Language Focus: Networking Elevator Speech- Delivery

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From the course by University of Pennsylvania

English for Career Development

2206 ratings

University of Pennsylvania

English for Career Development

2206 ratings

Welcome to English for Career Development, a course created by the University of Pennsylvania, and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs. To enroll in this course for free, click on “Enroll now” and then select "Full Course. No certificate." This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in advancing their careers in the global marketplace. In this course, you will learn about the job search, application, and interview process in the United States, while comparing and contrasting the same process in your home country. This course will also give you the opportunity to explore your global career path, while building your vocabulary and improving your language skills to achieve your professional goals. The first unit in this course will introduce the U.S. job application process and provide strategies for identifying the jobs that match your interests and skills. Unit 2 will take you through the steps necessary to produce a professional-looking resume. In unit 3, you will work to develop a clear and concise cover letter. The final unit of the course focuses on networking and interview skills. Anyone may take this course for free. If you want to get a Coursera Verified Certificate for free, please fill out the Financial Aid form. Unless otherwise noted, all course materials are available for re-use, repurposing and free distribution under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution license. Supplemental reading materials were provided by Newsela, which publishes daily news articles at a level that's just right for each English language learner.

From the lesson

Unit 4: Networking

This unit will teach job-seekers language for meeting new people, making small talk, and describing

Networking Elevator speech- What to Say When Networking5:20

Language Focus: Networking Elevator Speech- Delivery5:59

Meet the Instructors

Brian McManus
Language Specialist
English Language Programs
Robyn Turner
Senior Language Specialist
English Language Programs

Hello.

In this video, we're going to talk about the pronunciation and

delivery of a networking elevator speech.

When we are networking, we not only need to think about what we are saying but

also how we are saying it.

We should be aware of our word choices and how we say them.

Speakers who use effective stress, pausing and

intonation are often easier to understand and show confidence.

We will start by defining stress, pausing and intonation and

then we will look at an example of how the delivery can show confidence.

So what are stress, pausing and intonation?

When we talk about stress, we mean words that are longer and louder.

Stressed words are usually important keywords that you want the listener

to hear clearly.

Let's look at an example sentence from Amanda's elevator speech.

Which words are longer and louder?

I've been in sales for about five years.

In this sentence, the word sales and five years are stressed.

These are the words that the listener needs to hear clearly.

Pauses are also important when speaking.

Pauses are the short silence between words.

In English there's usually a pause after stressed words.

Some speakers have longer or shorter pauses, but there is a pause.

Let's look at the same sentence and notice the words that are said together and

where to pause.

I've been in sales for about five years.

Amanda pauses after the word sales and five years.

You should also notice that the pause follows the words with the most stress.

Intonation is the rising or falling of a sound.

Intonation is used to show that you're asking a question or ending a statement.

Rising intonation usually signals that the speaker isn't finished speaking or

signals a yes or no question.

Falling intonation is used to signal the end of a statement or

a wh question that begins with who, what, when, where or how.

Let's look at Amanda's intonation.

Notice how her intonation falls at the end of the statement.

I'm really good at listening to customers.

Now notice that our intonation rises at the end of this yes or no question.

Do you know if Toyota is hiring any new salespeople in this area?

Intonation is important because it shows your level of confidence.

If Amanda has too much rising intonation she would sound like she's asking

too many questions or that she's not sure of herself.

On the other hand,

too much falling intonation can make her sound like she's impatient or unfriendly.

In a networking elevator speech you want to show confidence but

not sound impatient or unfriendly.

If Amanda doesn't sound confident

the other people will not be confident in her skills or abilities.

Likewise, if she sounds impatient,

the other people may think she's not easy to work with.

Now, I'm going to say the networking elevator speech and

model the stress, pausing and intonation that shows confidence.

Pay attention to the words that are louder.

Also notice how I pause and the intonation that I use.

Hello, I'm Amanda Smith and I have been in sales for about five years.

I'm currently looking for a sales position in the auto industry.

One of the thing I like most about sales is meeting

is talking with new customers all the time.

I'm really good at listening to customers and

I'm able to understand what they really want.

Do you know if Toyota is hiring any new salespeople in this area?

Let's review what we've learned about the pronunciation in networking elevator

speeches.

Job seekers who use stress, pausing and intonation effectively

appear more competent and are more likely to be successful in their networking.

Now go onto a game to hear different elevator speeches.

Use what you know about stress, pausing, and

intonation to choose the best networking elevator speeches.

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