Telling Your Study Abroad Story:Developing Your International

Elevator Speech

Angelique TorresEmployer Outreach SpecialistEndicott College, Career Center

An Elevator Speech Defined An elevator speech should be no more than 3-5

sentences in length. “An elevator pitch is [defined as an overview]

designed to just get a conversation started.”- Chris O’Leary, Elevator Pitch Essentials, 2008

The nine “C’s” of an elevator pitch:- Concise - Concrete- Clear - Customized- Compelling - Consistent- Credible - Conversational- Conceptual

Exercise #1: Drafting an Elevator Speech You will have 10 minutes to draft an

elevator speech individually. You can use the following questions

along with journal entries and photographs as a guide.- What three words come to mind when you think about your time abroad?- What do you feel people most misunderstand about your time abroad?- What skills did you gain as a result of being abroad?

Exercise #2: Break-Out Groups

Break out into groups of 5-6 members.

You will have 10 minutes to share your international elevator speech with your group members and provide feedback to each other.

Wrap-Up and Reflection

Who would like to share your elevator speech with the group?

What was challenging about this exercise?

What is one takeaway from today’s exercise?

Sample Elevator Speech #1 My study abroad experience in London,

England provided the opportunity to live in a really vibrant city. The visits to museums and historical sites allowed me to better understand the British culture. I learned a lot about myself in the process, as I had many conversations with locals who held different points of view than I hear at home. It challenged me to apply my learning and diplomatically share my point of view in a cross-cultural setting.

Sample Elevator Speech #2 My time abroad in Peru was the most empowering and

joyful experience of my life. I realized that there is a much bigger world out there and that the Peruvian people have a very rich, proud culture that more Americans would enjoy learning about. I was able to improve my level of Spanish to the point that I can carry on a conversation that allows me to express myself with some emotion and personality. I realized how closely language is tied to culture, which allows me to understand my home country better too. Overall, it was a very positive learning experience and one that has encouraged me to explore other cultures.

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