MODULE: Business fundamentals SUBJECT TITLE: Idea pitch and business model Nadzeya Putsiata
Subject title
Purpose of the activity
Duration
Location and tools Number of participants
Acquaintance/ team building methods
Idea pitch and business model
The aim of the session is to acquaint the participants with the methods of quick presentation of an idea and creation of a business model, developing the skill to generate and shape a business idea at the same time managing time efficiently.
2–3 hours.
Chairs, projector, flip chart, writing tools, large paper sheets.
10–30 participants. Participants freely allocate in space and are invited to walk there freely. The leader establishes different speeds: very slow, very fast, medium speed, and so on. He/she can also come up with some creative speeds: space speed, rocket speed, rest speed, learning speed. This will encourage participants to look creatively at the task. At some point, the leader suddenly says “STOP”, and, upon hearing this sign, each participant looks into the eyes of one of the participants he/she sees first at that moment, and those two participants who looked at each other at that moment keep telling one another about themselves for one minute. Then the participants start moving again. Participants hear the “STOP” signal several times and thus get the opportunity to talk to 3–4 different participants. This method is a great introduction to the topic of idea pitch. PART I. AN IDEA PITCH Task no. 1 Participants are invited to write an Elevator Pitch of their project and share it with all participants, carefully following the time. The entire presentation should be no longer than 90 seconds. To make it easier for the participants, they can get acquainted with the first presentations of world-famous companies.
Practical tasks
Task no. 2 In the next phase, participants are invited to contact their friends and acquaintances and present their idea in an analogous Elevator Pitch format. Do the listeners understand everything? What questions do they raise? Depending on the results, participants are invited to supplement the presentation text. Task no. 3 Finally, participants are invited to call their grandmother, grandfather, or other senior representative they know and give their presentation for the third time. Does this time the listener also understands everything? One of the key aspects of an idea pitch success is its simplicity and lightness when understanding the idea. Participants are invited to refine the existing idea for the third time. PART II: BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS The group of participants is divided into smaller groups of 4–5 people, in which everyone is invited to create a canvas of their created business model according to the presented theory.
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