In the hallways of corporate America in the 1990s, you couldn't miss the frantic scenes of aspiring entrepreneurs rehearsing their pitches in front of empty elevator doors. They had precisely 20 floors to compress their billion-dollar idea into a bite-sized, attention-grabbing pitch perfect for the corporate mavens and risk-takers they might encounter. The "elevator pitch" was born of necessity in an era of short attention spans.
But the idea of distilling something profound into a concentrated form is far older than the elevator pitch craze. The true master of concision was the 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal who wrote, "I would have written a shorter letter if I had the time." Those words endure as a paradoxical truth - that brevity is actually more difficult to achieve than long-windedness.
In our era of unlimited digital streaming of information and unending social media posting, we have reverted to undisciplined ways of expressing every thought at endless length. The multi-billion dollar success of apps like Twitter was a brief renaissance of enforced concision, limiting expression to 140 characters. But even that constraint proved temporary as the character limits expanded.
The decline of office work and the precarious economics of the commercial skyscraper have rendered the elevator pitch obsolete. But the need for a compelling, condensed personal pitch is more relevant than ever in our bulk-discounted world of micro-celebrities and personal branding. How can you pitch your unique value to potential employers, clients, collaborators - or even friends and romantic partners - quickly and powerfully?
My great friend Bill Ryan calls it the "Speed to Cool" approach. It combines the compelling brevity of the elevator pitch with the addictive persuasive power of a trailer for the next big movie blockbuster. The goal is to quickly connect on a personal level, intrigue with fascinating, unique details, and then punctuate it all with a mind-blowing revelation that makes your listener desperate to learn more.
The formula is deceptively simple:
The Base - a couple of brief relatable points of connection like family role, hometown, background etc.
The Distinctions - 2-3 succinct details or accomplishments that make you intriguing and set you apart.
The Jaw-Dropper - one incredibly cool, disruptive, or maverick revelation that blows their mind and activates intense curiosity.
For example, "I'm a dad of three from Milwaukee (The Base). I started a tech company while at university that I sold for $20 million at 25, and I've visited every country in the world (The Distinctions). Last year, I solo hiked the Snowman Trek in Bhutan (The Jaw-Dropper)."
In a matter of seconds, you've defied expectations, captured their attention, and created an insatiable curiosity that can only be satisfied by learning more about your story.
In our oversaturated world of infinite information streams, advantages evaporate quickly. The new scarcity is the discipline of focus and the cognitive stamina to avoid distractions. Your "Speed to Cool" pitch is your bait to hook attention and reel it in for a meaningful connection.
Like Pascal before us, the challenge is clear: can we say something provocative and profound in just a few words? The imperative of concision is more relevant than ever. As Blaise knew long ago, brevity is the new creativity. What will be your Speed to Cool?
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