What’s Your Elevator Speech?

Liz Bracken-Thompson

They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. What would you say about yourself or your business to impress someone in the time it takes to ride in an elevator?

Thompson & Bender partner Liz Bracken-Thompson was recently interviewed by PBNY Connect, a business resource of Provident Bank, on how to present an effective message in the time it takes to ride in an elevator. PBNY Connect has turned the interview into a podcast — which is available on the company’s website.

Bracken-Thompson began her career in 1976 with the Gannett suburban newspaper group (now The Journal News), and had risen to the position of Vice President of Marketing for Gannett’s entire 10-newspaper group, before joining T&B in 1990. Since joining Thompson & Bender, she has managed a diverse number of award-winning public relations, advertising and marketing campaigns for clients in the public and private sectors.

Even with an expansive resume and a long list of business accomplishments, Bracken-Thompson says that to effectively communicate what your business offers, you must be able to present that information in a concise, easy-to-understand manner.

“If someone asks you to tell them about your company — or what it is you do — it’s really important to collect and organize your thoughts, and capture them in in a really specific amount of time,” said Bracken-Thompson. “You must share those thoughts in an organized way, so the listener doesn’t zone out, and gets the essence of what you want to project.”

Bracken-Thompson illustrated her point by presenting the elevator speech she uses when describing what Thompson & Bender does. “Thompson & Bender is a 25-year-old public relations and marketing firm. We represent a diverse clientele, we are a thought leader, and we help companies achieve their goals through marketing and public relations.”

Bracken-Thompson said that opportunities to use your elevator speech present themselves more than one might realize. Whether at a networking event, a business luncheon or dinner, or actually riding the elevator with someone, a smart business person is always ready when the opportunity arises.

“(You often have) a very narrow window of time, but you want to leave something memorable with that person,” said Bracken-Thompson. “The elevator speech is one of the most important tools that we use on a daily basis.”

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