90-Second Selling – An Exercise in Communicating Value and Persuading

Abstract

The focus of the 90-Second Selling exercise is to communicate product value using the tools of sales and persuasion. In small groups, participants receive information about a novel consumer product of limited value. Over 90 seconds, students must determine the information worth presenting, create a pitch, and determine what rhetorical tools they will use; they then have 90 seconds to pitch the product to an audience of their peers. The exercise requires little pre-work and is highly adaptable to course conditions. It has proven effective in providing students with more confidence and clarity in pitching ideas.