Five Tips for a Good Elevator Pitch

For those of you who haven't heard the term, the elevator pitch or elevator speech is the laser-focused information you give about your company, your script idea, or (in the case of one of my recent assignments) a game idea you want to work on. It is supposed to last a minute or less (the length of an elevator ride), and you have to grab the audience's attention, hit the key points, and reiterate in simple terms so they have a strong image to associate with your brand.

It's pretty simple in practice, but like all public-speaking tasks it can be nerve-wracking. I'm pretty outgoing, but public speaking does make me nervous. You want to be natural, relaxed, and memorable, but as a writer, I prepped a decent, vivid "script" for myself that hit all the main points, and then set out to memorize it.

Do you see the potential problems here? I was stacking the need to memorize on top of anxiety, and whenever I forgot the beautiful terms I had dreamed up it made me stumble or blank out.

Fortunately on the day of the pitch, I gathered small groups of classmates and we did round-table pitch critique. Even more fortunate, one of those classmates—a guy who taught sexual education to groups of students and who is extremely comfortable speaking to groups—was among them. With his coaching I delivered a pitch that got very high praise from the instructors.

So, here's how I did it (with a great deal of help). Your mileage may vary.

1. Know Your Vision

The game idea I pitched is a fully-fleshed out and attainable game which made it very easy to focus my pitch. You don't need to have a design document written, but you do need to grok the broad strokes of your game's theme, core mechanics, and its unique selling features (the three things you are hoping people will take away from your pitch).

Having a killer new mechanic or a twist on an old one is great, and as a concept pitch it could be enough to carry you through, but you'll probably be better served building at least a skeleton around that mechanic; the questions you answer for yourself will almost certainly be asked after your pitch.

2. Know the Structure


A basic game pitch should have:

* a memorable name that is on-theme
* a one-sentence statement that orients the audience by providing the genre, the protagonist, and the core gameplay
* a brief (one-sentence) explanation for each of the three unique features the audience will remember
* a reiteration of the name and those three unique features

You don't have to follow this structure, but it does pack in all the required info in under a minute, and it will make your life easier as you prepare to deliver.

As a side note for game designers, your pitch should be focused much more on mechanics, rather than on story—it's an interactive game you are pitching, not a movie, so explaining how the player interacts is key. A solid story and theme are great to have, but ideally you will communicate those in the one-sentence statement and then only refer to them throughout the rest of the pitch. Use the theme or story to grab attention, then focus on what really makes your gameplay unique.

3. You Gotta Believe


Love your idea. If you aren't passionate about your game, no one else is going to be. You don't want to be up there frothing at the mouth, but a bit of professional intensity and measured animation will sell people not only on your vision, but on you. It will also help to loosen you up and think better on your feet.


4. Write a Script, then Throw it Away


Now that you know the subject and the structure so well (and clearly you love your idea) it will be easy to write that killer pitch you want to deliver. Unfortunately, you don't want to sound like you're reading off a script; you need to be charismatic and natural, and trying to fake it on the 22nd take adds a barrier to your successful pitch. Are you a trained actor? Are you willing to risk sounding rehearsed, and therefore, phony? The answer is probably no to both.

For future students, we were allowed to bring notes up with us for our pitches, but the assignment stated that written notes were not allowed. I would be surprised if the instructors didn't take that into account when grading us.

5. Use Your Nervousness - The Audience Doesn't Know What's Inside


A little bit of nervousness can give you the energy you need to push forward and deliver a good pitch.  Remember that the audience doesn't know that you are screaming inside. A slight quiver in your voice or your hands, a pause or the need to clear your throat—these things probably won't even be noticed by the audience, so allow yourself that and focus on getting those points across.

If you do stumble or need to pause for any reason, don't draw attention to it by exaggerating a mispronounced word, making weird noises, or worse, cursing. Take the moment, breathe, and continue. You're human. People forgive nervousness all the time, but they can't make your game idea if you don't pass it on to them. If it has merit (and you know it does), you've won just by telling them about it.

6. (Yes, I know I said five) Practice


This sixth tip isn't for everyone—the guy who coached me, for instance, took no notes and delivered his pitch only once before he was up in front of the class. He did a great job. His idea was wacky and hilarious, which broke the ice into a million little pieces, and he was clearly as natural as possible because he hadn't committed a single word to paper.

For others, though—for me—practice reinforces your points, provides warning signs for words that may make you stumble, and (if you workshop in groups), gives you that all-important feedback from others. You don't have to take all the advice you are given, but being aware of how people perceive your ideas can make or break your pitch.

Appearing polished and comfortable with the subject matter are good things, but you have to balance those with your ability to speak naturally and be relaxed but personally and emotionally invested in your idea.

Most of all, though, do what works for you.