Hello everyone,
As you know, for Project 4 each group will present their work to the class. For the presentation you are not responsible for I would like to you write a brief (what would be about one page, double spaced, in a Word doc)reflection on what you saw. So, if you're in the Blue Collar Office Supplies group, you would write a reflection on the Paper Cutter group's presentation.
I'd like you to discuss what you thought was good about the presentation, what could be improved, what you liked, and anything else you can think of.
This will be due by Friday 4/23.
Daniel
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I think that the Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter Group had a well put together presentation. The presentation itself was seamless and ran very smooth. It was impressive how cohesive it was for how many people they had presenting. The level of cohesiveness must have required some outside of class work and great communication. In the future, I believe that the Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter Group should present with a few less people. It is intimidating to the viewer when there are more people standing up in front of the boardroom than in the entire audience.
ReplyDeleteThe actual product model was impressive. I was wondering how The Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter Group would pull off creating the computer generated model in real life. Creativity was definitely a presence in this group. Creativity was also present in their marketing strategy. The U Tube and radio commercials are great ideas that the Blue Collar Marketing Group did not think of. Beyond marketing ideas, The Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter Marketing Group had to think of way to market an item that could potentially have a very narrow consumer group. Pitching the product to schools was a great idea.
Another attribute present in The Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter Group was knowledge. With such a large group, it is difficult for all members to remain on the same page. Throughout the presentation it seemed that everyone presenting had the same platform of knowledge about the product and no one person took charge.
Overall, I believe that The Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter Group had a well thought out Project 4. It seemed that no one division, marketing, technical writing, or engineering, was lacking in knowledge or preparation. Not only was the product creative, but the group pitched it to us in a way that made it seem a worthy product to add to the Dunder Mifflin line of products.
Overall the Blue Collar Office Product line was a great idea and was well presented. The introduction was excellent as the expanse of the product market was well represented and reinforced with strong statistical data. The ideas for each product were creative and useful in multiple construction/labor fields creating a wide market for each product. Every visual in the presentation was clearly done by someone who knew how to utilize Photoshop and were placed appropriately within the slides as the ratio of words to visual aids was near perfect.
ReplyDeleteThere were however some things that could have been improved upon during the presentation. It was a nice idea to try and incorporate so many people into the presentation but it may have run smoother with fewer transitions between speakers. This may have been corrected with more practice as well. Not being a very good public speaker myself, I have come to try and utilize the people within project groups that are adept at the skill when it comes to giving a presentation. I find that by breaking down some of the work load during the research and writing stages and taking more responsibility during this portion, the public speaking can be left to those who are more capable than me. This is not to say it is a skill that should not be practiced, but in a situation where there are members in a group that are more skilled at some things than others need to be utilized appropriately.
There were several things that I thought were good and bad with the Blue Collar Line’s group presentation.
ReplyDeleteFirst the good…I thought the introduction that included actual statistics was very convincing for why thins product line needed to be established. I was very impressed with the effort that you put into finding some actual data. I also liked how you presented your ideas about actual clients as well as the partnerships with existing companies to help advertise and market your products. Specifically about the products, I thought having the rings be removable for the binder was a stroke of genius! I though your presentation was very well organized and flowed well and who ever thought of Mike Rowe (aka Dirty Job host) should be given a cookie or something. Genius!
The not as good…I could never see myself using the tape measure/calculator/notepad combo. I just don’t think it’s practical. I’m positive that every electrician already has a quality voltmeter that is very expensive so where is the motivation for buying a hand held device that does maybe 1% of a product they already have? Additionally, what is insulating the user from electric shock in this pen thing? It takes a lot of safety factors to be able to safely handle anything over 0.2 amps and your pen seems to be a great way to get shocked from what you said.
All in all I thought your presentation was excellent. Nice work guys.
I think the Blue-Collar line of Dunder Mifflin products was well presented by their group today in class. Even though I had seen the products before, I felt like today the audience was given a better and/or more thorough description of the products in their line. Along with that, I feel that I had a much, much better understanding for the idea behind their products after today's presentation (when compared to the first presentation). A lot of the background behind their products was mentioned and discussed, and I feel that they had a very solid concept and idea for their product line. I also liked how their prototypes were essentially fully functioning examples of their product line, which is always nice when describing ideas and product proposals. Aesthetically, the presentation (overall) looked nice and was a good choice for this project, and I think the topic transitions within the project were clean.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that being said, I feel that some of the speaker transitions could have been a bit cleaner and more organized. Not that they did a terrible job, by any means, but I felt like there was a lot of time spent watching people walk back and forth. Also in doing so, they were blocking the projector.
Other than that, I feel they did a great job and I think they pitched their product line very well. Good job guys.
Overall, I was impressed with the Snapping Turtle paper cutter group. They gave a professional presentation that was informative and was presented in a clear, concise manner. Although I had seen it before, I was especially impressed with the computer animation of the snapping turtle in action. I feel that all three groups (tech. writing, advertising, design) worked together well and communicated effectively amongst themselves. It seemed like the presenters had practiced on their own to prepare for the pitch. The presentation was a little short, but in this case I think it was a good thing. The group got to the point and told the audience what they needed to hear.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I thought could be improved was that there were too many people in the front of the room. It was almost distracting having that many people in front shuffling around. I also think they could have made a little better effort to give the prototype a more professional appearance. Even a few quick layers of spray paint would have made it much more aesthetically pleasing. I thought the group could have gone more in-depth on how exactly the snapping turtle can cut paper into different sizes. Elaborating on the sizes and its more specific uses could have caught the attention of more prospective customers if it were an actual sales pitch. On the marketing side on things, the group had many great ideas that seemed like they would be very effective. My one question is how much will all of those marketing strategies cost? In a real company it seems like only a few of those strategies would be viable based on the available advertising budget.
To close on a positive note, the presenters also maintained good eye contact and gave me the impression that they were confident and comfortable with their product. The presentation also flowed nicely due to smooth transitions into the next topics. Again, I thought this was a solid presentation, and I believe with a little refinement it could become a great one.
First of all, I think the Blue Collar Office Supplies line is a brilliant idea for Dunder Mifflin. I think it would complement their current products very well by keeping existing customers while acquiring a lot of new ones. I especially like that it is a line and not just one product, as this allows for vast expansion.
ReplyDeleteThe advertising strategy fit the line perfectly. The postcard with the construction worker and binder was a great idea, but using Lunchtime Atop a Skyscraper to promote a product line intended for blue-collar workers was spot on, not to mention the quality and professionalism of the ad. This image is known across the country as the essence of the blue-collar worker and everyone can relate to it. Furthermore, placing the line at Home Depot is naturally the right place for it.
The only thing I might change would be the name. It portrays an image that the majority of the Dunder Mifflin’s existing customers (law firms, small businesses, etc…) wouldn’t want to be affiliated with. Also, I know there would be a need for it, but I had trouble understanding how the current detector actually worked. I don’t think it would be cost effective to obtain the materials for one small product from overseas. I would much rather have a multimeter. Perhaps if there were other products similar to the current detector, then it would be profitable. Also, just like our presentation, there were probably too many people presenting for such a small room.
Overall, I definitely thought it was an excellent idea and well presented
I think that Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter Group gave great presentation. It was clear, easy enough to understand the presentation itself which made really informative. I felt that all three groups including technical writing, advertisements, product development worked hard to create a cohesive presentation. However, it would be better if they had less number of people to present. Having too many people in front of the audiences distracted and intimidated the audiences. Also, the presentation seemed little short in terms of time.
ReplyDeleteThere are two things that can be improved. The first thing is the interaction between the powerpoint slides and the actual saying. In some of slides, the actual saying and the information presented in the powerpoint slides did not match in terms of order. It might be not really serious thing to point out, but it bothered me little bit. When somebody uses powerpoint slides during their presentation, I tend to read the slides while listening to the speaker. So having different order between the actual saying and the powerpoint slides is kind of distraction for me. The other thing is the actual proto type of the Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter. The prototype was good but at same time not. I was amazed to see the prototype but the outside layers were little bit poor. The product could had been better if the outside layers were somehow covered up to make more professional than the just showing the prototype is made out of the beer boxes. Also this product is mainly designed for Dunder Mifflin to produce as its new product. So it would be to have Dunder Mifflin logo somewhere in the prototype to emphasize that this is a Dunder Mifflin product.
Overall, it was a cohesive presentation and it would be even better with few improvements.
I thought the paper cutter group did a good job in their presentation. Their visuals were very impressive. The advertisement with the full animation showing how the paper cutter worked was very effective. It shows exactly how the paper cutter works and allows the audience to understand all the features that the group explained. This was done professionally, and it was obvious that a lot of thought and time went into it. I also liked the prototype that the group made. Even though it is not functional it gave a good idea about the approximate size of this item and the basic features that it will contain. They were very creative in using boxes and other supplies to create a prototype that looks like their technical drawings.
ReplyDeleteAlso the paper group had some good ideas for marketing and advertising. I think marketing this product to schools as well as small businesses is a good idea. The paper cutter is safe to use because of the protective cover making ideal for schools, plus it is a small compact unit making it ideal for small businesses. I also think that putting the video on the website and using radio advertising would be effective strategies to get the product information out there. These strategies would reach a large and diverse market which the group is targeting.
I feel that their presentation flowed pretty well. They clearly explained their product and how they plan to successfully market it. One thing that the group could have improved on was their transitions during the presentation. These could be improved with some more practice, but it was pretty well done considering the size of the group. Also the presentation was a little shorter than they were supposed to be, but they presented all the necessary information so I think it was fine. Overall I feel their presentation was very informative, and that it is a good product idea.
Bryan Sherman
ReplyDeleteApril 22nd, 2010
Engl 402
The Blue Collar Product Line group did an exceptional job throughout their presentation. Each individual who presented was knowledgeable on all the products, the presentation was clearing planned and was effectively executed, and the PowerPoint was clear and concise. I personally thought that the beginning introduction piece added a nice touch and set the tone for most the presentation. How the group worked through each product, moved to costs, and ended with advertising helped keep me interested throughout the presentation.
The only thing that I feel was a negative during the presentation were the transitions between speakers and, at certain points, it did seem a little rehearsed. Speaker transitions are important but do not always make or break a presentation, but a speech that is too rehearsed can be very distracting during an oral presentation. Speeches should be relatively casual; the speaker should be knowledgeable but should try to avoid sounding rehearsed.
That being said, this was an interesting and well thought out presentation. Each member was knowledgeable and it was very easy to follow and understand the product line. This is an important market for companies to look at and while this is hypothetical, it is still a very interesting and smart approach to marketing a new product line. Well done!
The Blue Collar Office Supplies had a great presentation. I really like the tough, durability each product is made of. Not only is it indestructible,it is also colorful. I know from personal experience, folders are bent real easy. I can tell there was research behind each product and presenter. They knew the product in and out.
ReplyDeleteAs a marketer, I was real focused during the advertisement campaign. What I thought the ad team could work more on is establishing a primary and secondary target. I know the product is strictly for blue collar labor force. But I know students, teachers and all other occupation status can fully utilize these products. Dunder Mifflin is promoting going green, and maybe the products can be made out of recycled materials from hard hats or similar materials.
The postcards and fliers are good ideas, but it wouldn't really help the image of going green. I would believe the average people does not really pay attention to handouts and fliers, and if that's the case DM would be just wasting papers. Although, the ads were very colorful and eye catching. I can tell there was a lot of thought to it. This is strictly my ideas, I am not putting down anybody.
Like I mentioned earlier, there is more market that can benefit from these products. Maybe a similar line can be developed, something like school office supplies. Overall, it is a really good idea with a strong support. They have a solid primary target market and ways that can implement the products to them. Good Job!
The animated video for the Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter was the strongest aspect of the presentation, in my opinion. It was very professional and impressive. It shows the viewer exactly how the product works. I think the interchangeable blade feature – which allows the user to insert a 3-hole puncher – is smart. This creates a broader range of capabilities, which in turn, may convince more people to purchase the product.
ReplyDeleteFrom an engineering viewpoint, the product seemed very well-thought-out. I don’t know much about product development or engineering, but I was definitely convinced that the paper cutter would truly work flawlessly if constructed.
One problem I have with this product is the actual need for it. It seems that regular, existing paper cutters would suffice in most situations. Maybe this one provides more safety and that is its selling point? I think the group could have done a better job of “selling” the product and convincing the audience that the Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter is worth the extra money (in comparison to a regular paper cutter). By the end of the presentation, I was not fully convinced that the price balanced out the need for the product.
I thought the marketing/advertising campaign could have reached their target market in more effective ways than a TV commercial. I think this product has a relatively small target market and that market should be addressed more specifically. I believe that in the presentation the group gave the price for a national TV commercial. Not only is that too broad of an audience, but too expensive and seems out of the price range for a smaller company like Dunder Mifflin.
I think running a radio advertisement between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. is a smart and effective time slot because of the amount of people commuting at that time. However, I think the print advertisements seem to be the best idea. During the presentation, however, no one said where they would run; in what kinds of publications?
In regards to the section on product assembly, I felt like having five separate boxes isn’t necessary. It seems that if this is assembled incorrectly in anyway, something could go drastically wrong. It might be easier on the customer if the product came fully assembled, especially since it comes with a huge dangerous blade.
The Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter group presented well and thoroughly. If I were a buyer or CEO of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, this would be something I would definitely consider producing just off the presentation alone. Each sub team of this group seemed to do their part and presented well. All questions that arose were answered, even after the presentation was over.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of the Snapping Turtle was something that seems relevant for companies who might need to cut paper into smaller parts, in bulk, such as fliers and promotional type paper. This would work well for small companies, like the group specified. There were two parts of this presentation that stood out to me, and that was the marketing and the safety features. The marketing plan was well thought out, and the addition of the YouTube video was a great idea in this day and age. Also, the safety features and explanation was key to this equipment, as it could be very dangerous.
The only thing I think the group could have improved on was the ending of the presentation, because it seemed to stop abruptly, however sometimes it’s hard to wrap things up seamlessly.
I was impressed by the Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter presentation. The model was very impressive. I was really surprised they made such a good model, I wondered how they were going to make a model of such a complex item. I think that the presentation was a little short. I was not completely convinced that the Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter is worth Dunder Mifflin's time or money. I am not sure if the paper cutter will be a success and make good profit. I think that maybe if the presentation included more information then I would have been better convinced of its success. Although, I think there was a need more information the presentation was good. There was good transitions. It was a good seamless presentation. The only thing I would have changed was to have less people up in front of the room, it was slightly distracting. The video animation of the Snapping Turtle really adds to the presentation, it makes it more real and even though I had seen it before it was still was impressive.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think that the Snapping Turtle Paper Cutter group did a great job of presenting their product. Even though there were things they could have improved on they did a great job.
I was impressed with the presentation given by the Paper Cutter Group. I liked the prototype especially, it shoed the resourceful nature of the members involved in making it to do so with the materials they used. The presentation was also very well done, not the smoothest transitions but certainly not bad by any means. The individual presenters also seemed to clearly know what it was they were talking about and were well informed. This was especially apparent after the presentation when they were answering all questions asked very easily. The idea of having a limited number of people speak was also likely a very good idea. If everyone had tried to present a portion of the project it likely would have been less smooth and possibly a bit confusing which is why we decided to also have a limited number of speakers in our own presentation. In fact, it may have been even better if fewer people presented than actually did.
ReplyDeleteDuring the presentation the group has some interesting points that were made. I was actually unaware that some similar products existed and liked seeing a competing example. I was very impressed with how this design was so significantly less than the one shown as a competing example and thought that the Snapping Turtle was actually more versatile and useful for a standard workplace. Overall it was a very good and well thought out project and was very well presented.
I was impressed with the presentation performed by the Dunder Mifflin Snapping Turtle team. Overall, this presentation was well coordinated and contained quality information. There were few weak points to notice in the presentation, and none that significantly hindered the presentation as a whole. The presentation flowed well from one speaker to another, each covering a distinct aspect of the project. However, this diversification was also the only weakness in my mind. With so many people presenting unique information, a less coordinated presentation would have become lost and confusing. However, with the obviously high level of preparation put into the project, the Snapping Turtle team managed to avoid this. Consolidating some of the ideas into a single presenter might have helped, but again, the team was prepared enough for this to be unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteAt the outset of the presentation, the first thing I noticed was the model the group managed to produce representing the product. This had been the element of the presentation I was most interested in seeing how it would be done. I was most impressed with the ingenuity that went into creating the model, as well as the amusing example theme.
My second thought prior to the presentation was how safety would be addressed, having a product so clearly capable of causing injury. Again, I was not disappointed, and was even impressed with the depth that safety was handled by the Snapping Turtle team. I had expected an off switch and a “do not stick these in here” list, and my expectations were far surpassed.
All other portions of this presentation worked equally as well, the advertising, financial, and technical sides were all put together nicely. It was an enjoyable presentation to see, with quality information and coordination of the whole Snapping Turtle team.
Overall I thought the presentation went really well I like how the group was very clear about each of the products they where presenting. It was obvious that they put a lot of work into the design and description of each of their blue-collar products. I liked how they continually switched presenters so that it was not just one person who was talking the whole time. I like the marketing strategy because it was very comprehensive and it had about 9 parts to it which showed how dedicated they where to advertising the product and how extensive their thought process was.
ReplyDeleteWhere I saw room for improvement was in the style of presenting. Even though it is not a big deal overall the style of presenting could have been better. Some of the presenters could have spoken loud and had better tone. I would have liked to see less reading off of a paper and slide and I would have liked to see more of people just talking about their parts from the knowledge that they had instead of reading. I would liked to see a bit more entertainment. From the advertising group some type of video would have been nice. Overall I thought the group did really well and they did a good job.
The blue collar group had a very nice and creative presentation. I thought they did a nice job preparing to sell their product. I liked their use of visuals and facts to prove that the blue color labor force is a huge market that DM needs to tap into.
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with their creative ideas for advertising and marketing, the journals and postcards were unique methods that I hadn't even thought about.However, with a product claiming such unique qualitities, I think a demonstration where workers could see the product withstand 500lbs would also be a good way to advertise.
The only area for improvement was the tone of the presentation, nobody seemed very excited about the product. That being said, this is a writing class not a public speaking class, so I think they did a great job splitting up the material and being knowledgable about their products. I felt like I heard and understood everything I needed to and didn't have any questions at the end, so that's always a good sign.
The blue collar line had a very impressive presentation, I really liked their marketing pitch and most of their products. They presented a bunch of statistics that gave the appearance that industry needs these products. The one problem I saw was the actual necessity for these products. I have worked construction for the past 6 years and am a mechanical engineer so I have a bunch of field experience with this type of products. Many of these products just aren't feasible from a manual laborer's standpoint. The toughest tools on the market barely survive 3-4 months in the construction sites I have been on.
ReplyDeleteAside from the product practicality the group did a very good job of pitching their product.
I think the blue collar group presentation was well put together and went very smooth. I especially like how they began the presentation with the facts on the variuos jobs/workers that they could relate their product to. Another postive was the use of the products to show the audience exactly what they were presenting. One thing I notice though, was there was no people introductions to start the presentation which is important so everyone knows who you are. The one thing I was most impressed with was their wide variety was advertising. Having many forms of advertising is always a plus to ensure the public will notice and be familiar with the products.
ReplyDeleteOverall it was a well put together presentation and it was very clear what they were pitching. Throughout the presentation I felt very informed and and followed it easily.
The blue collar group did a great job on their presentation. I thought that everyone looked professional, and the slides were well designed.Being from the advertising group for the snapping turtle, I paid special attention to their marketing and advertising.
ReplyDeleteThe marketing research was well done and made sense. Each item was designed specifically for blue collar workers and I think that's something that could actually sell. The reused hardhats as covers was a great idea too. it fits with Dunder Mifflin's green initiative, and it's something that the target market will appreciate.
The only thing that could have been improved was the amount of presenters. As with our presentation, the frequent speaker changes tend to clutter things up and break up flow.Overall, it went very well for getting that many people in one presentation.
I think the Snapping Turtle Paper did a great job overall. What stood out to me right away was the model they fabricated out of cardboard. When I initially read the instructions for the project I was wondering how that team would replicate such an intricate and large unit, and to my surprise they did an amazing job. Having that model on top of the very intricate moving model they had in the presentation was a great visual aid and helped the viewer grasp every aspect of the product. The transitions for the group were very smooth, everything flowed very well together especially considering the amount of people presenting. I really liked how they included safety into the presentation as well, having such a powerful cutting unit I can see how dangerous it could potentially be. Overall I felt that all the technical writing, advertisement, and product development people did a great job and the presentation came together really well. They articulated all of their points that were easy to follow so you were able to understand every point of the presentation.
ReplyDelete