Elevator pitch for a physiotherapist.

Elevator pitch is a quick overview of what you do, given typically in 60 seconds or less. If you are in the elevator with someone, how would you introduce yourself before the elevator reaches their floor? That is where the term “Elevator pitch ” comes from. In this article today, let’s see how to give an elevator pitch  as a physiotherapist.

As a physiotherapist why do you need to have an elevator pitch ready?

As a physiotherapist your elevator pitch  can come in handy if you are at a job interview, interacting with potential patients or other stakeholders. Elevator pitch basically answers the question, “ Tell me about yourself.” It is important to give a prompt answer that precisely explains what you do while sparking the listener’s interest in knowing more. Keep in mind it has to finish within a minute, before your listener starts yawning! 

As a physiotherapist when do you require an elevator pitch ?

Remember how many times someone said something like “So, you give massages?” “What is physiotherapy?” “What do you do as a physiotherapist?”. This is the right time for your elevator pitch. If you start talking in too much detail, the other person may lose their interest. This the time to say something just enough so that they are intrigued and want to know more. 

Elevator pitch will come in handy at your physiotherapy job interview. Most of the time the first question that the interviewer will ask is “Tell me something about yourself”. It is important to answer this question properly since this can make or mar your first impression with the interviewer. 

How to give an elevator pitch?

Identify your goal

First get clear as to why you are preparing your elevator pitch. Who is the listener? Content of the elevator pitch changes based on the situation. If you are at the job interview, you will need to highlight your academic and professional achievements in your pitch. If you are talking with someone who might be a potential patient at your clinic, you will need to keep your pitch simple. In that case, you must avoid medical jargon and keep language understandable to a layman. 

Identify your strengths

You should wrap up your elevator pitch in 60 seconds or less. That is a relatively small period of time. So don’t go on listing all of your achievements in life. Recognize the ones that are most relevant to the context and highlight those. For example, if you are at the job interview, be sure to mention any certifications, specializations you may have completed. If you are talking to a patient, tell them how effectively you treated the exact condition they have or number of years of experience you have (if you are a seasoned professional).

Craft your pitch  

Based on the context and your accomplishments, start writing your elevator pitch. Yes! Write it down, even if it has only 3-4 sentences. Explain what you do. Make sure to communicate what’s unique about your work. If possible start humbly and end on a high note. You may end your elevator pitch  by imposing a question. Also, the elevator pitch doesn’t always have to be a “pitch” per se. You can tactfully slide it in a conversation. Get creative and modify it based on the situation and person in front of you. 

Qualities of effective elevator pitch 

• Concise: The approximate time frame for a pitch should be 60 seconds or less.
• Relevant: It should be relevant to the situation and person you are talking to.
• Conversational: Make sure it has a conversational flow. Pitch needs to be natural and not preachy
• Interesting: Pitch has to spark another person’s interest in your work and shouldn’t sound self-boasting
• Clear: You have to be clear on the message you want to deliver. So that you don’t leave another person confused.

Practice, practice, practice

This step is sooo important! I know many candidates freak out in their head when asked, “so tell me about yourself”. If you are with an important stakeholder, it is natural to get nervous. The antidote to that is practice. Write it down on a piece of paper. Practice your elevator pitch in front of a mirror. Practice until you feel confident about it. 

Sample elevator pitches for physiotherapists

At the job interview 

Interviewer: “So tell me about yourself”

Answer: “I completed my Bachelor’s in physiotherapy from XYZ university. I have always been interested in working as a sports physiotherapist. So during my final year, I started going to XYZ sports academy near me and completed an observership with a physiotherapist over there. After my final year exam, I volunteered for several marathons, walkathons and local sports events as an on field physiotherapist. During my internship, I completed a project on basketball athletes checking a correlation between core strength and agility. Meanwhile, in the evenings, I continued working at the sports academy treating a variety of basketball, badminton players along with some swimmers during their off season. I wish to continue to expand my experience by working with athletes playing different sports, treating them on and off season. In my free time, I like to workout, go on long runs or read books” 

When talking to your potential patient

“So my neck has been hurting since I started working on my new project. Do you think physiotherapy can help? I am not sure.”

“Yes! Ever since many people  started working from home, I have been seeing more patients with neck or back pain. I think there is no clear distinction between work and home. So, people end up working at the dining table or on the couch. Most of the time our home furniture can not support our long hours of work leading to pain. In physiotherapy, we address the pain by correcting muscle imbalances. For that, I will give you a few exercises to work on. I can also evaluate your work environment and suggest modifications based on ergonomic principles. Along with that I will teach you strategies to manage pain and keep the pain from recurring again. In the last month alone I treated  about 6 patients with similar problems, 4 of them got better and were discharged, I am still treating 2 of them who are doing much better and likely to be discharged next week.”

If you are in a more informal setting, you can slide it in a conversation. Nevertheless, pitch should give an idea about your expertise and why you should be a person of choice for the listener. So are you ready when next time someone asks you, “So, what do you do?”

I know finding a job and launching a career can be intimidating. Not knowing what to do next can make it worse. But there are so many physiotherapists in India who are doing well professionally. So can you! I believe in you. If you stumble on your way, feel free to reach out to me or DM me on Instagram. I am happy to help!