The Elevator Pitch

Why?

The Elevator Pitch works with time as a constraint, to make the students pinpoint the essence of their ideas. This enables them to identify the ideas that stand strong and clear with great opportunities for being commercialised from those ideas that are weak and need improvements.

How?

The students make an oral presentation of their idea that outlines its most unique aspects in a way that is convincing, memorable and exciting to hear. The students need to communicate why their idea is needed, what problem it solves, and for whom it solves this problem. The presentation should be focused and simple, and no longer than what the students have time to say on an average elevator ride (approximately 2 min.). Based on this exercise, the students make a selection of the ideas that have the strongest elevator pitches.

Tips

The students turn the exercise into a role-play in a real elevator. One student plays the representative of the idea that need to be evaluated, while one or two other students play the people that needs to be persuaded. The students can make a video recording of this exercise and use it in a subsequent discussion of the idea.

Literature

Pincus, A. (2007). The perfect (elevator) pitch. Bloomsberg Businessweek.