Award-Winning Speaker Didi Wong On Mastering Your Elevator Pitch and Turning Every Stranger Into An Ally

Didi Wong is an International Multiple Award-Winning Keynote Speaker who attributes her success to investing in her speaking skills. “I spent more than $50K to master the art of speaking, and that’s the best money I’ve ever spent,” says Wong.

As a Business Mentor, Angel Investor, Venture Capitalist, Serial Entrepreneur, Interior Designer, Best-Selling Author, and mother to four children, effective speaking and articulation are imperative to her success. Without it, Wong says, “I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

What’s your secret to turning every stranger into an ally?

Didi Wong: The first 7-30 seconds of meeting someone, they’re already forming a judgment of you. So it’s my goal to help people make it a good judgment, so they can capitalize on the conversation and get people excited about what you’re saying.  

People may not even realize it, but 93% of a conversation is based on body language. So an elevator pitch is not always about what you say but how you say it. When you master this, you’ll experience a lot more YESes!

Why is the first impression so important?

Didi Wong: I always say just like a toaster turns bread into toast, humans turn what they see into meaning. Let me explain… As humans, we take everything we see and experience, and we try to make meaning out of it. Even if there’s no real meaning to be made out of something. So because we do this, networking and articulation are so important in our everyday interactions. They’re the keys to your success.

The first impression is where the connection is made. If you can’t articulate who you are and what you stand for, then you’ll never truly have any meaningful relationships. Think of it like this, as humans, we gravitate towards people who are like us. That’s what we’re comfortable with. Even though we understand that in order to grow, we have to go where we’re uncomfortable, meet new people, and try new things, we still like that comfortability.

Why do you think more people need to master the art of turning strangers into allies?

Didi Wong: I think many people already know how important turning strangers into allies is because this is my most requested keynote. But, in this day and age, we can meet anyone virtually, whether online or on Zoom, so our potential to make connections with strangers is much greater than it used to be.

Here’s why it’s important to master this skill. Every conversation you have with a stranger could potentially turn into a new connection where they’re an ally. They want to help you. They refer you to someone or even give you money. Helping people master their elevator pitch is one of my passions because I love public speaking, I love PR, and because of this, I started theyesacademy.com to help people level-up their lives.