Stop rambling. Get your story straight.

“The Elevator Pitch” – most people get a sinking feeling when they think about it. “How can I possibly squeeze my entire life into 15 seconds?” The answer: you can’t. What you can do is examine who you are and what you stand for, and put it into clear, simple prose – in other words, a story that others can retell (over and over again), but that is still authentically you.

And who better to mentor you in the art of keeping your story short, sweet, and smart than Larry Smith, master of the Six-Word Memoir phenomenon, and Allison Hemming, The Hired Guns’ very own Top Gun, personal branding expert and networker extraordinaire?

Get set for a highly participatory course, with limited capacity (hint: sign up fast!), that will get you up and moving and comfortable sharing your story … specifically:

• the “So, tell me about yourself” (The first thing an interviewer says)
• the “So, what do you do?” (The classic cocktail party/networking event opener)
• the “15-second Elevator Pitch”

In one fast-paced evening, we’ll hone your story and teach you how to make it grow along with you as your career progresses.  When it’s all over, you will walk out of The Hired Guns Hive able to confidently handle each of these situations with ease.  And better still, have your classmates out there passing your story on!

Your Instructors:

Larry Smith is the founder and editor of SMITH Magazine, the online community known for mastering the art of personal storytelling. Editor of the bestselling Six-Word Memoir book series, Larry has led storytelling workshops for audiences from the Hewlett Foundation to ESPN to second grade classes. He’s a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Follow Larry on Twitter.

Allison Hemming is the founder and Top Gun of The Hired Guns, a talent agency that represents the best of the creative class. She is author of the popular job-hunting book Work It! How to Get Ahead, Save Your Ass and Land a Job in Any Economy! (Fireside/Simon & Schuster) and creator of the Pink Slip Parties, a job networking event that has been replicated around the globe for nearly a decade. Follow Allison on Twitter.

Details:

Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Time: 6:00-9:00 PM
Place: The Hired Guns Hive, 33 West 17th Street, New York, NY
Cost: $99
Instructors: Larry Smith and Allison Hemming
Pre-requisites:  A sense of humor. And a good dose of humility – you’ll get some tough feedback, but you’ll love us for it!