“I’m sorry I wrote you such a long letter. I did not have time to write a short one. ”

— Attributed to many

I elevated my game today.

One of my Toastmasters clubs dedicated an entire meeting to ‘elevator speeches.’ For those of you not familiar with the idea of an ‘elevator speech’, the concept is simple. Write a short speech which describes your project, your company, or yourself that you could give to someone while riding up the elevator. The goal is to peak their interest to continue the conversation.

If you haven’t given an elevator speech, try it sometime. Writing something both interesting and short which sparks curiosity is incredibly challenging. In fact, I spent the better part of a week completely flummoxed trying to write mine.

My topic was this year-long giving time project. Although difficult, the effort was rewarding. By clarifying what I learned this past year, I elevated my game, and gave myself a deeper insight into the meaning of what I’m doing. Hopefully I can now also better explain how others might benefit. I’ll post some of my findings as we get closer to the end of the project.

If you’ve never written an elevator speech, please try it as an exercise in defining your purpose in work, life, or even a hobby. You’ll probably also understand your values more clearly.

It’ll elevate your game.

Ironically, the meetings of both my Toastmasters clubs was today. At Feedbackers Toastmasters, I led the meeting as Toastmaster as well as filling my role President of the club.