Activity: One-Minute Elevator Pitch

Establishing a culture of accessibility in an organization requires buy-in from senior management. These managers may not always understand the implications of accessibility barriers on the company. Using the knowledge you have gained to this point, write an elevator pitch to convince a senior manager that accessibility is important to the company.

If you are not familiar with elevator pitches, they often unfold when you, the speaker, getting on the elevator, happen to run into a key senior person in the company, who typically spends her day running from meeting to meeting. You have her as a captive audience for one minute while the elevator ascends. This is the only opportunity you will have to pitch your idea to this person, and if you succeed in convincing this person, she will support you in your effort.

Your task in this activity is to convince one of the following people that digital accessibility is very important and you have a good idea that is sure to benefit the company. You may want to consider different arguments to convince different people.

• President/Chief Executive Officer
• Director of Marketing
• IT Manager/Chief Information Officer
• General Manager
• Human Resource Director

For help with creating your elevator pitch, read Mindtools’s How to Create an Elevator Pitch.