Convince me

What kind of solutions can be created to use ecological compensation in the context of developing Helsinki archipelago?

How to make city officials aware of how the physical environment shapes building users’ energy behaviour?

At the beginning of the course, our partners challenged the students to find solutions with issues they are struggling with regarding sustainable development and protection of the Baltic Sea. The initial challenge was transformed into a problem, expanded and stretched along the way. Sometimes groups had to take a few steps back, re-visit old ideas and continue with modified visions. The groups came up with a ton of different solutions, among which the most feasible and novel ones were chosen.
The final solution had to approach the challenge in a fresh way and provide the partner with a practical and interesting new opening that they could put into practice.

So how to convince the partner of your own idea and the superiority of the solution? Educate the listener, get inspired to act and assure them of your team’s expertise – these are the people that know the solution and its details best. The groups had  five minutes to present, and the voice of each group member had to be heard.

At the final seminar on the last week of April, the groups had polished their final pitches into their best form. Everyone had given their presentation the best they’ve got, with beautiful pitch decks, compelling narratives and even a tune to accompany one group’s  solution. At the end of the course, the groups received feedback from each other and from the partners. Some of the solutions were directly adopted by the partners, and we look forward to hearing more about how collaboration with the students advances!