Thursday, December 6, 2012

Why YOU should participate in OCMC

As I said a few weeks ago I was skeptical about participating in OCMC but it ended up being one of the most rewarding and influential experiences of my time here at Humber. So I thought it was important to explain why others should participate in OCMC and the overall benefits of the competition and the preparation.

Presentation Skills
Everyone at one point or another is nervous to make presentations. One huge benefit of OCMC is that presentations is all you do from DAY ONE! Presentations about yourself, mini cases  and anything that will help make you less nervous on presentation day. OCMC really prepares you to practice, practice, practice so you can have a feeling of what the experience will be on the day of competition.

Networking
The OCMC coaches are a wealth of advice, knowledge and contacts. Participants become very close with their coaches and ask for advice, references and learn so much more about the marketing industry all from members of the faculty that generously volunteer their time.
The event itself also offers a great opportunity for networking. In 2012 there was a marketplace featuring both universities and employers and a small job fair which even got some participants interviews and subsequently jobs.

Friends
OCMC is a great opportunity to meet people you may never have had the opportunity to meet in any other situation. Both the members of the OCMC team and even participants from other colleges are people that you will be able to call your friends when the competition has come to a close.


-Rachel

Monday, November 26, 2012

What I learned from OCMC

To be honest when I was approached about OCMC during the winter semester of 2012 I was hesitant to try out. I thought it would be fun but I was not confident in my presentation skills and wasn't sure what impact the commitment would have on my school work, job and social life. But after trying out, being enrolled in the course, preparing and finally participating in the event I can safely say that OCMC had a positive effect on all aspects of my life. I learned more about myself and my amazing teammates over the past 4 months then in my past 10 years of post secondary education.

My schoolwork
OCMC only improved my schoolwork and my drive to do well. The ability to make a PowerPoint presentation in 30 minutes and think logically about a problem can be applied to any subject. I can honestly say that I will never be nervous to make another presentation because of all the practice, support and encouragement and feedback that I received over the entire OCMC experience from my classmates, faculty and judges.

My job
OCMC was my job for the past four months both literally and figuratively. Since the semester began I have been responsible for the management of all the social media elements for Humber OCMC. I am the voice behind this blog, Facebook and Twitter. It has been an absolute privilege to get to spend the last four months telling the Humber community and people from all different parts of the world about OCMC and the amazing experience we had competing for Humber.

My personal life
I never imagined that a school course and such an intense competition could change my personal life so much. Who knew that sticking 20 people in a classroom and telling them they had to learn how to make a PowerPoint presentation in 30 minutes and present a case to a panel of judges would make a family. My teammates and the coaches are my Humber family. Thank you all for your hard work, constant encouragement, help, support and ability to be silly. I love you all.



-Rachel

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The time has arrived!!

OCMC 2012 has finally arrived!! All the preperation, all the excitement, all the practice has come down to these two days. Two days where myself and the other members of the Humber team get to show what we are made of and what we have been working towards since September.

It all begins Thursday night with Quiz Bowl and I can't express how excited the entire team is to cheer on the Humber Quiz Bowl team. I can't wait to see the outcome of all their memorization and hard work! So for the Quiz Bowl team here are some things to remember as you prepare to compete Thursday night:

  • You know your stuff
  • Have fun
  • We are all routing for you and will be the loudest team in the auditorium...I can guarantee it! 
Then Friday the case competitions, sales presentations and interviews begin! We have been preparing for these events for 2 and a 1/2 months. We are ready, but just in case nerves get the better of all of us on Friday here are some things to remember: 
  • Smile
  • Take a deep breath 
  • Speak slowly 
  • Show conviction and passion in what you are presenting 
  • Be supportive of your partner
Thursday and Friday will be stressful, exciting and something to be extremely proud of. The Humber team is ready and waiting to show what we are made of. Bring on the competition! 

-Rachel 

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Coach offers inspiration to students

During the time leading up to OCMC our coaches and all the faculty involved are like our parents. They deal with all of our stress and nervousness like it is second nature. They are a source of constant support and encouragement and always try and make sure that we know that they know we are doing our absolute best! Without our coaches and other faculty support we could be nearly as prepared as we are for the upcoming competition and we would not perform nearly as well as they and we are sure that we are going to!

With the competition only a few days away I thought it would be good to get a little bit of advice and inspiration from Sheryn Beattie, the coach of the retailing team to inspire us as we prepare to use all we have learned and compete in OCMC 2012.

How did you first get involved in OCMC? 
OCMC was started over 30 years ago as a provincial event. Humber was encouraged to participate 10 years ago and Humber faculty were asked to volunteer to help.

 What do you enjoy most about being a coach for OCMC?
OCMC is all about student engagement. Working one on one with the students is a great way to share knowledge; their experience and my first hand knowledge working in the field. I love to see the students challenge their business knowledge and hone their presentation skills. Training for OCMC is like igniting a passion learning.

What are you most looking forward to during OCMC 
OCMC is a fun and demanding event. I hope the Humber team does well but I believe the Humber team wins no matter what the outcome; they have all worked hard and will do their personal best.

What advice do you have for your team and other teams? 
Take a deep breath, be supportive of your teammates and meet the case challenge with a clear strategy and think INSPIRATION! Be proud of your achievement, you are representing Humber and competing against the top marketing students in the province.

What is the best advice you have ever received? 
"Life is not a dress rehearsal, enjoy every day as if it were your last."

What do you find is the best method of coaching a team?
Provide structure for the case method, but expose the team to the newest marketing trends, this will get them thinking about innovation! It is also important to expand critical thinking with trial and error through repeated case analysis. It is important to have the team understand that the business arena is very competitive and they must learn to think outside of the box for new ideas, be supportive of one another and take responsibility for their decisions.


-Rachel 

Monday, October 29, 2012

Two weeks to go!

This Thursday marks two weeks until the kick off of the 2012 Ontario Colleges' Marketing Competition and the Humber team is in full prep and practice mode...and the stress and anticipation are mounting.

For me, there has been some added stress because I lost my partner with just two weeks remaining. When I discovered that my partner would no longer be able to participate I was not angry but concerned, nervous and anxious. What was the next move? Could I or did I want to do the presentation on my own? What about my coach and the rest of the team, what would their reactions be?

Speaking to our teacher Will and my coach Sheryn was first on my priority list as they would be most familiar with my available options. They both automatically went about reassuring me that we would come up with something, that my semester would not be lost and that I would still get to compete.

I met with Sheryn and we discussed the options that we thought would work best for me since I needed a partner that was somewhat familiar with retail, someone that I could get along with and someone that was willing to help out. I stressed to her that I preferred it to be someone in our class because working with someone not already involved in OCMC would take more time than we have.

I took a bit of time but I was lucky enough to find a new partner! I am excited to start working together and teaching Tim all that he needs to know about retailing!

Tim's stepping in really shows the character of the members of the Humber OCMC team. I am a lucky girl to get to experience this competition with such friendly, supportive and fun individuals!



-Rachel

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

How to prepare a good PowerPoint in 30 minutes

As I mentioned last week, during the case analysis stage at OCMC, the case teams have only 30 minutes to analyze the case and prepare an effective PowerPoint presentation that will wow the judges. This is a daunting task! How do you make a whole seven slide PowerPoint that will set you apart in just 30 minutes?

Sue Shulte
Luckily, this week during class we received some great tips on PowerPoint from Sue Shulte that will help us make fast and fantastic PowerPoints that will set us apart from all the other teams. Her advice included the following: 

1) Write the slides out in the PowerPoint with no design to begin with. That way, if you run out of time at least the information is in the presentation. You can add design elements later if you have the extra time. 

2) Use SmartArt. SmartArt is a great and FAST! It helps create shapes and gives your your presentation some punch when you don't have access to other eye catching material like photos, which we won't at the competition. 

3) Make your SmartArt stand out. You can easily add dimension and color to your SmartArt designs to help the audience figure out what information is the most important.

4) Choose your colours carefully. Make sure that your colours stand out but are eye catching and skill make the words on the slides easy to read.

5) Make sure the font is legible and large. The PowerPoint should not have that many words but the audience must be able to read the words on the screen. Use a font such as Helvetica or Verdana and make sure that the words are at least size 24pt.


During her presentation it took Sue about 10 minutes to make the presentation. That means that with enough practice each team will be able to make a fantastic presentation that will leave a lasting impression with time to spare! Thanks Sue.



Friday, October 12, 2012

How to analyze a marketing case

The Ontario College's Marketing Competition is a two day event. On the second day of competition, which is the Friday the case events are presented. Here is a quick overview of how the case events work:

Each team is given a case relating to their specific marketing category and 30 minutes. In these 30 minutes the team must read and analyze the case and prepare a 15 minute PowerPoint presentation to present to the judges. 30 minutes is a VERY short time so it is important that teams know exactly how to analyze the case in order to maximize the time that they are given. There are a number of steps included in this analysis:

1) Analyze the situation 
When analyzing a marketing case it is important to look at what is happening both inside and outside the company. Therefore in order to properly analyze the situation teams must look at a SWOT analysis; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths and weaknesses examine what is happening inside the company while opportunities and threats examine what trends are happening outside the company in society.

2) Define the problem
The problem must be defined clearly and concisely. In order to do this it is important to identify the key issues that emerged during the first step in the analysis process. If there is more than one problem the problems should be ranked in terms of importance.

3) Identify and evaluate alternatives
Before making a recommendation it is important to take time to think of alternatives. Each alternative should be SMART ( specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and  time bound). It is also important to make sure that both the pros and cons of all the alternatives are discussed.

4) Make your recommendations
There are seven important elements to making a complete recommendation. These elements include:

  • Target market: the target market must make sense based on the external and internal issues that were identified earlier through the SWOT analysis. 
  • Positioning: where do you want your product to be thought of in relation to the products of your competition
  • Product: explain the product offering and make sure to include the benefits to the customer.
  • Price: identify the pricing strategy and why it was chosen
  • Place: ensure your distribution strategy is clear and consistent with the customers needs
  • Promotion: discuss the types of promotion that will be used as well as what is going to be said and how it is going to be said in an effective way. 
  • Implementation: how you will implement your recommendation. It is important to have a clear plan of how and when you will implement your recommendation. All the elements of product, price, place and promotion must be in place. 
5) Summarize
Summarize your position and reinforce your reasons for selecting your specific strategy. It is also a good idea to relate your summary back to the problem that you identified at the beginning of the analysis. 



Saturday, October 6, 2012

Meet the 2012 OCMC Team

It has been said that there is no I in team and that sentiment cannot be more true than with this year's Humber OCMC team. Both the competitors and the coaches have truly embraced the team spirit! For all of us TEAM actually means: Together Everyone Achieves More.

Since we are all out to achieve the best results possible it seems appropriate to introduce our Humber 2012 OCMC team:
  • Tim Brilhante: International Marketing
  • Olga Maracheva : International Marketing 
  • Anthony Bailey: Marketing 
  • Cameron Downs: Marketing
  • Mike Pastyr: Market Research
  • Alexander Kallaway: Market Research
  • Randall Baker: Job Interview
  • Aldredge Pinto: Sales Presentation
  • Ashley Dann: IMC
  • Aidan Sykes: IMC
  • Melissa D'Alessandro: Account Management
  • Jon Norgard:  Account Management/Direct Marketing 
  • James Adams: Entrepreneurship/Direct Marketing
  • Barbara Cresecentini: Entrepreneurship
  • Malcolm Gray: Retailing
  • Rachel Kennedy: Retailing
  • Felix Carapaica: Quiz Bowl
  • Kevin Carino : Quiz Bowl
  • Chris Channell: Quiz Bowl
  • Graiden Vanderveen: Quiz Bowl
  • Hlina Woldeselasie: Quiz Bowl
When I asked how the team described themselves the following words came to mind:


These are just some examples of the skills and qualities that team members possess that will help us be fully prepared to achieve the best possible results on competition day. I couldn't ask for better teammates! 


-Rachel 

Sunday, September 30, 2012

How to deliver constructive feedback


They say that practice makes perfect. And that cannot be truer than with OCMC. But, all the practicing in the world is not helpful if as team members we are not given feedback on what we can improve upon and what we are doing well.  Although, we need it and may not ask for it there is one thing that feedback should always be; constructive, but what is constructive feedback? It is defined as: "Communication which alerts an individual to an area in which his/her performance could improve."(en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Managing_Groups_and_Teams/Glossary)

It is important to note that constructive feedback is not criticism, but there are certain things that must be kept in mind when delivering feedback, including: 

  • Reinforcing positive behavior
  • Suggesting an alternate behavior 
  • Being specific rather than general
  • Delivering the feedback as soon as possible after the presentation or event
  • Being sensitive to the presenter's feelings 
  • Ensuring that the feedback is directed at the behavior that needs to be improved rather than at the presenter

The members of the OCMC team keep these general rules in mind when delivering feedback to fellow teammates during practice by using a strategy called "commend, recommend, commend." Each time that a group or individual presents we are required to give feedback. During these feedback sessions we commend an aspect of the presentation that we enjoyed or found effective, offer a specific and useful recommendation of something that can be improved upon and then acknowledge another aspect of the presentation that we thought was well done or engaging. 

 Using a "commend, recommend, commend" strategy allows the members of the OCMC team to receive feedback in a supportive rather than critical way that lets them know that it is okay to make mistakes and that their teammates are there to help. 

Saturday, September 22, 2012

OCMC is BACK!!

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and after a long dark winter OCMC has returned with FULL FORCE for 2012! This year the team is full of returning veterans and excited rookies all looking to make an impression on the judges during the weekend of competition November 15 and 16, 2012.

The competition will be held at Centennial College and along with the regular events, the college is sure to offer a number of special events, such as the OCMC Marketplace and the Gala Dinner which I'm sure will all reflect this year's theme for the competition: INSPIRE.

There are a few major highlights to this year's competition:

1) Paperless registration: What a great way to embrace green initiatives and save some paper! There is a handy guide to the new process available on the Centennial OCMC website to help guide everyone through the registration process. It can be found by clicking on this link http://www.centennialcollege.ca/OCMC/Registration

2) Renowned marketer Tony Chapman is this year's keynote speaker. Along with his keynote address students will also have the opportunity to learn from him during a special session during the two day competition.

3) The Gala Dinner Master of Ceremonies will be CBC News Network Host Suhana Meharchand. Suhana Mehardchand brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the participating students and is not to be missed.

At this point all these amazing events seem so far away, but November will arrive sooner than we all think. Get ready for an exciting, nerve-wracking and overall rewarding experience. Welcome to OCMC 2012!

Take a look at this video to see what Centennial College has in store for OCMC 2012 participants: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh1l2ibslgU



-Rachel