• HOME
  • OUR STORY
    • TEAM
    • WORK
    • WHY STORYTELLING
  • SERVICES
    • STORYTELLING TRAINING
    • ONLINE STORYTELLING TRAINING
    • SPEAKING AND KEYNOTES
    • BRAND STORYTELLING
    • PRESENTATION SKILLS TRAINING
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • HOME
  • OUR STORY
    • TEAM
    • WORK
    • WHY STORYTELLING
  • SERVICES
    • STORYTELLING TRAINING
    • ONLINE STORYTELLING TRAINING
    • SPEAKING AND KEYNOTES
    • BRAND STORYTELLING
    • PRESENTATION SKILLS TRAINING
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT

Blog

You’ve got an elevator pitch, but what’s your sermon?

Posted on September 22, 2010
Sign up for our Newsletter
3 MIN READ
-

I am, as the song goes, the son of a preacher man.

When I was young, my dad would sit at his desk on Saturday afternoons and write out his sermons: always in longhand, always on a yellow legal pad. Truth be told, when Sunday service rolled around, I didn’t really pay attention to those sermons, passing the time instead by marveling at the tapestry of women’s hats in attendance, counting the number of window panes in French or praying that my mom would make BLT’s for lunch. I was a kid, after all. But as an adult, I have had the opportunity to go back and read the sermons of my now-deceased father, preserved in the steely confines of his filing cabinet. What struck me about those sermons is how my father infused his own passions and perspective into them, blending them with the lessons of the church so that people got a real sense of what drove him as a person. Through his sermons, you got to know him, and in knowing him, you were more likely to relate to him and follow his counsel.

Elevator pitches and storytelling

As a strategic storyteller, I find that clients often want to boil down the layered richness of their brand story or corporate narrative into a succinct “elevator pitch.” I am not against this exercise and certainly appreciate the situational need for it. Still, as we work with clients on various manifestations of their brand story, I always try to make certain they are balancing their pithy elevator pitch with a deeper, more meaningful sermon.

One talks about what you do while the other conveys why you do it. One is usually more logical; the other, more philosophical. One is typically benign and right for just about any situation; the other is more profound, a little riskier and, therefore, only right for certain occasions. One is a quick response to a discussion between business people; the other is a more meaningful exchange between thinking, feeling human beings.

When you’re thinking about how to communicate what you do, don’t just think about the information you want to convey; think as well about the higher sense of purpose you want to evangelize. In other words, if you were standing at a bully pulpit with a congregation of employees, potential clients or partners in front of you, what would you preach? It might be uncomfortable to “go there” in your mind, but push yourself to do just that. Mine and uncover the passions that inspire your work. Explore and articulate what you and your brand is fighting for, or fighting against. Consider the difference your brand is looking to make in the lives of the people you serve.

Think about your sermon. Discuss it with others. Write it down. It’s an important part of your brand story that will enable consumers, employees and partners to connect with you; and you’ll not only be glad you have it, but surprised at how much you use it. As said before, it’s not right for every occasion; but it is right for many of them, like speeches, pitches…and blog posts.

Tags
brand
corporate narrative
elevator pitch
Sermon
strategic storytelling

3 Comments

on You’ve got an elevator pitch, but what’s your sermon?.
  1. Daniel Edward Craig
    October 1, 2010 @ 11:45 am
    -
    Reply

    Well said, Bill. I’m happy to see you spreading the gospel of storytelling on this blog. Our upbringings were a bit different, however. My Mom was a scientist, not a preacher, and she liked to perform experiments on us kids. Which explains the screws in my neck. Thanks for sharing, and keep it up.

  2. Maia Nilsson
    July 21, 2011 @ 11:52 am
    -
    Reply

    I simply love this. Thanks, Bill.

    • Bill Baker
      August 25, 2011 @ 1:02 pm
      -
      Reply

      Thanks Maia. I’m glad this post spoke to you and my apologies for leaving your nice comment hanging out there for so long. Keep the faith!

Leave a Comment

Click here to cancel reply

Please wait...
Submit Comment

You Might Also Like

How to Mine the Year’s Experiences for Leadership Stories

December 12, 2019
-
Posted by Bill Baker

Look back on any given year, and you will see one filled with a wealth of different experiences: some of them forgettable, …

Read More →
6 MIN READ

Storytelling in Three-Part Harmony

December 10, 2010
-
Posted by Bill Baker

Recently, while preparing a Leadership Through Storytelling workshop, I looked up the famous I Have a Dream speech of Dr. Martin Luther …

Read More →
2 MIN READ

Turn a Story of Failure into a Leadership Story

November 3, 2018
-
Posted by Bill Baker

I am not one to dwell on the past, but there are certainly times where I relive it. I look back on …

Read More →
7 MIN READ
MENU
  • HOME
  • STORYTELLING TRAINING
  • ONLINE STORYTELLING TRAINING
  • SPEAKING AND KEYNOTES
  • BRAND STORYTELLING
  • PRESENTATION SKILLS TRAINING
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
Get in Touch

Suite 6C, 1500 Alberni Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 3C9 Canada
+1 604 868 1924
[email protected]

Let’s Connect
Sign-up for our Strategic Storytelling newsletter today.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

© BB&CO Strategic Storytelling

You've Got An Elevator Pitch, But What's Your Sermon? | BB&Co
Become a Better Storyteller

 

Join us for a 2-day Virtual Leadership Through Storytelling Workshop
Save 10% on your registration with the promo code: BBCO10

Host: Bill Baker
Date: April 29-30, 2021
Time: 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. EDT each day
Where: Online Event

Register Your Spot Today