How often are you asked what you do and when you start to explain you see the person you are talking to start to twitch, their eyes glaze over and they are desperately trying not to check their phone for something more interesting. One way to avoid that is to have an “elevator pitch” explanation ready. This is simply a plain English, well-rehearsed explanation about what you do, why it’s important and why people should care. It sounds easy but it’s not. This brief section will explain the key things you need to keep in mind when developing an “elevator pitch” and the things you definitely need to avoid.