I d love to meet with you to figure out how we can work together. Here is my card.
Lessons Learned Visualize a specific target audience to help tailor your pitch. Start by including everything and then pare away until your message is tight and powerful. Overcome fear of pride; Look at yourself through the eyes of your audience. Tip: Keep the language simple. Tip: Practice sounding natural and fluid. Try pitching with friends, at networking events, or with people who ask you what you do for a living.
A Final Lesson 36 Remember you may not need to use every elevator speech ingredient. Do your research. Know which aspects of your program matter most to the person you want to approach. Be sure not to use the same speech for every audience. Always be compelling and passionate.
Next Steps 37 Work through steps to create your elevator speech. Remember to tailor to your audience! Use examples in the worksheet, NCTSN messages, or create your own original content. Contact the CSM Center for help: CSMCenter@Gallup.com 1 800 789 3044
Discussion
Valerie Jackson CSMCenter@Gallup.com 1 800 789 3044