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Clarification of competences: Elevator pitch

Brief description

When preparing an elevator pitch, students learn to present themselves and their academic competences in a clear, structured and precise manner. An elevator pitch is a quick presentation of a person’s background and skills and, in some cases, their future plans. In other words, a summary of their competences and value.

Motivation for the exercise and required outcome

The elevator pitch concept is based on the idea of a situation where a student happens to meet the managing director of a company they dream of working in - for instance if they are taking the same elevator. It is a clear advantage to be able to deliver such a presentation in a job interview or network meeting. However, the exercise is not only suitable for bringing the career and relevance perspectives into your teaching. It also trains the students’ ability to remove as much noise as possible from their communication, which is also helpful in exam situations and in teaching contexts in general.

Performing the exercise

    • You as a teacher must introduce the students to the elevator pitch, what it is, and how to create it. The good elevator pitch is:
      • Short: The students must spend between 30 and 60 seconds.

      • Precise and relevant: They must go straight to the point and be aware who their pitch is directed to.

      • Understandable: They must use their normal way of speaking.

      • Authentic: The pitch must express their values and place them in an optimal position as regards their professional profile.

      • Situation-specific: They must choose a situation-specific angle that matches the circumstances. It makes a difference whether the pitch is delivered at a job interview or a private party.
    • The students start by jotting down a few key points to base their pitch on, inspired by the questions in handout 1 (allocate for instance ten minutes for this).
    • Then the students practice their pitches in groups of three to four students.

    • The students sit down in groups, and each student gives their elevator pitch. The other students in the group listen and provide feedback to each speaker:
      • What works really well?
      • What could be done differently to improve the pitch?
      • Group members may consider the above criteria for the good elevator pitch when giving their feedback.
    • In the first presentation, the elevator pitch may last 90 seconds (the student giving the pitch must mind the time themselves). After the first feedback round, the time will be reduced by 15 seconds. This process is repeated twice more, which means that the students end up giving a sharp and accurate elevator pitch of 45 seconds.

    • The group members provide final feedback on the pitch.

    • This process is repeated until all group members have practiced their elevator pitch and received feedback.


    You will need:

    • Download the attached handout here: