Download - The Elevator Pitch - Not a Curve Ball
The Elevator Pitch: Not a Curve Ball
Using elevator pitches as a technique to teach students how to synthesize ideas
into 2-3 minute concise summaries.
Richard Molzer
• John I. Leonard High School– Greenacres, Florida– 39 years teaching Business Education– Academy of Finance teacher for
juniors and seniors– Internship Coordinator
• Curriculum Fellow for Business Economics and Insurance courses
• NAF courses currently teaching: Applied Finance, Financial Services, Financial Planning, and Entrepreneurship
Fran Thew
• John I. Leonard High School – Greenacres, Florida– 39 years teaching Spanish, Biology,
Computer Science, Business– Academy of Finance teacher for
freshmen– Department Chair for Business and
Computer Science• Curriculum Fellow for Financial Services
course• Curriculum Leader for Applied Finance course• NAF course currently teaching: Principles of
Finance
Lucia Gonzalez• John I. Leonard High School
• Academy of Finance– Greenacres, Florida– 2013 Graduate– Interned and currently employed at:
Rent Florida Realty– Industry Certifications: MOS for Word,
PowerPoint and Excel– NAF youth presenter, Washington DC,
2012– National Honor Society, Future Business
Leaders of America, 2013 Class Treasurer
Sharon Ennist• John I. Leonard High School • Academy of Finance
– Greenacres, Florida– 2013 Graduate– Interned and currently employed at:
Publix– Industry Certifications: MOS for Word,
PowerPoint and Excel– NAF youth presenter, Washington DC,
2012– Arise and Shine, Swim Team, Bowling
Team, Class of 2013 Student Government
Why did you want to be a teacher?
What is a teacher?A TEACHER . . . • Wants to make a difference in the lives of the young
people in their classrooms.• Provides students with the tools they will need to be
successful in attaining their future collegiate and career goals.
• Sees student diversity in the classroom as an exciting learning tool rather than as a barrier to learning.
• Challenges students to be the best that they can be.
THE NAF CURRICULUM
Why should I use the curriculum?
• Constantly updated by teams of professionals (no need for expensive and soon outdated textbooks)
• All resources provided from lesson plans to student and teacher resources
• Same strategies used in all courses• Courses springboard off one another• Courses include career exploration• Courses include extensions for interdisciplinary work or further
inquiry• Compliance with the NAF model
POSSIBLE OBSTACLESFamily/ Culture
NAF Curriculum Provides teachers with tools . . .
• To promote cultural literacy– Every lesson begins with anticipation guides– Vocabulary enrichment– Opportunities to explore topics in cooperative groups
to take pressure off ELL students– Career exploration
POSSIBLE OBSTACLESLiteracy
NAF Curriculum Provides teachers with tools . . .
• To promote literacy– Strategies embedded seamlessly within the
curriculums– Opportunities for reading and writing found in every
lesson– Students read and write a variety of different genre
POSSIBLE OBSTACLES
Inability to solve problems – thinking outside the box
NAF Curriculum
Provides teachers with tools . . .
• To develop higher order thinking skills– Lessons developed around real-world theme– Project based learning where skills are applied in new
ways– Extension lessons for deeper inquiry, interdisciplinary
applications
What is the best way to teach the youth of today?
LECTURE
TEAMWORK
• A major soft skill required by business and industry settings
• Many heads together can find solutions to unique problems
• Each individual has his or her own expertise to contribute to the project
#nafnext
What, exactly, is an Elevator Pitch?
An elevator pitch is a brief overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The pitch is so called because it can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (say, under three minutes).
#nafnext
When might I need to use an elevator pitch?
• To introduce oneself at the beginning of a scholarship or employment interview or to answer the common interview question, “Tell me a little about yourself.”
• To promote a club or organization when recruiting members.
• To explain why a potential customer should support a fundraiser for your academy.
• To promote a business idea to a possible partner or investor.
#nafnext
Laying the Foundation
• So how do you structure an elevator pitch so that it works so well in all of these different forms? Think of your elevator pitch as a foundation on which all of the communications mentioned above are built. It is similar to the flat slab at the base of all lego building sets. That base is the same whether you are building a house, police station or office building. The key to your elevator pitch is to get the foundation right.
#nafnext
Using a Pitch as an Introduction.
• The elevator pitch is so important because it is the first thing that people ever hear / read about you. Even before your resume gets into their hands, your elevator pitch sets the stage for why they would spend the time to look at your resume, which leads to the interview, which leads to the job offer.
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Personal Pitches.
1. The pitch should be short.– The base of your pitch should take no more
than three (3) minutes to recite or 200 words to write
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Personal Pitches.
2. The pitch should include the following:– 1) Who you are plus a credential• You should think of your credential as either
something that differentiates you from your peers (e.g. varsity basketball player, army lieutenant, Rhodes Scholar) or something that establishes a relationship between you and your audience (e.g. graduate of same college, member of same sorority, from the same home town).
•
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Personal Pitches.
2. The pitch should include the following: – 2) A specific objective• Get to the point quickly about what you are
looking for or how that person can help. There is no need to soft shoe around your objective; however, your objective should be something that the person can directly facilitate either by making the decision himself or herself or connecting you to someone that can get you closer to that objective.
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Personal Pitches.
2. The pitch should include the following: – 3)How you have demonstrated your interest
• There is a difference between "communicating" your interest and "demonstrating" your interest. When you demonstrate your interest, you give examples of things that you have ALREADY completed or committed to that illustrate this interest. Don`t just say that "I have always wanted to be an doctor". You should be able to say, "I have taken pre-med courses". If you haven`t done anything to demonstrate your interest, which might be as simple as talking to people with an expertise, then start doing something!
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Personal Pitches.
2. The pitch should include the following: – 4) Why you are qualified
• This is your chance to communicate what makes you someone that your audience should consider helping. People typically like to help those that they feel will be successful in the process. There are a couple of things you should think about when highlighting your qualifications:– - industry relevance– - leadership– - expertise– - pedigree– - impact
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Personal Pitches.
2. The pitch should include the following: – 5) Give the person two options on how they
can assist• This is an old sales trick. Always give two options. A person
will often flatly turn you down if you give them one option, but if you give them two options, then they often commit to one of them. This is different than communicating your objective. As I mentioned above, the objective is the end goal; here you want to communicate how the person can help you in the process that leads to that end goal.
#nafnext
Why Is This an Important Skill in Business?
The process of formulating an elevator pitch brings to light many basic things that an entrepreneur must consider about their business or idea. Even if you’re not looking for funding, an elevator pitch can help you figure out what’s at the core of your business or idea.
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Business Pitches.
1. First, avoid the cookie cutter – “insert your name here” templates that you’ll find littered all over the net. You want your pitch to stand out and be unique, so give it life and personality by allowing your pitch to paint a picture or tell a story.
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Business Pitches.
2. If possible, use a tag line yet avoid sounding cheesy – your elevator pitch isn’t a sales pitch.
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Business Pitches.
3. Stick to hard facts and numbers! Avoid assumption or BS’ing; you’ve got to instill integrity in your message. Make the pitch easy to understand; avoid acronyms or any jargon that your intended audience won’t comprehend.
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Business Pitches.
4. Focus on the opportunity/problem you’ve encountered and why your solution is the most unique in providing value and benefit to the customer. *This part will comprise the bulk of your elevator pitch, so be sure and spend some time figuring out why your product stands head and shoulders above the competition.
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Business Pitches.
5. If possible, mention the size of your market and who would be willing to pay for it.
6. If you’re pitching to an investor, mention their return on investment and how much funding you’re seeking.
#nafnext
Tips For Writing Effective Business Pitches.
7. Last but not least, make sure it’s less than 3 minutes long. Doing so will force you to trim the fat from the pitch and only focus on what’s really at the core of your message.
#nafnext
Leading up the Elevator Pitch: The Lesson
•Identify a problem that requires a solution Example: Plastic bags (Think/Pair/Share)• What are the problems?• What are possible solutions to the problems?
#nafnext
Leading up the Elevator Pitch: The Lesson
•Develop a viable business idea Evaluate 5 products used in own lives• Are there any problems with the products?• Is there a feature that could be added or improved?• Is there a service that could be built around
problems or deficiencies associated with the product?
#nafnext
Leading up the Elevator Pitch: The Lesson
•Analyze case studies of entrepreneurs as a source of inspiration, for innovating, thinking creatively, and identifying new business ideas.
Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Donald Trump, Sam Walton, Walt Disney
#nafnext
Leading up the Elevator Pitch: The Lesson
•Define elevator pitch as an opportunity to discuss an idea during a short elevator ride with a potential business partner or investor.
#nafnext
Leading up the Elevator Pitch: The Lesson
•Show examples of elevator pitches http://www.gottamentor.com/channel.aspx?
chid=DgZHKVBXkECwLeCgRKeCfg== Student videos Student presentation
#nafnext
Experience the Curriculum
• Activity Name – Elevator Pitch– Course: Entrepreneurship– Unit # 2: Creating the Business Idea and Analyzing the
Opportunity– Lesson #3: Identifying and Evaluating Your Ideas
• Skill or concept objective:– Help students better understand what it means to be
an entrepreneur and what it takes to start a business.
Business Economics
#nafnext
Group /Cooperative Learning
2-3 Minute Elevator PitchInnovative Product or Service
Possible Roles:• Recorder• Presenters• Timer
• Foley Artist
#nafnext
Group/Cooperative Learning (10 minutes)• Choose partners (tables?)• Assign roles • Create pitch• Practice
#nafnext
Group/Cooperative Learning
Share your innovative product or service idea with the other groups
#nafnext
DISCUSSION
• Think/Pair/Share at tables• Share ideas with total group
#nafnext
Using Elevator Pitches as a Learning Tool
What are the advantages?
#nafnext
Using Elevator Pitches as a Learning Tool
What are the disadvantages?
#nafnext
Following the Elevator Pitch: The Lesson
•In the Entrepreneurship lesson, the elevator pitch would be used to lead into the actual culminating project. As a result of the elevator pitch presentations, students would begin to think about possible partners and ideas for the course’s culminating project – Developing a Business Idea.
RESOURCES
• “Elevator Pitch 101 – Intro to Writing a 30 Second Elevator Pitch.” The Closet Entrepreneur, http://theclosetentrepreneur.com/elevator-pitch-101-intro-to-writing-a-30-second-elevator-pitch (accessed February 10, 2012).
• http://www.naf-curriculum.org/aof/ent/ent_downloads.html#ent2
#nafnext
Contact Information• Applied Finance, Financial
Services, Principles of Finance:
Fran ThewJohn I. Leonard High School4701 10th Ave N.Greenacres, FL 33463(561)641-1257
• Applied Finance, Financial Services, Insurance, Personal Finance, Entrepreneurship:
Richard MolzerJohn I. Leonard High School4701 10th Ave N.Greenacres, FL 33463(561)641-1241