It’s one of the most time-honoured pieces of career advice: Have a strong elevator pitch. When asked “What do you do?”, be able to tell someone exactly who you are and what you do in 30 to 60 seconds. But is the quick-hit pitch really the best way to build meaningful professional relationships? In practice, elevator pitches are often one-sided, overly rehearsed, and easily forgotten. They feel more like self-promotional monologues than genuine invitations to connect. Instead of cramming your value proposition into a short burst of speech, invite people into a two-way exchange. Let the relationship evolve through a series of open-ended conversations. This is the concept I call “corridors of conversation”. Why the Elevator Pitch Falls Short Elevator pitches prioritise efficiency over connection. They’re designed for speed, as an information dump, not depth and understanding. Humans don’t absorb information well when it’s broadcast at them in a tight package. According to Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, people process new ideas more effectively when they’re contextualised in back-and-forth dialogue. Others have noted that professional communication …