Objective
Get every student on their feet, pitching out loud before the big Portfolio Presentation Slam. This is a low-stakes dress rehearsal: students practice hyping an idea in 60 seconds, and the room practices the exact "I liked… / I wondered…" feedback format they'll use for the real 3-minute pitches. By the time they present their real project, they've already done the scary part once — and laughed while doing it.
The setup
- Everyone stands in a loose circle (or presents from their seat facing the room). No slides, no notes — just talk.
- Coach is timekeeper: a phone timer set to 60 seconds, plus a fun "buzzer" (clap, bell, or a loud "TIME!").
- Write the two feedback stems big on the board: 👍 "I liked…" and 🤔 "I wondered…". Every piece of feedback must use one of these.
- For Round 1, have a few silly fake products ready on slips of paper for anyone stuck: a self-buttering toaster, homework-eating robot, umbrella that predicts rain, alarm clock that runs away.
The rules — read aloud
Round 1 · "Hype a silly product" (confidence builder)
- "You have 60 seconds to sell us a ridiculous fake product like it's the greatest invention ever. Big energy, straight face."
- "No idea is too dumb — that's the point. We're practicing delivery, not the product."
- "After each pitch, two people give feedback: one 'I liked…' and one 'I wondered…'. Fast and kind."
Round 2 · "Pitch your REAL project"
- "Same 60 seconds — now pitch your actual agent project. Hit three things: the problem, one demo moment, one thing you learned."
- "Room gives the same feedback: 'I liked…' + 'I wondered…'. This is a rehearsal, so make the feedback genuinely useful."
The process
- Round 1 (~5 min): as many silly pitches as time allows — keep it fast, keep it loud, buzz at 60 seconds. Let the laughter loosen everyone up.
- Reset: "Same energy, real project now. Remember: problem → one demo moment → one lesson."
- Round 2 (~6 min): students pitch their real projects. After each, grab two quick "I liked… / I wondered…" reactions from the room.
- Spotlight: if time's tight, don't force all 30 — get a strong handful up, and tell the rest they're first in the real Slam.
The debrief
- Which pitches grabbed you — and what did they do? (Usually: one clear problem, one vivid moment, real energy.)
- What's harder to pitch in 60 seconds — a silly product or your real project? Why does the real one feel higher-stakes?
- Finish this: "A pitch lands when it has a clear ______, one ______ moment, and one honest ______." (problem · demo · lesson)
WORKSHOP TIE-IN: This is a live dress rehearsal for today's Portfolio Presentation Slam. The 60-second drill is a compressed version of the real 3-minute pitch (problem & design → live demo → key learning), and the "I liked… / I wondered…" stems are the exact structured peer feedback the class uses after every real presentation. Do this well and the Slam feels easy.
WATCH-OUT: Keep the timer honest — buzz at 60 seconds even mid-sentence; the constraint is what forces a sharp pitch. And guard the feedback format: no "here's what was wrong," only "I liked…" and "I wondered…". Kind and specific beats vague and nice.