Episode Details

Tom Henschel: The Look & Sound of Leadership

Tom Henschel of Essential Communications grooms senior leaders and executive teams. An internationally recognized expert in the field of workplace communications and self-presentation, he has helped thousands of leaders achieve excellence through his work as an executive coach and his top-rated podcast, The Look & Sound of Leadership.

Key Points

• An elevator speech is a crisp, concise, high-level summary of a complex, multi-layered topic.
• It can be about whatever you do as a profession, but it can also be about anything else, like your recent vacation.
• Elevator speeches get crafted … it doesn’t happen in the spur of the moment.
• Creating an elevator speech doesn’t take long, but you have to choose to reflect.
• An elevator speech is actually a conversation tailored to the other person.
• Say a little bit, and then test the other person’s level of interest.
• The longer you talk, the less effective you are.

The Three Qualities of a Great Elevator Speech

1. Keep it short
2. Be memorable
3. Tailor it to the listener

Resources Mentioned

• Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office* by Lois P. Frankel

Related Episodes

• Enhance Your Executive Presence, with Tom Henschel (episode 272)
• How to Grow Your Professional Network, with Tom Henschel (episode 279)
• Tom Henschel Interviews Dave (episode 300)

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