At an alumni event, the president of my alma mater approached me and asked what I did for a living. I explained I was in training and development. He nodded politely and moved on. Moments later he addressed the room, welcoming all the alums and updated us on the university’s new projects. A major initiative was a long-term project to transition hundreds of undergraduate courses from face-to-face delivery to 100% self-paced online. As he spoke, I thought to myself “Shoot! That’s something I do!” Had I better explained my skills, I might have opened the door to a great conversation with the president, or even some work.
A career in eLearning guarantees you will wear many hats. As you acquire skills and specialties, it’s critical to clearly articulate what you do. Regardless of whether your customers are internal clients or external consumers, you must convince them that you can enhance their business. And because you do so much, it’s crucial to sum up your specialties and skills in a few sentences to sell yourself. Therefore, practice your “elevator speech” -what you do and why it’s important-, summed up in 2 minutes or less. Consider versions for different audiences (your learners, your boss, perspective clients, etc.) and tailor your pitches for each type. Practice your pitch on friends to check for understanding. No matter how amazing your portfolio is, you must be able to promote it to the person you’re in front of. Becoming a “pro” at anything happens when you merge practice and experience; practice how to communicate your experience in order to open the door to new opportunities.