Discover Ice

01 Dec Discover Ice

Professionals often struggle with the distinction between crafting an elevator speech (self-introduction) and a longer presentation. Isn’t an elevator speech just a short presentation? No more than a short story is a novel, which author Amor Towles elegantly describes in his intro to The Best Short Stories 2024.

In a long form novel or presentation, one has time to develop themes, characters, and relationships. Consider the opening of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude: “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.” In one sentence you know the novel is a saga, the style is magical realism, and there is a sense of inevitability. Marquez now has time to unravel all the story elements.

But in a short form (elevator speech or pitch) surprise and economy are critical. One message with closely observed moments and visual images carry the day. Thats why we recommend our short-form version of storytelling, as in “When our clients in (the industries you serve) are facing this critical problem, we provide these services, which result in this outcome.” With little context, you hook the listener, display proficiency, and save the day. Never allow short or long forms to confound you. And remember that distant afternoon when you discovered ice.