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Once you have the final pitch in writing, you’ll need to practice, then practice, then practice some more.
Your pitch should be spoken in a confident and compelling manner.
- Review your pitch to ensure it flows smoothly and addresses your career highlights, and then practice it until it’s memorized. Practice until you can repeat it when someone shakes you from your sleep at 3:30 in the morning and you can maintain your passion when saying it.
- Using an accurate stopwatch or timer and a tape recorder (or answering machine) to record yourself, repeat the preceding exercise. Start with two minutes, then cut it to one minute, then cut to it thirty seconds, and, finally, cut it to fifteen seconds.
The trick to a successful pitch is to practice it ten, twenty, thirty, even forty times. Practice until it rolls off the tip of your tongue. Practice until it has your exact tone and style. Practice until it’s such a natural thing to say that you don’t even have to think about it before and while you are saying it.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A pitch was originally called an elevator pitch because you should have a quick, succinct way to introduce yourself should you meet someone in an elevator.
- A networking pitch is a helpful way to introduce yourself while emphasizing the quality of what you bring as a candidate.
EXERCISES
- Create your pitch, using the exercise provided in this chapter.
- Fine-tune your pitch by typing it and practicing it aloud, ensuring it has the proper tone.
- Pair up with a buddy to practice your pitch. Critique your buddy’s pitch and listen to the critique of your pitch.
- Once you have finalized your pitch, practice saying it ten, twenty, and even thirty times until it flows smoothly.
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