Elevator Pitch: Generating Curiosity About Your Marital Art in Two Minutes or Less

“An elevator pitch, elevator speech, lift speech, or elevator statement is a short description of an idea, product, or company that explains the concept in a way such that any listener can understand it in a short period of time... The goal is simply to convey the overall concept or topic being pitched in a concise and exciting way... The name—elevator pitch—reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver the summary in the time span of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds to two minutes.”

-- Wikipedia

Early on a Sunday morning this past October, I and another of our deshi stopped for coffee on the way to the Ittō Tenshin Ryū Taikai. We were, of course, dressed in our “uniform” -- navy blue blazer, white shirt, regimental tie, gray trousers. The barista noticed that we were attired more formally than her usual clientele. She asked why we were dressed so. I explained that we were students of a tradition of Japanese swordsmanship on our way to train. This led to a brief exchange about the study of Japanese martial arts (she had lived for a short time in Japan) which concluded as she handed us our drinks, and I handed her a Yūgen Dōjō business card.

“I never know how to respond when asked why I’m dressed more formally than is typical,” offered my companion as we walked back to the car. I think many of us feel the same awkwardness when someone expresses curiosity about any of the telltale signs of our tradition-- our more refined attire, the way we address each other by title and surname, and the way we manifest, in general, an “orderly being.” How does one explain the relation of these qualities to our study of kenjutsu and describe that they are, in fact, intrinsic to our tradition? How do you summarize in a conversation of, perhaps, only a minute or two, this profound thing that inspires us to continue on this path and return to the Dōjō day after day, week after week, year after year?

In short, we need to have an elevator pitch at the ready.

I don’t think there is one, standard elevator pitch that should be adopted by all the deshi. We share a collective experience; the Ryū doesn’t change to fit us individually; through nyūnanshin and shoshin, we fit into the Ryū (ultimately, we and the Ryū are simply one and the same). So, inevitably, our elevator pitches will have themes and ideas in common. Nevertheless, we each have our own reasons for coming to the Ryū in the first place and our own motives for remaining on this path. It behooves each of us to spend a bit of time in mokusō thinking about why you are a deshi of this tradition. Ask yourself, what were you seeking when you sought out this training? Is the tradition leading you to that which you sought? What is it that keeps you here in our Ryū? We each need to answer these questions for ourselves.

Now comes tricky part—put those answers succinctly into words. Compose a concise, impactful statement that captures your answers to the questions above in a way that someone would have at least a sukoshi of insight into what we do and, ideally, have some curiosity to learn more about our tradition. This is hard. I can ramble at length about my study of the Ryū. I meander through a dictionary’s worth of words trying to capture what is, in the final analysis, ineffable. But to distill it into an economical few sentences (which are still, at best, an approximation)—this is a problem.

Moreover, having an elevator pitch ready to deploy when the opportunity arises is in alignment with this year’s theme of expansion. We have been challenged to work on expanding the lessons of our tradition to a wider audience. Internet marketing, social media posts, etc. notwithstanding, sometimes the best advertisement is that serendipitous conversation that touches upon this unique thing that we do. But if you haven’t given some thought to your elevator pitch ahead of time, there’ll be a gap, and the moment will be lost.

Here’s my elevator pitch: I sought something that had more depth to it than the other arts I studied in the past. I discovered that this tradition of swordsmanship goes way beyond simply learning how to swing a sword. For me, it is a laboratory for discovering how to live truly, unfettered from illusory ideas, orderly in thinking and bearing, and empowered to deal with conflict and act despite fears and doubts.

Your turn. What’s your pitch?