Elevator Speech

Last semester I had to create my personal philosophy of educational administration which was to be included in my portfolio. Many found it difficult to summarize everything they believe into only 2-3 sentences. The assignment lead to a class discussion of your personal elevator speech; you know if you only had 5 minutes in an elevator with someone would you be able to “sell” yourself. 

It got me to think about our schools.  Do you have an elevator speech for your school?  You might be thinking, of course I have something. Ok then, do your teachers know about it or do they have their own? Why should your teachers know this speech or have their own? Well, there are more chances that your teachers will be stopped at the grocery store, on the soccer sidelines or at the basketball game and asked about your school.

Several years ago, our superintendent made a back-to-school video message for our teachers and he focused on Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why. That “WHY “ for your school is ultimately the foundation of your elevator speech and the answers to what makes your school so special. Maybe at the next faculty meeting you could spend a few minutes discussing the “WHY” for your school and perhaps even role-play a few responses to questions your staff may encounter. I’m sure some could provide examples of questions they’ve already encountered.

If you need more inspiration, check out Sinek’s book; you won’t be disappointed. If you’ve already read that, then take a minute to look into his other title Leaders Eat Last; another great selection I highly recommend.