Reinvent Ed: Video Pitch Competition
Tips for preparation
Consider including the following in your video
- Who you are: Your name(s) and a few words about yourself
- What you’re working on: Your “elevator” pitch describing what your project is. (A curriculum, a program, a material, a pedagogical method, a resource, a platform, an app, etc.) What does it do? Who is it for? (A resource to help teachers ... An after-school curriculum for middle school girls ... An app to help school principals track their time...
- Sometimes it helps to link your project to a well-known thing. For example:
“It’s Uber for dog-sitters.”
“It’s like Montessori for big kids.”
“It’s an enrichment program plus a social club.”
“This is an afterschool program with a twist.”
- Background. What problem or need is the project trying to solve? What is wrong with the status quo? How did you come up with the idea?
- Explanation. How does the product or program you suggest will work? What is the essence of your solution to the problem you identified? An image, an example, or a short story would be very helpful here.
- Evidence. How do you know your solution can make a real difference? If you can go beyond anecdotal evidence, that would be great.
- Competition. You should be aware of similar solutions, and show that yours is better. Do your homework and show the competitive advantage of your idea.
- Scaling up. What do you want to do with this project? What needs to happen next to scale it up?
- Support. What are you asking your audience to do? Do you need funding? Allies? Administrative support? Volunteers? Investors? Media exposure? This is a pitch, so what is it, exactly, you are pitching?
OTHER THINGS TO REMEMBER:
- Try to alternate the talking head with some pictures of slides. This may require a little editing, but is totally worth it.
- Some examples of free editing software are iMovie (for Apple devices) and Windows Movie Maker. Most phones and tablets have free or trial software that is relatively easy to use.
- This is not an academic presentation. Do not cite references or sources.
- Be confident and sell yourself and your project! Focus on the impact of your idea on your target audience and the emotional appeal of your solution. Clearly state what the project is at the outset of your presentation.