The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/4983
the quarterly magazine of ILTA 27 Peer to Peer The benefit of having a speech that concentrates on the values of the IT team is that it can quickly and efficiently instill knowledge, awareness and confidence that the IT group is operating in the interests of the organization and not conducting self-serving matters. More important, this type of speech provides IT with a captive audience to break down barriers to embracing technology, dispel rumors and convey poignant factual information that has the intent to build IT's credibility within the organization. dEVELOPING ThE MESSAGE Know your audience. Whether you are a backroom developer or the CIO, it is critical that you know the people within your organization and the projects they are working on. You don't need to know things in intimate detail, but arming yourself with a high level overview of your firm will pay dividends. When you are taking the elevator ride, you will be able to tailor the delivery of your speech to other passengers. Most firms post useful information on their intranet or public website that can be a wealth of information. Does your firm have a mission or vision statement or strategic goals that employees are aware of? If so, capture these and tailor your message around them. Being able to integrate IT's services and initiatives directly to business requirements, and in many cases to the practice section or individual, will show that IT is not just technetronic. Know your environment. Knowing the audience you are speaking to is one thing, but knowing some of the environmental factors that are influencing their decisions and actions is critical. There are two areas to be cognizant of: • Macroenvironmental These are external environmental issues that are outside of the control of your organization. For example, the current economic climate is probably contributing to the decisions and actions of your audience. It has likely even impacted how your team is functioning. Having tenets of your message focus on how IT is actively working to increase profitability through leveraging current assets or investments (e.g., time and billing from BlackBerry devices) could resonate well with an audience that is concerned about how IT is contributing to the financial viability of the business. • Microenvironmental Internal environmental issues can influence how your business perceives and engages IT. For example, the age of the workforce can direct the success or failure of a well intended IT project. If your message delivery is technical, you might capture the younger generation within the organization but leave more senior staff questioning the purpose. Honing one's message delivery in this area can be difficult because you will need to strike the right balance between not diluting the technical attributes of the IT group and not losing the audience in technical jargon. When in doubt, chat with your HR department or marketing/business development group. They should have a good pulse on the organization and the microenvironmental factors that you need to be aware of, and can assist in developing the success of your message delivery. IT'S NOT AbOuT ALL AbOuT yOu Although it might be difficult not to put your IT initiatives in the spotlight, your message delivery must reflect the IT group as a collective. We like to tout our individual projects because we enjoy the positive attention and accolades received from our peers, but the reality is power brokers within our firms and organizations are not approving budgets, assessing resource requirements or authorizing projects at an employee level. As such, incorporating the team into your 30-second speech will provide clarity to what SmART mOVES THE ElEVATOR SPEECH dO be prepared. The elevator speech opportunity could present itself at any time. Make sure you're tucked-in and presentable. Carry some breath mints ... just in case. dON'T chew gum. Just don't. dO start with a quick introduction. "Hi, I'm ______ from the IT department," works wonders. dON'T launch into your speech like a cannon shot. You don't want to scare anyone. dO be bold. You're not being presumptuous or self-important by extolling the virtues of your department. You're conveying important information. dON'T be overbearing. That doesn't mean that you should bludgeon others with your message.