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What’s your elevator pitch, and how’s it working for you?
Well-crafted pitches are the mainstay of every business and personal branding toolbox. They’re the subject of countless books, podcasts and even a TV game show.
Abbey Kish calls them “aha statements,” and the local corporate trainer, who helps teams and executives sharpen their conversation and presentation skills, offers pointers to help clients evaluate and hone their effectiveness.
The aha statement is one statement, usually less than 20 words and something people can 
hear once and remember. Also, “it’s tactical in the sense that the best response you can receive is, ‘That’s really interesting. Tell me more,’” Kish says.
Getting that permission from the listener is key to the effectiveness of the interaction, she says.
“Once you get someone to say, ‘Tell me more about that,’ boom! They’ve given you permission to say anything you want about what you do,” she says. “The biggest mistake people make is sharing too much information when the listener didn’t ask for it. You have to make sure they’re ready, that they’re in the right frame of mind.”
Through one-on-one trainings and half-day intensives, Kish helps executives and teams build trust every time they speak.
Trust is not only the key to successful relationships. It’s also good for business. A recent PwC Trust in U.S. Business Survey found 93 percent of business executives agree the ability to build and maintain trust improves the bottom line.
“When people trust you, they see your potential. They feel a connection,” says Kish, who began developing her presentation skills in Baton Rouge as a champion high school debater. She started her communication career working with economists at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center before moving to California to lead a customer relations department. She and her husband returned to Baton Rouge during the pandemic, when she started her firm.
Kish’s targeted approach
The key to effective communication, Kish says, is to communicate with intention. Through her custom, hands-on workshops and sessions, she helps clients identify their strengths and eliminate pitfalls.
She puts them through conversation and presentation exercises to identify how the team performs in front of people they don’t know.
“I look at a team to see ‘What do you need in this moment?’ It’s all highly customizable to the strength and maturity of the team and what they’re looking to accomplish,” she says.
How can you and your team benefit from communication consulting?
Anyone who is not getting the results they want from conversations could benefit from Kish’s services, she says:
- If you leave a meeting and say, ‘I don’t know why, but that didn’t go the way I wanted it to.’
- If you’re having a difficult time building rapport with your team.
- If you want to improve your company culture and want to make sure conversations are flowing internally.
- If you’re looking for something to take your team to the next level in 2025.
“Once you get a hold of your conversations, everything else falls into place,” she says.
