Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Feedback on "Causes" presentation

It's always interesting to hear someone present something that's related to social or environmental issues. Inadvertently, people will either like your opinion on it or disagree with you sharply. I guess we are Asian, hence we keep our disagreements hidden.

Groupwork
I think the "Causes" group prepared for this presentation quite well. The slides were simple and effective. There's honestly no point in over-designing the slides as long as the message is clear. (btw, I think there's a typo in the file name you guys uploaded.)

Presenter
Jonathan was a very engaging presenter. Jonathan is surprisingly not afraid in front of an audience. I always thought he was a bit over-cowed by me and Sebastian in our FB group. I guess people just blossom on stage and are able to crack jokes.
To be harsh, Jonathan has a lot of habits that distract the audience from his message. I wish he would control his movements on stage so that he can appear more confident and commanding.
(Of course, I am not good at presenting too.. Just that I fell flat on my face too many times when talking to people that I am not really concerned about it anymore. I also tend to be very serious when I present.. can sense people falling asleep during my presentation)

General Improvements
I wonder why everyone did not use laser pointers and wireless powerpoint remote controls. Hmm.. (I lent mine to a friend)

Overall
I guess among all the presentations given, "Causes" was the most positive. Most FB apps just appeal to our shallow desires.

I am still a bit skeptical about the ability of "Causes" to raise significant amounts of money. Actually, I think given how it's performing now, it would probably be better as a social media tool for creating awareness rather than actually raising money.

I like the point the group made about "Causes" enabling ordinary people to tap into FB's network for their cause. Most people are either apathetic or lack the skills to do so. Most people are not as tech-savvy as the general level of the class =) (The "Listen to your Mum" test: http://sharetheconversation.blogspot.com/2010/01/startup-concepts.html)

Suggestions for improving "Causes"
I wonder whether "Causes" could be made into an iPhone app that works like a RSS feed. People could install it and get updates on their favourite cause.
Hmm, what about combining "Causes" with the prediction markets idea? Not sure what that hybrid child would be..
Another idea I had was that "Causes" could hook on the FB marketplace and perhaps create some kind of "stamp of approval" for socially beneficial goods.

Future developments of NGOs
Personally, I feel that NGOs should start changing the way they operate and become more like a business. Recently, I read a good book by Willie Cheng titled:"Doing Good Well" which gives a detailed analysis of social enterprises and suggestions for how NGOs could evolve. It explains the inherent difference between NGOs and business. There is a disconnect between the beneficiaries of NGOs and the people contributing the resources (donors, governments). This is different from businesses.
Since Willie is Singaporean, there are a lot of relevant insights in the book. Of course, it was published after the aftermath of the NKF scandal, hence there is some analysis of the whole episode.

Perhaps, NGOs should think about their overall social media strategy, rather than having unrealistic expectations that "Causes" will be their silver bullet to public donations. Successful examples of people using "Causes"actually mostly have a simple and compelling story coupled with projects that people can visualize easily (http://exchange.causes.com/resources/success-stories/). There is a offline and online strategy that is complementary.

In my own opinion, NGOs should try to work with companies to help them with their marketing. Companies gain a free marketing team, good PR and branding, while NGOs gain resources while learning best practices from corporations. Some people might say the NGOs risk selling out on their principles, but sometimes you have to fight within the system to change the system.

P.S. Looks like I was not the only one who was abusing Prof Ben's profile picture =)

References
Apr 9 , 2009, "To Nonprofits Seeking Cash, Facebook App Isn't So Green", Washington Post

7 comments:

  1. P.S. Looks like I was not the only one who was abusing Prof Ben's profile picture =)

    You are welcome to abuse. Better still make $10 million in the process.... and I can sue for half that and make a little pocket money on the side. :-P

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  2. To be harsh, Jonathan has a lot of habits that distract the audience from his message. I wish he would control his movements on stage so that he can appear more confident and commanding.

    Pray tell. We're all here to learn aren't we.

    Haha. It was fun working with you guys lar. I very 敬老尊贤 one. Heh. Work with seniors is to tap upon their experience mah.

    I actually agree with what you said about NGOs. Incidentally, Prof Ben was talking about social entreprenuerships yesterday after the lesson. Its something that a couple of my friends are very interested in, so I guess it kinda rub off me as well. Maybe I should go take a look at the book.

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  3. Hmm,
    For reference, you can look at the slideshare on Steve Jobs that I posted and this book titled:"How to Talk to Anyone" (http://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Anyone-Success-Relationships/dp/007141858X).
    Haha, I'm glad you think we have something worth learning. 后浪推前浪..
    Actually, if you are interested in companies that are pretty socially active, you can look at Unilever. Ben&Jerry's is a social enterprise under Unilever.

    Personal presentation skills
    I like that you feel confident enough to crack jokes on stage.
    Some little suggestions..
    You could improve on your connection with the audience and gestures to be more effective and engaging.
    I would also prefer that you stand facing the audience with a confident stance. Plant your 2 feet solidly and stand comfortably. If your stance is awkward, the audience will feel uncomfortable too watching you. You can also try not standing behind a podium/table, but taking control of the centrestage. You should also talk to the 4 corners of the audience (just sweep your glance periodically from left to right).
    In terms of gestures, less gestures would be better.
    Actually, the slides behind you are not important.

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  4. Hmm, just some 2 cents worth regarding the presentations bit..

    it came as a bit of a shock to me as presentations in business school are a lot more serious (corporate style?) heh.. totally didn't expect stuff like Jon or Ji Wei.

    I honestly think that their presentations are much more energetic than those I've seen elsewhere, and tho some movements may be distracting, it was entertaining and helped me stay awake during the presentations (which means they're really effective)

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  5. @Bernard: Actually presentations in computing are not like that. In my other modules I've to dress up formally and talk very seriously during the presentation. However, I think that the nature of this module and the things we are presenting allows us to be more casual and do things differently.

    But actually, the presentation for causes is really not bad. For one, I don't think I could do it so well in just 7 minutes. And I always need the slides to aid my speech more, as in I need to see the points before I know what to talk about. But everyone here doesn't seem to have this problem, which is good!

    - Hong Jun

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  6. @wirus: Thank you very much for your compliments :) i believe the secret to "appearing not to have to look at slides to know what to talk about" is practice and rehearsal. at least thats how i do it. some others just have the adaptability and charisma.

    @bernard: i'm glad i didn't put you to sleep. i felt that it wouldn't be fun to have a business-like presentation. haha.

    @ryan: gestures are actually an indication of nerves. (ahahaha...) will take note of the rest though. thanks

    jon

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  7. "I always thought he was a bit over-cowed by me and Sebastian in our FB group."

    lol I am very surprised to realize that he has such a glib tongue too. He is a "rare" CS gem who can write & talk well. =)

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