Research question: Can Group Therapy Assist Female Foster Youth In Coping With Adulthood?
Brief description:
This assignment helps students to create a professional elevator pitch that summarizes your participatory action research proposal. While this assignment will focus specifically on your research proposal, learning to develop a well-delivered elevator pitch can be a great way to introduce yourself in various professional settings. An effective elevator pitch can help you to build your professional network, secure funding, or a new research opportunity. Students will produce a 1-2-minute of their research proposal elevator pitch. Students’ should be uploaded to Blackboard
What is an Elevator Pitch?
The name comes from the idea that if you happened to be in an elevator with a person who could change the course of your career for the better, you would have a limited time to speak with this individual prior to reaching your destination and the elevator doors open. An elevator pitch is a “mini persuasive speech” with the goal of selling yourself, your research, your product, or your business to name a few to a potential employer, funder, or investor. The goal is to create a memorable and positive impression, as well as open the door to further conversation. The professional elevator pitch usually centers on who you are, what your strengths/background/skills are, and the type of career/position/opportunity/investment you would like in the future. Usually, elevator pitches range from 30 seconds to about 2 minutes.
Like any skill, developing a successful elevator pitch takes time and practice. This assignment guides you through the requirements for a research pitch.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the basic parts of an elevator pitch and how to deliver it effectively.
Develop and practice an elevator pitch for public presentation.
Give feedback to peers on their research proposals and pitches.
Reflect on the process, strengths, and areas for improvement.
Instructions: Pitch Perfect
This assignment requires you to create a 1–2-minute elevator pitch about the research proposal you have been working on all semester. You will submit a written pitch on video, which will be screened in our last class of the semester. It is recommended that you upload an unedited pitch. Instead, you should keep repeating the pitch (practice, practice, practice) until you feel you are comfortable and successful in presenting on screen.
Because an elevator speech is short, typically 30 seconds to 2 minutes, it is a great way to introduce and share your research with others at formal networking events, conferences, casual conversations, or even during an actual elevator ride!
Ultimately, your elevator speech should provide a “hook” and make your listener want to know more about your research!
Content: Your elevator pitch should answer the following questions:
● Who are you? Introduce yourself by sharing your name, school, place yourself in content by identifying the discipline of social work and the topic of interest. This is an important first step. Keep your audience in mind.
o https://youtu.be/NBa0cnsRMUQ
▪ If you include your “hook” here, it is crucial that you explain who you are right after (name, year, major…)
▪ HookIntro (My name is… I am a…) Transition into Set-Up that includes the What listed below
● What is your research project about? What is your motivation? Explain what personal and/or professional interests drew you to your research study. You might also mention any unique accomplishments and experiences that you possess that are relevant to your research.
o What is your research question?
▪ This is your full research question (as it stands at the time of your pitch).
▪ Set upResearch Question
● What are the goals of your research study?
● This lets your audience know what you are attempting to accomplish with your study. Explain the purpose of your research, directing your words to your audience/key stakeholders (IRB, community partners). What is the problem, issue, or question that you are asking and addressing in your research?
o https://youtu.be/rlPloFiK-e8
● What makes it special?
o How are you uniquely addressing this problem, issue, or question? Why is the problem interesting or important? How does your work connect with a broader conversation about this topic/problem in social work? What does it add to the conversation?
● Why does it even matter? Why is your research significant? This is a basic “hook,” a sentence or two that you will use to get your audience’s attention and draw their interest. You don’t want your audience to ask the question, “so what?” This is one of the most crucial parts of the speech. Think about what your research adds to the existing knowledge in social work. What makes your proposed study different from previous studies? Why should your audience care about your research?
o https://youtu.be/gw3LN_pK_rU
o Three main point about your research that you want to communicate to your audience.
● When will you start/conduct this research project? /Where are you at in the process?
o When will you complete your research? For example, the next step will be to engage with members of the targeted population, and I anticipate conducting this study in grad school/in the field (for students in SWK 446) or in SWK 747 (for students in SWK 646).
● Where do you anticipate you will conduct your research? Where will you be pursuing your research? Letting your audience know where you will conduct your research can help them understand the scope of your project.
o https://youtu.be/LqLjyY4yQ5Y
Delivering Your Elevator Pitch
● Keep it simple
● Practice
● Memorize Key Points
● Be enthusiastic
● Revise, refine, and rehearse