What is the goal of this module?
In the dreaming phase, young people have been working on a prototype of their pop-up business. They might have actually piloted their product/service/activity, or they might have worked on a scale model. The goal of the pitching phase is to present their prototype to a wider audience and get input and feedback.
This wider audience preferably includes neighbourhood residents, members from the community (who have been involved in the community analysis in the Discover Phase). It can also include fellow students, parents, friends, teachers, business representatives.
The feedback and input the students receive in the pitch phase will be crucial information for the next phase: the design phase, in which they will start working on a proper business model and fully develop their business.
What are the learning outcomes?
At the end of the PITCH module, …
- The learner is able to persevere even when facing difficulties.
- The learner is able to present himself/herself and their business idea with confidence.
- The learner is able to handle feedback on a business idea, and to consider feedback as a learning opportunity.
- The learner shows presentation skills, and can visually and verbally present and ‘sell’ a business idea.
- The learner shows enthusiasm for challenges.
- The learner can formulate feedback to peers in a constructive manner.
- The learner can persuade, involve and inspire others in value-creating activities.
Key elements for this module
The table below depicts the key elements for this module. For this module, it is important to start with a workshop or training and only then organize the actual pitch event. The workshop or training should be adapted to the pitching event: if this occurs online or with the support of social media, it is a good idea to include training on the use of social media.
For each of the elements, several tools and approaches are formulated. The concrete tools can also be consulted through the toolbox on the SPEED You UP website. In the next section of the template, you can find three options on how to build up this module concretely, depending on the resources and time that is available at your school.
Session plans
Options
Organise workshops, for which you can ask external support or collaborate with other schools or project partners. Then organize a pitching event for a broader audience.
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Pitch Reflection15m each |
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Pitch event 90 minutes or longer |
Prepare the pitching, have a small-scale pitching event in school
Total duration: 3-4 hours
The minimum is to use 2 h to prepare the pitching and then do a small-scale pitching event, where students present their business ideas to each other and a small audience that gives supportive feedback.
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Pitch Reflection15m each |
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Prepare for pitching90 minutes |
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Pitch event 90 minutes or longer |
In the online option, the workshops and training are provided online through movie clips and interactive chat sessions. Then, young people prepare their pitch online. The pitch event is organised online and the audience can also give feedback through an online chat function, based on predefined criteria.
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Pitch Reflection15m each |
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Training on demand90 minutes or longer |
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Prepare for pitching90 minutes |
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Pitch event 90 minutes or longer |
Important! It is crucial that students receive not only general feedback (e.g. ‘it is really nice’, ‘interesting’) but that they get specific information that will help them in the design phase. They need to get an understanding of:
- Is the business idea/product/service clear to the audience? Does everyone understand what the business is about?
- Is their business idea/service/product attractive? Why? What would make it even more appealing?
- Would people use or buy their product/service? Why?
- What is lacking? Where are the potential pitfalls or flaws?
Important! The pitch phase serves as a first but important business check. Feedback of the audience helps the group of young people to make further decisions about their business.
- We definitely want to avoid young people hearing that their business idea is not viable at all. Normally this should not happen. Going through the discovery and dream phases as planned should avoid this. However, it is possible that young people get a lot of remarks, feedback, tips & tricks of the audience, … It is important to prepare them for this and to help them to reappraise what they could see as ‘criticism’ or even failure to ‘support’, or things that can help them forward – and avoid that they go through the whole trajectory with a non-viable business idea.
- Furthermore, the feedback and questions that young people will be presented with are the starting point for the next phase, the design phase. It is key that young people ànd the audience understand the role and value of this and the previous phase: they have been motivated into being creative and proactive, without already having all the knowledge and expertise to build an actual business. So it is natural that there are still gaps in the young people’ knowledge. These will be ‘filled’ in the next phase.
Idea! It could be nice to organize the pitch phase as a wider event, where people from the neighbourhood are invited. It could be a ‘connecting activity’ – the community aspect is really part of the spirit of the SYU project.