You can sell anything with a convincing presentation

Students from the Menzingen Cantonal School were guests at Glencore Switzerland in Baar. The aim of the programme, offered by the Zurich Chamber of Commerce, was to introduce young people to complex economic topics.
 

The focus of the programme:

• Twenty students from the Menzingen Cantonal School participated in an economics week at Glencore Switzerland in Baar.
• In groups, they take over a fictional watch company, make strategic decisions under time pressure, and prepare for an annual general meeting.
• The simulation is designed to familiarise them with economic topics, and to foster an understanding of business processes.

"What is an annual general meeting?" asked the experienced game facilitator and coach, Bruno Hälg. It's the fourth day of the Business Week (Wirtschaftswoche), in which 20 students from the Menzingen Cantonal School were participating as part of a study week. The host company was Glencore Switzerland in Baar, and the programme was funded by the Zurich Chamber of Commerce (Handelskammer), which organised the event jointly with the Zug Chamber of Commerce. This was the first Business Week in Zug after an eight-year hiatus, and three more are planned.

The task for the 15- to 16-year-old students in their final year of secondary school was to take over a fictional watchmaking company that has been in operation for ten years, and to run it for five years. They are being assisted by the WIWAG business simulation from the "wirtschaftsbildung.ch" association. "The simulation is designed to be age-appropriate, but quite demanding, especially in terms of time management," explains Linda Roth, project manager for the Business Weeks at the Zurich Chamber of Commerce. The goal is to introduce the students to complex economic topics and foster an understanding of the underlying processes. "We want to create an economic education programme and, not least, counteract the shortage of skilled workers."

Presentation is more than half the battle
On the fourth day, the group prepared for their presentation at the Annual General Meeting (AGM: Generalversammlung), which takes place the following day. Members of the host company Glencore, the Zurich Chamber of Commerce, and the Zug Chamber of Commerce, as well as teachers, parents, and friends of the young participants, were acting as fictitious shareholders, and were being prepared by the game facilitator coaches, Bruno Hälg and Claudia Grüter.

"At the AGM, you will have to answer to your shareholders," says the game facilitator coach and retired former CEO of a high-tech mechanical engineering company, his tone firm. The young people must therefore make their presentation convincing. "Basically, you can present anything, even negative facts, in a positive light. Or to put it another way: If you present it convincingly, you can sell anything."

They are managing a fictional company during the economics week in Zug (from left): Theo Renner, Loïc Schneider, Timon Tobler, Alivia Bütler, and Hanniel Jiang.     
Claudia Grüter and Bruno Hälg are the experienced game facilitator coaches of the Zug Business Week at Glencore.                                Photos: Matthias Jurt
 

It's also important to keep the presentation slides simple. "The audience needs to understand what it's about within two to three seconds." The students should therefore work with minimal text that is legible from even the back rows, along with clear graphics, but should avoid using tables of numbers. "These are an absolute no-go," the expert advises.

"Your behaviour and your words must be consistent. Communication happens everywhere, verbally and non-verbally. Speak the way you would like to be heard, and pay attention to your body language and corporate identity." Bruno Hälg shows successful and unsuccessful examples from the real business world and from previous business weeks.

The students were tasked with creating a 'lift pitch' about their company and filming a video of it. "This is a short speech or presentation." The name comes from a metaphor: "Imagine you're riding in a lift, and you have to convince them of your product during the 60-second ride."

A residual risk remains, despite all the calculations
After receiving their briefing for the day, the five-person groups each take up a meeting room at their host Glencore and tackle the day's challenges. "Who's filming the video?" Loïc Schneider asks the group. Hanniel Jiang and Timon Tobler volunteer, and go to the anteroom. Alivia Bütler is working on finalising the annual report, while Theo Renner and Loïc Schneider are developing their company's growth strategy. They've recently been granted permission to sell internationally.

"Once we know the production figures, we can calculate how many machines and employees we need," explains Theo Renner. The two also have to keep an eye on increasing the product's quality and price, as well as its sustainable production. Using the available software, they test various options. The task seems tricky.

"We've done very well so far," says Alivia Bütler. The first fiscal year was particularly successful. "We generated the highest net profit of all the groups." The second year was somewhat less strong, but the third year saw another upswing. "But we were always in the upper range, and had a market share of more than 25%."

In all calculations and considerations, the work of the other groups is always crucial. "Along with us, they determine the market. So every decision involves a certain risk." Sometimes things went incredibly well, other times there was a strong reaction, or they ended up in a dead end. "A small mistake can make a big difference." Everyone in her team worked well together. "Everyone's opinion was respected, and discussions were always objective."

This was a completely new experience for Alivia Bütler. "I didn't choose economics as my major. That's precisely why this week is particularly exciting for me."