Of course, we have the most dreadful rehearsal just days before our first improvisational show, and, recognizing the need to boost our confidence, our facilitator institutes circle time.
I’m not kidding.
She sits us in a circle.
And one at a time
We turn to the person on our right
And tell them one thing we admire about them
And one specific thing they’ve done that impresses us.
I find it eye-opening that
No one has any trouble at all
Naming another person’s strength,
Yet everyone is surprised
To hear their strength spoken out loud.
Now, in full disclosure,
Aside from this story I’m telling you right now,
I remember practically nothing
About that improvisational troupe.
I know we did at least one show,
But I couldn’t tell you where.
I don’t remember being on stage.
Or who else was in the troupe.
Or who our leader was.
I don’t even recall the name of the person who was sitting to my left that particular day.
But I will never forget what that person said about me.
They said “Andy is great at playing regal characters.”
They meant I was good at playing princes and kings.
And the funny thing is,
I had been actively trying to avoid playing those kinds of characters.
It felt too easy.
Like a cop out.
I wanted to be more rounded.
And so many people feel that way about business networking.
They don’t want to be defined too narrowly.
But being reminded that I was good at playing regal characters
Gave me permission to embrace them.
To regain my confidence in that strength
A crucial strength in an improvisational troupe named
Myths and Legends.
Regal characters.
Looking back I find it hard to believe
That I was resisting playing
The very characters
That are crucial to both
Myths and legends.
Princes and kings.
And time and again
I find that people face a similar challenge with their Elevator Pitch.
What they’re good at,
The very soul of their expertise
Sounds too simple to them.
So they go out looking for more.
Moving their Elevator Pitch
Away from who they are
In a desperate attempt
To be someone they’re not.
It’s no wonder people find business networking so frustrating.
Because what you do is so obvious to you
It’s so ingrained in who you are
That it’s hard to describe it simply to other people.
But do you know who knows what you do?
Ready?
Your customers.
It’s obvious to them
Why they signed up with you.
So ask them
Why they signed up with you.
It’s eye-opening.
And it’s the start of a
Great Elevator Pitch.