The two-second statement

You know what hasn't been mentioned here in a while?

The two-second statement!

Amy Gahran has been working to hone her own "elevator speech" regarding what blogging and conversational media actually is into an easy, engaging conversation-starter for her clients. Read about her process in this entry from her Right Conversation blog. She says,

Before I can explain anything about conversational media, I need to help people put themselves in that picture. I need for them to feel connected to, not removed from, a new concept. That means focusing on the familiar elements.

First, a point of differentiation. An "elevator speech" is more of a 20-second story, so named because 20 seconds is the approximate amount of time between floors during an elevator ride. The two-second  statement, however, is actually a short statement (five to eight words)  of a single benefit for the listener. For example, "I help people create and manage wealth," "I return phone calls," or "I wrangle geeks so you don't have to."

And yes, the idea EXACTLY of the two-second statement (or in her case, the two-second definition) is to engage the listener and get the person to, as she says, "put themselves in the picture." The idea is to draw in the listener somehow--through humor, irony, a clever juxtaposition, a buzzword, or a thought-provoking phrase--and get her to start asking questions about you, your idea and your product or service.