The What-If-You-Could Pitch Structure
Four sentence starters that build a persuasive elevator pitch on the fly.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 90%
For short persuasion like an elevator pitch, Abrahams uses four sentence starters you simply complete: 'What if you could,' 'so that,' 'for example,' and 'and that's not all.' Each does a job: the opener grabs attention, 'so that' establishes relevance, 'for example' grounds it in memorable detail, and 'and that's not all' expands the value beyond the moment. Because you're finishing prompts rather than composing from scratch, you can pitch persuasively with no preparation.
Origin
This is one of the situation-specific structures in the second half of Think Faster, Talk Smarter, which pairs each of six spontaneous speaking situations with a tailored structure.
Core principles
- 01Each sentence starter does a specific persuasive job.
- 02Attention is the most precious commodity, so the pitch opens by grabbing it.
- 03We remember specific detail better than high-level information.
- 04Finishing four prompts is easier under pressure than composing from scratch.
How to run it
- 1
What if you could
Open with a possibility that grabs the listener's attention.
Pro tip Attention is the most precious commodity in the world today, so the opener must earn it.
- 2
So that
State the benefit that makes the possibility relevant to this specific listener.
- 3
For example
Ground the pitch in a concrete, detailed scenario the listener can picture.
Pro tip We remember detail better than high-level information, so make the example vivid.
- 4
And that's not all
Extend and expand the value beyond the immediate benefit.
In the wild
Hala challenges Abrahams to pitch a Mac laptop with no warning. He runs the four prompts: what if you could access all your information in a sleek device, so that you're prepared with information at your fingertips, for example imagine building a presentation on a flight from LA to New York, and that's not all — you get a whole community of supportive apps and users.
→ A coherent, persuasive pitch delivered instantly, demonstrating spontaneous persuasion from four sentence starters.
Common mistakes
Leading with features instead of a possibility
Opening with specs rather than 'what if you could' fails to grab the attention the rest of the pitch depends on.
Skipping the concrete example
Without a vivid 'for example,' the pitch stays abstract and listeners won't remember it.
Is it for you?
Best for
Entrepreneurs and anyone who needs to persuade quickly with an elevator pitch.
Not ideal for
Neutral informational updates or feedback, where What/So What/Now What fits better.
From the transcript
“What if you could, so that, for example, and that's not all. If you finish those four sentence starters, you have a good pitch.”
“What if you could gets people's attention. Attention is the most precious commodity we have in the world today.”
From the episode
Matt Abrahams: Spontaneous Speaking for Entrepreneurs, How to Communicate Confidently On the Spot
Matt Abrahams