My elevator speech

This is the first of our communiques from the Pilgrimmaster of the Hospitaller Order of St. John-USA.  We are developing this blog to put in some history,  information, and items of interest to members and to those whom you think might like to know more about our order.

There is a new buzz phrase that business folks are adding to their repertoire. It is called  "elevator speech".
 If you are asked, what do you do, you have got to put it into words that will last the time it takes to go an elevator's floor's distance.
For instance, if a passer-by gets into the elevator with you and says "Hi", you say "Hi", then they say "what do you do?"; you have got the rest of that elevator ride distance to get it out or say nothing.

Maybe simply handing them your business card will do.

We members of the Order of St. John have always had a difficult time, summarizing what we do and who we are in a simple set of sentences.
So, here is  a sugestion.


My elevator speech:
It takes an organized mind to say in less than a minute what HOSJ is all about. It is frustrating to try to get it all out and not loose the inquiring person's interest. When the pin is worn in the lapel, or someone knows of your interests, and they ask; this is my response.

What does that pin mean? or What is this Order that you are in?

My answer:

1) It is the chivalric Order of St. John.

2) It is an honorary organization that has its roots in the 11th century AD

3) The first members of the Order set up a hospital in Jerusalem for the purpose of ministering to the health needs of the Christians and their entourage who were on pilgrimage to the Holy sites.

4) Today, it is still a Christian, non-denominational, order spanning the globe. In the United States and
Canada, we are focused on each member doing "good works" wherever they are.

5) As an Order, we support various charitable organizations at home and abroad.

6) We study the past to understand the present. The history and heritage of the Order are almost
spellbinding. Tradition matters to us, especially in our ceremonies of chivalry and knighthood.
 
Now, that takes about two floors of elevator time.
You can tell by the third sentence if they are spellbound!
If they want to know more, then give them the blog email address ( on the back of your business card, of course) and that link will have all that history stuff that we get bogged down in.
 
Hope this is helpful to you and will help you organize your thoughts about who you are!

MCMixon,DC
Pilgrimmaster