This is a recent term from the world of selling yourself and building a career, but you can use it for something different.

The image is this: imagine you get into a lift with the most important person in your field. You now have their attention for the length of a lift ride: about a minute at most. What would you say?

This can be translated into an exercise for people to do individually or in a group. Set the topic or issue, or let them choose one of central importance to themselves. Let them choose the person in the lift, or you may specify one for a particular reason. Give them some time to draft their elevator speech. It should be no more than a couple of sentences. You may want to specify a word limit (50 words, for example.)

What to use this technique for

• Developing analytical skills
• Getting people to focus on essentials of their message or the problem
• Getting people to agree what those essentials are (within the small groups)
• Allowing people to see how different 'the essentials' can look to different people
• To develop the ability to make points concisely and communicate effectively
• Lowering emotion where a situation has become too heated, by getting people to use the 'thinking brain'

Situations where you might use it:

Developing the message you want your cartel to put across in a forthcoming event, fundraising drive, or protest activity

• As a response after a speech or other input
• View a video or website of controversial material, particularly of something you disagree with or think is harmful or dangerous. Use the elevator speech to summarise what you think is wrong with it