The Sixty Second Pitch

A common feature of structured networking events, particularly speed networking events is the sixty second pitch. "You only get one chance to make a first impression" is a well worn cliche, overused, but it has a ring of truth nonetheless.

A sixty second pitch is one long first impression. You can make mistakes and rectify them. With experience and practice you can gauge the reaction of your audience, lower the tone of your voice, slow down or speed up. There is excellent advice in this article from business networking techniques.com.

The philosophy to adopt during the sixty second pitch is that you are there to give. Offer yourself as a colleague who will add value to your new colleagues, be generous, aspire to be someone they can Know Like and Trust, and they will be inclined to return the favour.