We help scientists and academics attract more interest, funding, and support by changing how they talk about their research projects. Why does this matter? Speaking is the passageway through which our efforts must go to succeed. The academic jargon makes this especially challenging. At stake is not just our individual success but–ultimately–our collective ability to create positive change in the world.
What you get
Have a framework for any speaking situation.
Our training offers you the 10-step Elevator Speech Framework that you can use as a skeleton structure to master any speaking situation, including one-on-one conversations. It makes preparing for or even winging a speaking challenge as easy as painting by numbers.
Increase confidence and gravitas.
Anxiety about public speaking is natural because our brains are hard-wired to fear rejection. The training offers a systematic approach to managing your fear not by trying to vanquish it but by befriending it. In the process, you will also learn tools to “prime your brain” before entering a speaking situation.
Discover how to be most interesting.
When making a first impression, being interesting is far more critical than being informative. The unique way we go about our work is often more interesting than what we do. The training offers a framework to identify what is most interesting about your work and for communicating it effectively.
Get your listeners to trust you.
In all situations, mutual trust is crucial for people to realize the full potential of collaboration and connection. The training gives you an easy, surprising, and highly effective step-by-step approach for getting your listeners to experience a “trust boost” towards you.
Solve the challenge of having too much to say.
A common challenge our clients experience is having to convey to listeners the complexity and sheer volume of their work. The training offers a solution to this problem. It leaves your listeners looking forward to continuing the conversation with you. It even turns them into messengers to others about your work.
Create a frame of relevance and purpose.
Everyone focuses on their day-to-day work. That focus often becomes the first thing we discuss when explaining what we do. The Elevator Speech Framework helps ensure that you step back at the beginning of speaking situations to answer the question, “why does it all matter?”
How we work, step by step
#1: We learn about you.
We do research about your work and your professional background to customize the training to your specific needs and context.
#2: You prepare a bit.
Preparing is as quick as answering these three short questions. If you want to prepare more deeply, simply use our preparation worksheet.
#3: We do the training.
The training comprises one or two Zoom calls. Each requires one hour and is one-on-one. Expect a fun workshop atmosphere where trial and error is OK.
#4: We follow up.
After the session, we’ll send you an email with a summary of your specific key take-aways. We’ll touch base a couple times a year to reinforce what you’ve learned.
Success Metrics
1500
clients trained
99.99
"Exceptionally" and "very useful" ratings
88
Endorsements from CEOs
300
Testimonials
“We usually don’t know how to talk about our work effectively. Marc will help you to do just that and in a split second!”
Marc Flajolet, Associate Professor, Rockefeller University
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“This training helps one really think about their work and research and be able to clearly communicate it.”
Jennifer Roberts, Assistant Professor, JPB/Harvard Fellowship
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“I have never experienced a more streamlined, to-the-point, and helpful one-hour training session.”
Ben Strauss, CEO and Chief Scientist, Climate Central
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“In one short session, Marc was able to get me to explain in plain terms the importance of my medical research.”
Cynthia Harper, Professor, University of California, San Francisco Bixby, Center for Global Reproductive Health
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“In one hour, I learned how to boil my research down to a brief pitch that leaves the listener wanting to learn more”
Robert Sege, Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
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“Marc is himself a great communicator and the session was enormously useful.”
Andrew Scherer, Professor, New York Law School
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Book Coming Soon
About Marc Fest
Marc Fest
Helping leaders worldwide communicate better
Marc Fest is the principal of Elevator Speech Training, a communications consultancy specializing in helping clients attract more interest to their cause by changing how they talk about what they do.
Marc is the creator of MessageHouse.org, a free toolkit helping thousands of global NGOs, companies, nonprofits, and governments create key messages and increase messaging discipline. He is a former vice president of communications for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the New World Symphony.
Marc is the author of the upcoming The Elevator Speech Framework, a thirty-minute primer based on thousands of Elevator Speech Training sessions.
He lives at a remote solar-powered farm in the Everglades. When he is not coaching clients, he enjoys hanging out with his Belgian Shepherd dog Zeus and an assortment of lizards, hawks, and raccoons.
