A minute to win it - networking opportunity

Do you really have a minute to win it?..... or a minute to lose it?

On Wednesday morning at the NFEA annual conference exhibitors were given the chance to deliver a 'minute to win it' or elevator pitch to the conference participants.

As a one off pitch this style and being prepared for an 'instant' presentation works very well, however with six or more individuals delivering one of these 'one hit wonders' one after another how do you get noticed, do they all appear similar or are they memorable. Has the concept of the 'Minute to win it' presentations reached the point where everyone rehearses and times the pitch to perfection and the only way to get noticed among a number of presentations is to have a gimmick, have you got to be an incredible presenter to make these work?

So what did I do to get the attention? Well for me it is about confidence - a very short message and to be aware of the audience and their needs "at that moment in time" and not to 'take' your audiences time but to give it back - the key after all is to get remembered - not to sell! (sales Can come later - build rapport first)... Did it work? Well only people that were there can answer that one.

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Mike Morrison is director of RapidBI, an organizational effectiveness consultancy. He has been involved in HR, OD and strategic development for over 20 years. He can be contacted via www.rapidbi.com/

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