{"id":3420,"date":"2020-04-07T15:03:35","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T15:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/how-to-craft-the-perfect-elevator-pitch-for-your-research\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T08:15:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T02:45:23","slug":"how-to-craft-the-perfect-elevator-pitch-for-your-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/how-to-craft-the-perfect-elevator-pitch-for-your-research","title":{"rendered":"How to craft the perfect elevator pitch for your research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever come across a professor at a conference whose research totally blew your mind and you desperately wanted to interact with them, but couldn\u2019t because you were tongue-tied? Don\u2019t worry, you are not alone. A lot of us are in the same boat, especially early-career researchers. We are often unprepared when it comes to relying on our social skills during networking, and that can reflect in our body language as nervousness and low self-confidence. But if you have an elevator pitch ready to go, you will feel\u00a0much more confident while interacting with any professional. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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What is an elevator pitch?<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

An elevator pitch is a well-crafted introduction that highlights your most significant achievements and showcases your strengths. It is all about promoting\u00a0yourself in a few sentences, so it has to be perfect. Just like a good movie trailer does, you must hook your listener\u2019s attention such that they want to hear more of what you have to say. If your elevator pitch is not up to the mark, your listener will not even be interested in listening to the rest of what you say, especially at busy networking events where they have to meet several other people. An elevator pitch, as the name suggests, is so concise that even if you get one minute with someone in an elevator, you can convey your message efficiently. You can not only use this elevator pitch at career fairs, conferences, and networking events, but you can also add it to your LinkedIn profile, cover letter, or the professional summary section of your resume.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As researchers, we are used to communicating our research through elaborate slide decks and posters that are filled with technical jargon. However, we are rarely trained to explain our research to someone quickly and engagingly. I first realized this when I participated in a science communication competition called the 3-minute thesis competition<\/a>, where participants are supposed to present their research to a general audience in an engaging manner within just 3 minutes. At first, I found it very challenging to summarize my research to a layperson in only 3 minutes, but then I tried to think of my research in a different light. I tried to find the gist of my work and then thought of a way to explain it to someone who knows nothing about my field. I made sure to keep it simple and engaging and practiced my talk with my friends. Feedback from my friends helped me a lot in organizing my script, and I was able to bag the People\u2019s Choice Award, and that experience motivated me to write this elevator pitch article!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n