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Elevator Speech Activity

Module by: Rice ADVANCE. E-mail the author

Summary: This activity is designed to help candidates explain their current research or abilities concisely and persuasively It was included in the presentation by Sherry Woods (UT Austin) and Rebecca Richards-Kortum (BIOE) entitled "How to Stand Out in a Campus Interview" but may stand alone as a separate exercise.

You are visiting for a two-day faculty interview at your number one school. In the elevator on the way to a meeting, someone introduces you to Dr. Clark, the Associate Dean for Research. She is not in your area. After shaking hands, she asks, “So, what do you do?” Your assignment is to prepare a 1-minute elevator speech that:

Describes your research interest in a compelling way to someone outside your area

Ideally, you want her to walk back to her office and call the chair of the search committee to say how impressed she is with you as a potential colleague.

Round One

  • Take one-minute to prepare
  • Find one other person you DO NOT know…
  • At signal, begin (and end…)
  • Start with the handshake…

Remember…:

it’s not a very tall building…

Round One: Review

As Associate Dean, give feedback:

  • Name 2 – 3 key things you heard
    • Could you explain to some else her area of research?
  • Rate confidence level
  • Rate enthusiasm level
  • Rate hand shake
  • The art of confident handshakes…
  • Rating Scale:
    • 3: Great!
    • 2: Okay, could be better
    • 1: Needs work!

Round Two

  • Jot down 2 – 3 key messages you want to communicate
  • Repeat process with new person

Remember...:

Still not a very tall building… For example…

Round Two: Review

As Associate Dean, give feedback:

  • Name 2 – 3 key things you heard
    • Could you explain to some else her area of research?
  • Rate confidence level
  • Rate enthusiasm level
  • Rate hand shake
  • The art of confident handshakes…
  • Rating Scale:
    • 3: Great!
    • 2: Okay, could be better
    • 1: Needs work!

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Lens makers point to materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

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