From the Desk of the ACCP President

June 24, 2024
Brian A. Hemstreet, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS

What Is Your ACCP Elevator Pitch?

One of the typical activities during an election year is listening to candidates deliver their “elevator pitch” (sometimes also called an “elevator speech”) to various stakeholders and potential constituents. These are often very engaging, succinct messages (usually 30 seconds to 3 minutes long) intended to convey essential information related to the candidate’s strengths, the focus of their campaign, and how they will achieve constructive changes for voters, if elected. If the audience is engaged and finds the messaging positive, they may ultimately support the candidate.

ACCP board members have frequent interactions with a variety of stakeholders both within and external to the profession. These interactions often require articulating what ACCP stands for as an organization, including characterizing the College’s membership, organizational strengths and priorities, and objectives of its advocacy efforts. These usually need to be accomplished within a limited time interval. Hence, each board member needs to have an “ACCP elevator pitch” at the ready.

ACCP members also serve as ambassadors for the College and clinical pharmacy. Therefore, I encourage members to develop their own elevator pitch to convey the unique aspects of ACCP and clinical pharmacy to key audiences. Whether at their workplace, a school or college campus, a local or national meeting, a state legislator’s office, or on Capitol Hill, members can help communicate how ACCP and clinical pharmacists positively influence patient care.

Many resources are available that show how to construct an elevator pitch. Examples I’ve found helpful include https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/elevator-pitch-examples and https://www.mindtools.com/aofwxxv/crafting-an-elevator-pitch. I also encourage members to refer to the Policy, Practice, and Government Affairs section of the ACCP website for some specifics to include in their pitch. This section contains important resources and concise explanations of ACCP’s major priorities and strategies. The website’s Advocacy Resources section is also quite helpful in answering common questions that stakeholders ask regarding professional or political advocacy. The ACCP staff have done an excellent job of compiling this information to assist members.

As we continue to seek opportunities to advance ACCP and clinical pharmacy, I hope you will take the opportunity to think about what you might include in your personal elevator pitch and perhaps even try it out during your next stakeholder interaction. Thank you again for your ongoing efforts on behalf of the College and clinical pharmacy. I hope to see many of you in October at the ACCP Annual Meeting in Phoenix.