BlueSky Thinking Summary

The following article is about making a lasting impression with your personal elevator pitch.

Craig Wortmann, a clinical professor of marketing at Kellogg, says most people, when asked "What do you do?" make the mistake of either being too general or too granular.

Go for a "crisp" response, he urges, which is quick and interesting.

For instance, instead of a very long explanation, Wortmann advises one to make some concise, interesting statement that opens lines of further communication.

He further suggests exercises to cut down your pitch from an elaborate description to a few engaging sentences.

Besides setting you apart from the rest in job interviews or meetings, this approach considers your audience's time as well.

You focus on being brief and relevant, so your response becomes unforgettable and effective;

it even allows you to turn routine interactions into networking opportunities.

Being crisp is bold and generous communication in today's information-saturated environment.