IS YOUR ELEVATOR SPEECH READY?
Posted by Wes Brooks
on Jan 13, 2015
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Last week during our meeting I was asked a very simple, yet very important question: what is my elevator speech for when I’m approached about Rotary? I think my answer was far from sufficient. While I’m always eager to talk about our wonderful club and its members, I’ve never devised a 30 to 60-second, ready-to-go answer for what it is we do and what the benefits of membership are.
For me personally, it’s taught me the intricacies of project management, humanitarianism, budgeting, long range planning, and group management and, of course, what it means to serve. I should also mention it has greatly enhanced two qualities of which I struggle with daily - empathy and patience. All of these things culminate into networking experiences that I am certain would have never been possible for me otherwise. Rotary has afforded me opportunities to interact with literally thousands of professionals on local, regional and global levels. The experiences and skills I’ve been afforded as a Rotarian are without question, priceless.
Now, each of your answers to this will vary slightly but I’d bet good money that all will have the same recurring theme - service. However, the person inquiring is going to want to know a little more. Now, when asked again, I might say…
Thank you for asking! At 1.2 million members strong we are the largest, most prestigious non-political, non-sectarian service organization in the world. We are dedicated to upholding the highest moral and ethical standards. Our purpose as Rotarians is to improve the lives of those less fortunate through a wide array of humanitarian and educational programs. Some of those efforts include the total eradication of polio, potable water, illiteracy, hunger, and poverty. In short, we exist to serve and uplift those less fortunate. We begin right here in our own neighborhood and don’t stop until we’ve encompassed the globe.