Can You Impress in 30 Seconds… or Less?

They say you only have 30 seconds to impress a person. Or according to this Business Insider article, maybe it’s just 7 seconds.

Talk about first impressions being vital! But in a business situation, how exactly do you convince someone that your product or your service is worth 30 seconds of their time?

The answer: a perfectly crafted elevator pitch.

Putting together that killer 30 second introduction is an art. But like most things, it takes lots and lots of practice. Honing your people skills and mastering your body language are critical steps.

How would I know? It’s my job to know. I’m a behavioral investigator — aka professional people watcher.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you’re crafting your own elevator pitch.

Focus on your body language

Did you know that upwards of 60–93 percent of communication is nonverbal? Be mindful of your body language. Aim your feet towards the person you’re talking to — it shows that you’re interested in what he or she has to say. It also demonstrates that you’re connected and this will engage his or her brain.

Employ a power stance to show that you are confident. Doing this is easy. Put your head up, roll your shoulders back, open your torso area, and place your arms by your sides. Once you do this, you’ll actually start to feel more powerful and your confidence will increase. It sounds silly that physical posing can impact us so much, but here’s a TED talk on this very subject.

Keep your vocal power in check

The words you choose to say matter. But how you say them matters too.

Before you give your elevator pitch, take a deep breath. Then, talk using your low-range vocal power. The idea is to lower your tone but not your volume. You don’t want to come off as too quiet and timid.

Put a period at the end of all your statements and don’t fall into the trap of inflecting and making everything you say sound like a question. It signals to the person that you’re unsure of yourself and your pitch.

But also make sure your pitch doesn’t come off as completely monotone. Use different paces, tempos, and cadences throughout. Incorporate pauses strategically when you want to let a key sentence sink in. Adjust your inflection slightly to emphasize certain words.

Finally, add some emotion to your pitch. You really care about your product or service. Make sure the target of your pitch feels this too! And don’t forget to smile. You want your facial expressions to match your verbal language.

Use nonverbal communication

Your job is to communicate the greatness of your idea as quickly and effectively as possible. Sometimes that means employing nonverbal communication such as hand gestures and cues.

People may more easily understand your product when it is compared to an existing product. You could take one hand and say, “My product is Nike…” and then take the other hand, combine in with your first hand, and say, “…meets Red Bull.”

You can also use nonverbal number cues. Use your fingers to count and show just how much your product or service can do. Otherwise, if you’re just listing off its capabilities, your pitch is going to sound memorized.

To demonstrate just how successful your business is, use the nonverbal growth cue. Take your hand and make an upward swooping motion. This shows that you’re on the rise.

If you want to show the person you’re pitching to just how much this product or service means to you, put your hand on your heart during your pitch. It signals that you’re passionate about what you do and that you completely believe in it… wholeheartedly.

Would you like to learn more about crafting your perfect elevator pitch and succeeding in business situations? I can show you how to use The Power of Body Language to your advantage and Master Your People Skills to be more persuasive, likable and influential. Check me out at CreativeLive.

Written by Vanessa Van Edwards.