This case study describes a workshop for developing ideas and bringing them into the world. From ideation to purpose and action.
Use Case
Teaching professionals how to create clear vision statements and elevator pitches, and to establish their target audience.
# of Attendees
10 – 20
Industry
Environmental Professionals
Common Problem
The urgency we face to address crises brought on by climate change is increasing every day. Many people are passionate about contributing to the fight against climate change, but it’s sometimes difficult to figure out how to take action. All of this energy from people, their creative solutions, and diverse approaches to solving problems, can be harnessed and used to develop solutions combatting the climate crisis. But the ability for people to streamline their thoughts, communicate what’s bouncing around in their head, and turn ideas into action is easier said than done.
Creating a solution
I was brought in to lead an interactive workshop for a diverse group of environmental professionals. The workshop walks participants through the process of developing ideas into something they can tangibly communicate and rally others around. Our focus was on decarbonization and climate change adaptation.
Over the course of a 2-hour session, participants achieved their objectives of:
- Learning how to create a clear vision statement and elevator pitch;
- Gaining exposure to climate change problems, solutions, and the importance of establishing a target audience; and
- Generating excitement about their next project and having an impact on decarbonization and climate change adaptation.
Results
Within a one-month timeframe, I worked with Connecting Environmental Professionals (CEP) Vancouver‘s directors of mentorship. Together, we developed a workshop curated specifically for their needs.
During the 2 hour workshop, we accomplished the following.
- The participants brainstormed over forty focus areas to build solutions for decarbonization and climate change adaptation.
- In three small groups, they then chose one idea to develop, coming up with problem and vision statements.
- Each group came up with an elevator pitch for their concept.
- Everyone learned a framework for developing their own personal value proposition for networking or job-hunting purposes.
How we did it
As part of CEP Vancouver’s work, they run a mentorship cohort consisting of about 50 mentees and various mentors across sustainability fields. In March 2023 they made a call for workshop facilitators. There, I connected with Sayemin Naheen and Aida Akbarkhani, Co-Directors of Mentorship at CEP. I shared some information about a workshop series I’ve developed. It focuses on developing decarbonization and climate change solutions through a leadership and entrepreneurial lens. They were interested in learning more and seeing if it could be adapted for their mentorship cohort.
The workshop is run in three parts, about 4.5 hours long in total. Which would be too long for the session we were discussing. So I pared down the content. And after exchanging a few emails, the three of us hopped on a call to iron out the details. I wanted to make sure the workshop would be valuable for the attendees. Listening to Sayemin and Aida’s perspectives, and getting sufficient background on their program, was imperative.
CEP secured a venue and organized all the regular in-person event logistics. While I prepared slides and worksheets that were curated specifically for this workshop and their attendees.
On the day of, the venue helped me test out the laptop/presentation screen set up and we were good to go. By then, we knew that about 20 attendees had signed up and that we should expect some no-shows. I decided to go without a microphone to allow the workshop to be less formal, and hopefully drive better outcomes.
We kicked off the workshop with some group brainstorming and an icebreaker. Most of the folks attending are looking at breaking into or advancing their careers in sustainability, not necessarily creating their own company, product, or service. This workshop works through creating a business case. But being able to clearly, and concisely communicate the problem you’re trying to solve and how you, in particular, can solve it; is a beneficial skill for more than startup founders and entrepreneurs.
I presented on establishing a vision, giving the participants a loose framework to develop their problem and vision statements. They then split into three groups, each coming up with a completely different climate change challenge to address. The groups decided to focus on solutions to ultra-fast fashion, apathy towards logging old-growth forests, and businesses exceeding their carbon budgets.
We came back together as a whole group to discuss unique value propositions and the importance of understanding who your audience is. Then they took my framework for developing an elevator pitch and returned to their breakout groups. Each team finalized their plans and then returned to the larger group at the end of the session. We completed the session with a representative from each team pitching their business concept to everyone.
This workshop focuses on developing a business concept. But the framework applies to any situation where you are communicating the value of something. The skill to communicate what you’re doing, why it’s important, and who it benefits, is just as important in settings at school, networking, or advocating to a boss or manager, as it is pitching to potential stakeholders or investors.
Does this problem sound familiar?
Do you want help in developing your vision? Could your team benefit from communicating their ideas more clearly? Are you looking for a hands-on, educational, activity that stimulates excitement about solving climate change problems? Do you want to work on your presentation skills in a low-risk environment?
If this sounds interesting, email me for a 30-min consultation and let’s see what kind of workshop I can run for you.