4 thoughts on “Future Learning Finland”

1. Future in Finland:

   I was interested in the topic from the title. I think that the way education is developing in Europe to be fascinating, especially in countries like Finland and Sweden. However, I wouldn’t invest in this simply for the fact that the speaker did not seem enthusiastic in what she was selling. If she doesn’t seem to believe in it, why should I?

   She fails to really emphasize why an investor would be interested in exported Finnish educational solutions. Some information about why we need this product would add to her credibility. She makes no reference to any competitors and does not really try to sell her product. She simply provides an overview saying that it is a partnership between public and private sectors and that it covers ICT learning, learning environments, vocational training, teacher training, and something else I couldn’t make out. Why should I invest in something that is not marketed as being special? She mentions that it is a three year program that was launched in May and that they are looking for cooperation and business opportunities for 72 member organizations. For the people they are training? On this part I wasn’t clear. She also doesn’t mention how this will be profitable for investors.

   Basically, when looking for an investment I am not looking for someone to give a half-hearted summary about what is being done. I want to hear about the business potential and about how this service or product will distinguish itself. The speaker fails to do this and as such I would not invest.

   September 20, 2013 at 1:22 pm

2. Yes, I think you nailed the main flaw in this pitch. The pitch was likely targeted to government leaders to ask that they buy educational consulting services from Finland in the sectors that the speaker outlined.

   However, she didn’t explicitly state the value proposition or the pain points in the Indian education market that this consulting service from Finland sought to address. So, the pitch leaves the viewer / hearer with the impression that Finland is resting on its laurels with an implied value proposition, rather than an explicit one.

   If the speaker had clearly cited Finland’s educational performance in OECD rankings right up front, those facts might have established credibility in the first few seconds and allowed the pitch audience to think about whether Finland could bring value to India.

   September 20, 2013 at 2:48 pm

3. This is a plug for the “Perfecting Your Pitch” (2011) video, suggested in the “Deconstructing Pitches” section of this week’s Boot Camp. David Shore gives his opinion about using slides in such a presentation as this. Her slides were too wordy; even though I couldn’t make out most of the text on her slides, I found myself straining to do so.

   September 22, 2013 at 2:56 pm

4. The name Finland piqued my interest because it has an excellent reputation in education delivery. However, if the presentation represents this quality I must have missed something. Avery dowdy bureaucratic presentation with an illegible power point presentation. Don’t insult me by asking me to buy into something that only really says we’re in the export business. Show us the quality you’re renowned for!

   No way I would entertain the notion of investing into this venture.

   October 9, 2013 at 4:19 pm