Students often have to give short, confident, summaries of their work, and it can be difficult to come up with a spur-of-the-moment account which feels satisfactory. In this short course you will produce the first draft of your elevator pitch, which compresses your research topic, interests and (depending on where you are in your DPhil journey) even findings into a short speech you could deliver while waiting for a lift, at a seminar, over a cup of tea, wherever!
The purpose of the pitch is to pique your listener’s interest so they want to hear more about your work. It’s a valuable academic skill, as having a ready conversation starter can increase your confidence to talk to senior and specialist research colleagues, which will help you build your network.
Objectives
To understand the purpose and structure of an elevator pitch and the contexts in which it could be used
To produce a first draft elevator pitch
To practice delivering your draft elevator pitch in an engaging manner
We strongly advise that attendees download Zoom before the start of the session, instructions of how to do this and to join a meeting can be found here