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ARJITA SETHI: Welcome back to Public Speaking Pro
Tips with Speechless presented by Google Developers.
We help people turn the mundane into memorable.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Challenges into insights.
ARJITA SETHI: And presentations into performances.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: And we do that with something we
call improv thinking.
ARJITA SETHI: Today, we are going
to help Claire come up with a company [INAUDIBLE] script
while we walk between meetings.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: So I just found out
that I have to say a little something about myself
tomorrow at a meeting, and I have absolutely no time
to prepare for it.
ARJITA SETHI: So let's do something
we call elevator pitch.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: All right.
Let's do it.
ARJITA SETHI: Now tell me, what are you going to talk about?
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Well, that's the thing.
I have no idea.
ARJITA SETHI: Well, if you're just introducing yourself
to the team, just pick one thing that stands out
and focus on that.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Well, I did recently moved to Los Angeles.
ARJITA SETHI: Perfect.
Talk about that.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Right now?
ARJITA SETHI: Right now.
You have only 10 more floors to go.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Oh, OK.
MALE SPEAKER: Excuse me.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: I'm Claire Slattery
and I'm a Speechless specialist.
It's great to be back in San Francisco.
I loved living here for 4 and 1/2 years.
But last year, I decided to make the move
to Hollywood-- you know, because I like wearing shorts
every day of the year.
And also, I'm a professional actor-- no big deal.
And as much as I love me some San Francisco,
I can't win an Emmy doing commercials for startups--
unless I can, in which case, I'm moving
back immediately because I really miss the burritos.
ARJITA SETHI: OK, great.
But you rambled a bit.
Tell me the story again, but now you have only five more
floors to go.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Fair enough.
Hi, I'm Claire Slattery and I'm a Speechless specialist
based in LA.
It's great to be back in the Bay Area.
But as much as I love me some San Francisco,
I can't win an Emmy doing commercials for startups--
unless I can, in which case, I'm coming back immediately.
ARJITA SETHI: OK, time's up.
That was great.
I'll send you the audio files.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Audio files?
ARJITA SETHI: Yep, I recorded the entire thing.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Oh.
ARJITA SETHI: Basically, you TimeBox your talk
so that you can get the general outline out of your month.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Wow, I love that.
ARJITA SETHI: Yep, starting the script
is a lot of times the hardest part.
But giving a presentation is something you do by speaking,
ultimately.
So why not just start speaking?
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Makes a lot of sense.
ARJITA SETHI: Doesn't it?
It's what we call on your feet first draft.
And with elevator pitch, you can expand and contract your talk
based on how much time you either have to prepare
or how long the talk needs to be.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: So how long were those?
ARJITA SETHI: Well, the first one
was about 10 floors-- I mean, 30 seconds.
And the second one-- 15 seconds.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Good to know.
So what do I do now?
ARJITA SETHI: Just listen back to the files
and keep iterating on the talk.
You can TimeBox and record yourself.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: But wait a second, what's TimeBox?
ARJITA SETHI: It's just an alarm that
allows you to know when to move onto your next task.
Let's say you only want to spend 30 minutes on your talk.
You set the timer and then record your rehearsals,
and keep improving it.
When your timer goes off, you put the last touches
on what you want to finish.
And you might never have to sit down and write anything.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: You have just saved me, Arjita.
I really thought I was going to have
to cancel dinner plans with a friend and work on this speech
all night.
But basically, we have it outlined before lunch.
ARJITA SETHI: And Claire, you can't
win an Emmy doing commercials, but you could win a Clio.
See you later.
CLAIRE SLATTERY: Now you tell me.
Now it's your turn.
Go ahead and make a video with your one-minute elevator pitch.
Then do it in 30 seconds, 15 seconds, and finally
just one word.
Not only do you have the outline for the longer version,
but you also have the keyword for your whole talk.
We like to think of it as your mantra word.
After you make your elevator pitch,
post it to social with the hashtag #DevelopYourVoice.
And remember to check the description below for links
from the Google Developers, Women Techmakers, and more tips
from Speechless on how to think like an improviser
and develop your voice.
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