Thank you for sharing this. The elevator speech thread produced some excellent feedback. I have an assignment to meet face to face with every director and senior director in the organization. Big task and the elevator speech I came up with works well or it has so far. 

When I meet with each of these individuals I have a file folder prepared and properly labeled Records Management with a common file folder label. Side note: some have even asked me to show them how to make these labels. 

In it I have everything that I want to talk about including a business card, summaries of the Records Management training DvD's that we as a company own, a one page summary on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure December 1, 2006, our web site address and some other things. I simply march through the materials and leave it with them. 

Many respond "So you're the Records guy that I have been hearing about, seen you around but never did know what you do. Thanks for the info and meeting." 

I take that as a complement at lease they know there is a records guy.  

I also believe in three main points for records managers everywhere to follow and live by:

1. Your only going to get what you ask for. If I didn't ask for and push for the meetings they would never happen. 

2. Don't pay too much for the Muffler. What I mean by this statement is don't pay to much in emotion when things don't go right in our work. Easier said then done. Also learned many years ago that there are two types of decisions emotional ones and informed and intelligent. Therefore be smart. 

3. Get over it. The sooner we can get over things the sooner we can get on with what needs doing. As Steven Covey wrote that dash on our tomb stone is where we spent our brief time on earth not the born and died dates.         

I am also of an opinion that any more then three main points looses the audience on an elevator speech. In my work I try to establish up front that I am a partner in working "your records management efforts." I believe this is a much healthier approach for getting the kind of cooperation that I need to do this job rather then coming across as I am the records police and I am here find and punish you for what your doing wrong with company records. That age old question of "What's in it for me?" has to be answered before most of us will do anything. 

My speech is 

1. Assist individuals at "All" levels make sense of records management expectations imposed by regulatory agencies, customers, legal and tax requirements. We want to meet the requirements not over or under shoot the target.  

2. Determine with others what industry best practices and Records Management tools are required and will help us meet the expectations and requirements for compliance efficiencies and cost containment.

3. Be vigilant with helping others improve their efficiency that will contribute to overhead cost reduction or avoidance for creating, managing using and disposing of company records. 


-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Taina Makinen
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 11:23 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [RM] Elevator speech, part deux

I came across this link today and I thought I'd post it as a late echo to the recent thread on RM and elevator speeches:
http://www.idea-sandbox.com/blog/2007/01/elevator_pitch_your_tv_show_op.html
 
Cheers,
 
Taina Makinen
Vital Records Specialist
Canadian Tire Corporation
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