Elevator pitches

Each slot lasts 5 minutes within a session of up to 10 presentations in a 60 minute session.

The slot:

• 3 minutes' presentation
• 2 minutes for questions
• up to 3 slides including the title slide

The speaker has 3 minutes to put forward their key argument about why their work matters (why someone should want to come and find out more). The format encourages people to present ideas differently. For example, start with one clear statement or idea of the bottom line and then back it up (in contrast to the more conventional approach of building to a concluding final statement). This type of presentation is useful for engaging new audiences and is a useful skill for people to develop, as well as good format by which to showcase a range of ideas and so invite further engagement.

Remember to focus on one clear point and try not to include too much detail because there won't be time.

Guidance for elevator pitchers

You will be allowed up to 3 slides (including the title).

Do

• be judicious about what you include on your slides.
• keep it simple - tell us what your research /educational innovation is, how you did it /are doing it, what you discovered and why it is important.
• rehearse your pitch and if you can’t do all of the above in 3 minutes you could choose to focus on one aspect of it (the “hook”) and reduce the number of slides.

Don't

• overfill the slides as the type face will be too small and people won’t be able to see what you have written.
• overrun your time slot of 3 minutes - you will be stopped at 3 minutes. .

During your questions the next pitcher will be loading their presentation.

Here are some examples of elevator pitches from last year.

And our Top Tips guide.