Do not speak too fast – you only have a short time to convey a lot of information. Do not try to fix this problem by speaking quickly. This will just make it hard for listeners to take in your message.

Avoid rambling – practice your elevator speech.

While you do not want to over-rehearse, and sound stilted, you also do not want to have unfocused or unclear sentences in your pitch or get off-track.

Do not frown or speak in a monotone – here is one of the downsides to rehearsing: it can leave you more focused on remembering the exact words you want to use, and less on how you are carrying yourself. Keep your energy level high, positive, and enthusiastic. Modulate your voice to keep listeners interested and keep your facial expression friendly.

Do not restrict yourself to a single elevator pitch – say you are interested in pursuing two fields — Executive Assistant and Office Manager. Many of your communication skills will apply to both those fields, but you will want to adapt your pitch depending on who you are speaking to. You may also want to have a more casual, personal pitch prepared for social settings.