Pitching the Impossible Persuasion Exercise

Purpose

This is a humorous, fast-paced way to stretch persuasion muscles in a no-risk environment. It teaches that what matters is how you pitch, even nonsense can sound viable if the message is strong. The investor reflection also promotes group insight into what actually sells an idea. This is a valuable lesson for anyone in communication, sales or leadership. Delegates learn to craft compelling arguments, handle live questions and respond to diverse perspectives. They get to pitch fictional and often absurd products to a group of critical ‘investors’. This exercise is designed to strengthen persuasion, public speaking and creative thinking skills.

Objective

Delegates work in pairs to prepare a persuasive sales pitch for a fictional, unconventional product (e.g. ‘a dissolvable stapler’ or ‘a fridge that only opens when you sing to it’). Each pair presents their pitch to the group, who act as investors and secretly bid on how much they would ‘invest’ based on the quality of the pitch.

What You Need

• Product Cards (see examples below). You need one per pair.
• Small slips of paper or cards.

Setup

• Divide the class into pairs. If you have an odd number, one group of 3 can work together.
• Give each pair a random Product Card with a fictional, impractical or bizarre item to sell.
• Inform them they will be pitching this product as if on Dragon’s Den. Their goal is to convince the rest of the group to invest using persuasive reasoning, creativity and confidence.
• The rest of the class are investors. After each pitch, investors secretly bid from 1 to 10 (with 10 being the most enthusiastic investment) based solely on the persuasiveness of the pitch, not the realism of the product.
• Spread the groups out so they don’t overhear each other.
• Get each pair to consider their Product Card and plan a three-minute persuasive pitch. They have 10 minutes for this.
• Encourage them to consider:

• What problem does this product solve?
• What makes it unique?
• How could it make money or improve lives?
• Who would be the target audience?

• Get pairs to deliver their pitch one by one.
• After each pitch, get the rest of the class (investors) to ask follow-up questions, which the pair must answer persuasively.
• Then, ask investors to secretly write their bid (1–10) and their name on a small card. Collect the bids and place them in an envelope. Write the name of the product on the envelop as well as the name of the presenters.
• Once everyone had provided their pitch, move on to scoring.
• Tally the total bids for each product and record on a whiteboard or screen.
• Reveal the top-scoring product(s).
• Encourage the group to reflect on this and discuss.
• Consider one product at a time. For each, announce who bid the highest. Ask the highest bidding investor(s) to explain themselves:
  • “What made you so excited about this product?”
  • “What convinced you during the pitch?"
• Follow with a group discussion and encourage delegates to spot patterns.

Timing

Explaining the Exercise: 5 minutes

Activity:

10 minutes pitch preparation

+ (3 min pitch + 2 min Q&A + 1 min bidding) x number of pairs

+ 5 minutes scoring

= 39 minutes for 4 pairs

Group Feedback: 10 minutes

Discussion

• Which pitches felt most persuasive, and why?
• What rhetorical techniques or strategies stood out to you?
• How did the presenters handle questions under pressure?
• What makes a ridiculous idea sound like a brilliant one?

Variations

• Investor Roles: Assign roles to investors such as ‘Eco-conscious investor’, ‘Sceptic’, ‘Budget-focused buyer’ to encourage diverse questioning.
• Allow Choice of Product: Let the pairs come up with the product themselves which can be a fictional, impractical or bizarre item. You may need to check this away from others to make sure they don’t overhear you. Just check that you are happy with their choice and that it would be suitable for the exercise and the training needs you have in mind.
• Award Categories: Offer fun awards at the end such as ‘Most Convincing Pitch’, ‘Funniest Concept’, ‘Best Recovery Under Pressure’.

Sample Product Card Ideas

1. A stapler that dissolves after use
2. A time machine that only goes to Mondays
3. Shoes that whisper compliments as you walk
4. An invisible umbrella
5. A pillow that gives you business advice in your sleep
6. Sunglasses that block negative energy (but not the sun)
7. A fridge that only opens when you sing to it
8. A pen that refuses to write bad ideas
9. A scarf that adjusts its warmth depending on your mood
10. A doorbell that plays a random movie quote each time it rings
11. A jumper that changes colour to match your current level of sarcasm
12. A water bottle that tells you jokes when you hydrate
13. A lamp that changes colour when it senses awkward tension

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