Billy Mays | Leadership Heights

LEADERSHIP TRAILS

Billy Mays

Business

You made it to the office, having successfully navigated your commute! Go you! It's a good thing you’re on time, because today is the day of the big sales pitch to your CEO. You’re hoping that this brand new idea of yours is the one that really launches your career. You carefully set up your pitch deck, look the members of the sales team directly in the eyes, and launch into your pitch. Go get 'em!

Goal

Give an enthusiastic sales pitch for the idea/product of your choice.

Goal

Give an enthusiastic sales pitch for the idea/product of your choice.

Purpose

Practice your skills of verbal and non-verbal communication, using enthusiastic communication to persuade a group.

Materials

You, yourself, and your enthusiasm! A device to keep time.

Setup

Each scout should take one or two minutes to decide what product they’re going to pitch. Products could be as varied as a combination bear spray/flashlight, a Fortnite coaching service, or anything your mind can imagine!

Purpose

Practice your skills of verbal and non-verbal communication, using enthusiastic communication to persuade a group.

Materials

You, yourself, and your enthusiasm! A device to keep time.

Setup

Each scout should take one or two minutes to decide what product they’re going to pitch. Products could be as varied as a combination bear spray/flashlight, a Fortnite coaching service, or anything your mind can imagine!

Running the game

This activity is based off of an old TV salesman named Billy Mays. He would start every pitch with “Billy Mays here for [insert product here]” and enthusiastically sell his product.

Your job is to emulate him, spending 1-2 minutes giving a persuasive impromptu pitch for your product.
Each scout should take a turn, making sure to keep to the time limit of between 1 and 2 minutes.
Appoint a time keeper to make sure you adhere to these time limits.

Debrief

The following debrief questions are meant to give you an opportunity to discuss with your patrol mates and reflect on the game. You can have one leader ask the discussion questions or you could take turns asking the questions, making sure everyone’s voice is heard.

How long did 1-2 minutes feel when you were doing the activity? What was the most difficult part of speaking for that length of time?
When observing others in the activity, what's one thing you noticed about their communication style?
Thinking back to everyone’s presentation, who is one person you want to shout out for something they did well?
Thinking back to everyone’s presentation, what is one piece of constructive feedback you want to give to someone?
When you are asked to speak in front of a group in the future, what skills do you think this activity highlighted that are important for you to continue working on?