SPEED DATING FOR STARTUPS/WORLD CAFE METHODOLOGY
a.Describe the process of “speed dating” you have participated. How was the interaction experience overall?
Last Monday, during the course ‘’Introduction to Advertising and Public Relations, we practiced two methodologies to move forward with our media and communication startup projects.(Speed dating and World Cafe Methodology). Concerning Speed dating/networking,can be one of the most powerful and productive activities an individual can do to launch and manage his/her career.In the workplace today,we need to be known to others as well as ensure that others are aware of how me might be a resource for them.Speed networking is a structured and fast paced networking event that allows participants to interact with others.Is the business version of speed dating and its a way to let pitchers know who you are and what you are looking for,whether new customers or clients,business or sales leads,or a new job or internship.’’Round robin’’ is the name of the typical format for speed networking.The event leader usually rings a bell,sounds a buzzer,or blows a whistle to indicate the beginning and the end of each round.Once the round begins,you introduce yourself explaining the purpose of your presence,share your business card and brochure.At the halfway point,the conversation switches to the second person,who introduces himself/herself and his/her reason for attending.After a second exchange of information,the event leader rings a bell and you move on the the next person.Nowadays,its remarkable that everything is about speed,faster meals,cars etc.Pairing up people with a purpose can achieve excellent learning and networking results. Undoubtedly,’’speed dating’’ process can offer a big variety of benefits.Specifically,one of the main goals is to meet individuals who can directly be a help to you.Each person you meet has a network of individuals they know and it may be one of those people who will be a good match for you.The key to business success is not just what you know,but also who you know.Moreover,it is great to meet other people in a similar situation than you and at the same time you exercise to be able to say everything in a few words.Time is very commodity for most of us and the ability to make new contacts in a short period of time is priceless.Last but not least,is worth mentioning that speed networking is also a perfect people and help them work on their pitch.
b. Pitch in 3–4 lines what is your startup project and link to another article (you have written in more detail about your startup project if you have it already published)
We would like to introduce you our startup, Υγea. A medical site, that saves your medical history and it provides you, 24/7, video consultation for common conditions, such as a cold or a flu, as well as for psychological support for a really reasonable price. After the session our specialists prescribe you the appropriate medication and ship it automatically to your home.
https://medium.com/@GianFnc/4b54979a5234
c.How was the experience fast-dating pitching to your peers?
The experience of fast -dating pitching to our peers i can easily say that was exceptionally interesting as an idea.As usual,in the beginning even if you are really experienced about pitching you feel nervous and kinda sweaty.Finally,it ended up to be a great experience which i will never forget and regret.Firstly,it allowed us to introduce our startup in a few words.Secondly,it’s a way to connect with others doing what you do or want to do.Last but not least,you have literally nothing to lose by pitching.It’s beneficial to exchange experience with the others and can be helpful in organizing your insights and inspiring fresh ideas.
d. What did you learn by pitching to different peer-students?
When we were called to pitch to different peer-students in the framework of a startup Speed Dating experience, we didn’t know what to expect. Yes, we were terrified when pitching our startup idea because we knew that everyone has different opinions, but nonetheless we did learn a lot. The time and anxiety management were certainly a lesson learnt as we had to summarize the platform that we had in mind in order to fit a couple of minutes time. We knew that in a time-span of two minutes we had to express our passion and the notion behind our startup, as well as describe it and explain how useful it can be. In the end, we realized that pitching to someone else can be nerve-racking when you have little to no experience, but it is definitely exciting and it allows you to become fully aware of the strong interest you have towards your idea and the reasons why you believe in it.
e. What did you learn by responding to questions and feedback?
When responding to feedback, the most valuable lesson we got was walking in the customers’ shoes. We understand what everyone who was questioned needs and how we can give it to them. It is quite difficult to get “critisiced” but at the end of the day, we took it constructively and tried to develop a platform that meets with the demands of the clients and the modern era in the market. For all that, dealing with all the cons we had and trying to turn them into some of our best features was a quite challenging but educational process for our team and hearing about our pros made us proud and optimistic for our future in the market. After all, our site is for helping individuals in a difficult time and provide the best services as far as healthcare is concerned, so listening what people had to say only made us better as a team and more focused on a specific route and goal. We shouldn’t forget to mention that our passion for our project overcame the hesitation for change and after taking under consideration the feedback we got, we managed to create step by step a more innovative and fresh version of our application with the appropriate helping and professional character we and the customers wanted.
f. What did you learn by asking critical questions and giving feedback to your peer-students?
As far as our peer students are concerned, we had the opportunity to give them further information and feedback so as to enhance and grow their business. We became their customers and we tried to understand the value they introduce to the market. Through that experience it was obvious to us from another perspective that feedback is a matter of great importance for industries to improve themselves. We exchanged ideas and notions with other enthusiasts and we took part in a process in which a new idea is built with passion and consciousness. In the end, it was clear that there are others who share our passion for progress and who have the will to work hard and launch ideas that can actually change the world.
e. What did you learn as an observer?
As observers of this journey, we are thrilled to find out that young people have the will to improve the society by providing the market with ideas which lead to a better future. We were moved by the innovative minds that we came across and the creativity that all of the participants showed through the whole process. It was like us, as students, needed a voice to speak and say what form our world must have and what we are willing to do to accomplish that. And this lab was the perfect opportunity to explore and find ways to sketch the route to that direction.
MEMBERS OF THE TEAM: Laoura Apostolou Christina Panagakou Marilyn Koutonias GianF
DEPARTMENT:Communication,Media and Culture
Special thanks to Ms Betty Tsakarestou .
