Elevator speech: concise communication techniques and professional applications

Elevator Speech

I am First Last, and I am just completing my Health Sciences degree at the University of Georgia in health informatics. I spent three years in hospital administration and I am looking to get back into that field at a higher level. My time in school has been spent upgrading my knowledge of both health care theory and management theory, so that I can improve on my leadership. There is tremendous opportunity for an organization that wants to hire me, especially to transition their informatics system to something modern, and bring it in line with HIPAA and the ACA. I have seen in the field how challenging this transition can be, to build consensus and get all of the stakeholders to work together to bring about new solutions.

What I bring is a comprehensive approach. I understand the needs of nurses and doctors, who want to provide the best care possible for the patient. I understand the need for administrators to improve efficiency, keep costs down and improve their compliance with government regulation. I know the culture of health care institutions, and I have techniques that will the organization to overcome the different barriers to progress. By combining a strong knowledge of health informatics with leadership theory and a knowledge of organizational culture, I am the perfect person to spearhead new initiative in informatics at any medium or large-sized health facility.

I believe that this elevator speech reflects and enhances my "brand." I cringe at the idea that I am a brand -- I'm not. I'm talented, but I'm a person, but I get that I need to understand who I am, and what I have to offer that person in the elevator (Schwabel, 2009). It's honestly that human side that I want to make sure that I convey here, because the industry works on a very human level. The people who deal directly with patients genuinely care about getting the best possible outcomes for those patients. The people who you have to work with to bring about technical solutions must be addressed on a human level, with understanding and compassion. Informatics might seem cold, but the outcomes are not, and getting people to be more open about improving their use of health care informatics is not. There is no question that I want to convey humanity in my elevator pitch.

It's an emotional appeal, really, because you want to grab that person deep down, and make them feel something about you -- rattling off a list of credentials doesn't do that (Forbes, 2012). Droning on about "as a health professional, I feel a duty to help people..." doesn't do that. You need an emotional appeal, and I feel like I present that .