Script

Video Assignment: The Conference Pitch

By now, you’ve created and recorded an Elevator Pitch, as well as provided feedback on two other elevator pitches. This should give you a good idea as to how to present information in a short time frame.

For this assignment, you’ll move on to the Conference Pitch. The conference pitch, or cocktail party pitch, is a longer delivery (one and a half to two minutes) that gets more in-depth and may include a simple question or two that leads your targeted audience toward conclusions that help you fulfill your objectives. Among these objectives usually is an attempt to get more time later such as a formal interview or the opportunity to make a full-fledged presentation.

You need to consider what type of information you would communicate to a person if you had only one and a half to two minutes in a networking setting (such as during a conference break or at an evening get-together). This is more time than the elevator pitch, but it still is a relatively short time, so you’ll have to be selective regarding what information you’ll include.

You may want to expand upon what you included in your elevator pitch, or create something new that can represent your skills, abilities, expertise, etc. This is an opportunity to communicate about yourself, your strengths, and how you can help the other person achieve his or her objectives (such as hiring the right person or purchasing the right product). Reread “What Will You Say? Scripting Your Verbal Communication Encounters” to refresh your knowledge about scripting.

After reading/watching the assigned materials, complete the assignment by doing the following.

1. Write a script to introduce yourself to a business-related potential contact that you have not already met so that you can do one of the following:

a) set up an interview for a job; b) invite the person for a business lunch or coffee; c) get an email address so that you can connect on LinkedIn; d) acquire permission to set up a sales presentation; e) gain agreement to accept a trial product or service; f) or some other purpose from a business perspective.

2. Seek feedback from friends, family, colleagues, etc. on your script and refine it

accordingly.

Don’t worry that you might not memorize the script word-for-word. That’s okay. Writing the script and practicing it will help with your “performance” for this video, and it will help you when you’re in an actual conference pitch situation. In the end, these pitches have to be flexible to allow for the other person to respond. However, do spend some time refining your script and practicing it. The final video does not need to be perfect, so don’t stress!

3. Practice presenting your script. Practice in front of a mirror and in front of another person. Also, you can practice by creating videos and reviewing them for improvement.

4. Create a final video of your conference pitch that is between 90 and 120 seconds (1.5 - 2.0 minutes). For this video, you cannot read your script and you must complete the entire video in one take. This means that you cannot film the video in portions and then edit them together. Remember, for a conference pitch “in real life,” you can’t do it in segments and then stitch them together later. Points will be deducted if it is below 90 seconds or above 120 seconds (after consideration for any video processing/rendering that might reduce or expand the length). Any material beyond 120 seconds will not be graded.

5. Post the video on YouTube and make sure the settings are set to “unlisted” (not

“public” or “private”) so that it can only be accessed with the URL you provide. (If you would like other people to be able to find your video via the YouTube search function, you are welcome to list it with the “public” setting, but this is not suggested.)

Assignment Formatting Submit as a PDF file upload. Document should use Times New Roman 12-point font. Length of assignment is one page. Assignments should be completed and submitted before due date/times. Late penalty is 10% deduction per day (or partial day) late. No plagiarism, copying or cheating.

Using the Assignment upload in Canvas, submit the following:

a. Your name;

b. The target of your pitch (i.e., your boss, the owner of a business, the VP of Sales, a manager from the mobile technology industry, or whomever else you’re targeting);

c. The purpose of your pitch;

d. The URL of your video (be sure that the URL works prior to submitting the assignment; you can set the video to “unlisted” so that only those with the URL can see it, but do NOT set it to “private” or I won’t be able to see it and it will receive a zero grade or be counted late when the correct settings are implemented and the correct URL is submitted);

e. Write down three (3) aspects or areas in which you improved your individual skills by completing this project. Discuss each aspect with at least one complete sentence per aspect.