First Class Sales

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Draft and deliver a concise, relevant opening response to the question 'What do you do?' tailored to a potential industry buyer or partner.

Use it when: Use during sales, consulting, or networking workshops when participants need to practice crisp, non-pushy introductions that lead into two-way dialogue.

Skip it when: Skip when participants do not have an external product, service, or professional specialty to represent, or when the focus is on long-form negotiation rather than initial introductions.

Group arrangement: Solo preparation followed by trios or pairs, with whole-room debrief

Timing: Source allocates 20 minutes for drafting followed by sharing and review. UWT structures total delivery into a 45-minute session to allow structured small-group rehearsal.

Materials and tools

• One blank sheet of scratch paper per participant
• One pen or pencil per participant
• One copy of the Scenario Prompt Card per participant or displayed on a central screen
• One countdown timer visible to the room

Before participants arrive

1. Print Scenario Prompt Cards or write the flight scenario prominently on a whiteboard.
2. Arrange seating so participants can easily turn to face a partner or form groups of three.

Say this to open

Imagine you are traveling for business. Your flight was overbooked, so the airline bumped you into First Class. You take your seat and notice the person next to you is reading an industry publication directly relevant to your field. As you buckle in, they look over and ask: 'So, what is it you do then?' Take the next ten minutes to write a concise spoken answer that explains your work and invites them to keep talking.

How to run it

1. Introduce scenario and set constraints 5 minutes

   Read the opening script. Post the scenario text where all can see. State the speaking constraint: responses must take no more than 45 seconds when spoken aloud. Provide a neutral example of a conversational opening versus a heavy pitch.

2. Draft individual responses 10 minutes

   Participants work silently and individually on scratch paper to draft their spoken reply. Remind them at the five-minute mark to practice timing their draft quietly to keep it under 45 seconds.

3. Practice in trios or pairs 18 minutes

   Divide the room into trios (or pairs if numbers require). Set roles: Person A speaks their response; Person B plays the seatmate and reacts naturally; Person C acts as timekeeper and observer. Rotate roles every five minutes so each person speaks. After each turn, the partner and observer give one minute of direct feedback on two points: was it clear, and did it invite conversation?

4. Debrief and capture core techniques 12 minutes

   Bring the full room together. Hear sample opening lines from two or three volunteers. Facilitate a discussion on what makes an opening line hook attention without sounding like an aggressive sales pitch.

Debrief questions

• Which opening lines made you want to ask a follow-up question, and what made them effective?
• Where did people get stuck between explaining technical details and keeping the answer conversational?
• What is the risk of trying to close a sale during that very first interaction on an airplane?

Finished output: A written and practiced 30 to 45 second verbal introduction tailored to an industry-adjacent stranger.

Remote

Display the scenario on a shared slide. Keep solo drafting in the main room with cameras on or off. Move participants into breakout rooms of three for 18 minutes to practice and exchange feedback, using a broadcast message to signal role switches every five minutes. Reassemble in the main room for the final debrief via open mic or chat box.

Hybrid

In-person participants pair with in-person colleagues; remote participants join virtual breakout rooms in parallel. Both cohorts use the same timing, scenario card, and debrief prompts. Whole-room sharing alternates between one in-person speaker and one remote speaker.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may read their response directly from notes or deliver it from memory.
• Anyone uncomfortable speaking may take the role of timekeeper and observer during small-group practice, or share their draft purely in writing.

If the session gets stuck

Participants write long essays that take several minutes to read aloud.

Enforce a strict 45-second cap using a visible timer. Tell participants to cut everything except one clear problem they solve and one open question back to the listener.

Participants immediately launch into aggressive closing tactics.

Remind the room that the goal on an airplane is starting a rapport-building conversation, not demanding a signed contract before takeoff.

Terms used here

• Elevator Pitch: A brief, persuasive spoken summary used to spark interest in what you or your organization does.