(A
special thanks to Mary Ellen McCormick for help with this section!)
All good
Marketing teachers are constantly looking for the perfect lesson.
How can we teach our students pricing? Research? Channels of distribution?
One of the most powerful tools that you will ever have at your disposal
is the proper utilization of DECA competitive events and manuals.
However,
it is tough to be an "expert" in all aspects of competition.
While many Marketing teachers enter their students in CBCE events
at district and state levels, many do NOT take advantage of the instructional
value of written manuals. Why? Because they have never done them,
and aren't sure where to begin. This section is intended to help.
Sometimes
at SLC it seems as if the same schools get called to the stage over
and over again. THEY are the ones who have contributed to this section
of the Web site. Below is a compilation of fundamental pointers, tricks,
and things to do to create successful manuals. The toughest part of
writing manuals is getting started. Once you do them, you will always
do them.
Read from
the topics below and learn about getting started in written events
and chapter projects. There are three new events this year, so don't
forget to check them out on the SLC
page!
Why should I bother with written events and
chapter projects?
Where can I find resources?
How can I motivate my students to want to do
a manual?
Helping your student break his or her manual into
"chunks."
Which manual is right for your students?
Determining your students' strengths and weaknesses.
Putting it all together.
Why
should I bother with written events and chapter projects?
Every year
some of your finest Marketing students attempt to earn their way to
state and national DECA competition. While many outstanding students
may attempt to earn a spot through district level competitive events,
only one (or in a few cases, two) of those students can win. Maybe
they had a bad day, maybe their cat just ate the goldfish, or for
whatever reason, maybe they just weren't at their best. Or maybe there
were simply three or four outstanding competitors. You can't all win!
Each year,
however, many of those “non-winners” go on to compete and
win at state and national levels. How is that? A well done written
event or manual is a great way to earn a ticket to state and national
competition. Below is some information that will help you to prepare
your students on their journey in preparing effective written manuals
or chapter projects.
Few things
in Marketing Education are as rewarding as having a student compete
at the state and national level. Being a part of your students competing
against students from around the state is an exciting experience,
but first you've got to help them get there...
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Where
can I find resources?
DECA, Inc.
is a veritable gold mine of resources concerning written manuals.
For a very nominal fee you can purchase sample tests, as well as actual
winning manuals from past competition. They also sell other resources
that will guide you along the way to creating you manuals. Buy these
resources, read them, then read them again.
Other critical
resources are your DECA, Inc. Guide and DECA,
Inc. Web site. These informational guides provide you with literally
everything you need to know to complete a written manual. They will
tell you, step by step, what needs to be in your manual, where, how,
etc. FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES!!! Go back and read them weekly. You
will be amazed at how often you will catch an overlooked detail as
you reread the guides. They will tell you what must be in your manual,
what can't be in it, and much more. Heed the advice.
Pay special
attention to the evaluation sheets at the back of each contest. These
sheets provide you with the key to how your manual will be scored.
Read them time and time again as you and your students complete your
manuals.
Utilize the
assistance of other teachers. Let the English teacher proof and edit
the writing (giving them at least a week to do so). Two or more heads
are nearly always better than one! Use business professionals on an
advisor panel (see description below). Use your staff to rehearse
your oral presentations. Take advantage of the resources you have.
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How can I motivate my students to do
written manuals?
"Ok, class. Today we are going to start writing written manuals.
You will produce from 9 to 40 pages on the topic of your choice. Are
you ready to begin?" How well will THAT go over? Not very, I
suspect. However, motivating your students need not be an impossible
task. A handful of students will do the work to compete of their own
volition. However, if your truly want this to be a learning experience
for all of your students, get them all involved in their own project,
provide them with class time, and give them class credit for their
work and their findings. You are doing projects now. Why not let your
students select a project that they are interested in and relate it
to your class topics?) If you doubt that this can be done, take a
closer look at your DECA Guide to see just what what goes into these
manuals.) To produce a good manual, this is too much work to ask a
student to do this as an "extra credit" project.
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Helping your students break his or her
manual into "chunks."
Simply "throwing out" a 30 page manual project can be very
intimidating form some students. However, assigning small tasks doesn't
seem quite so daunting. Most manuals are broken into categories that
you can follow logically. For example, the 2005 research manuals had
the following categories:
Let's look at these things
individually. First, the events that go on to Nationals:
MANAGEMENT
TEAM DECISION MAKING EVENTS – These events are comprised of two
students per team, and each member is given a written test. After
the test, each team is given a decision making case study situation,
whereby they have 30 minutes to prepare their solution. They then
present this solution to the judge. Heavy emphasis is placed on the
decision making presentation. The occupations to choose from are:
- Financial Analysis Management
Team Decision Making
- Hospitality Services
Management Team Decision Making
- Sports and Entertainment
Marketing Management Team Decision Making
- Travel and Tourism Marketing
Team Decision Making
- Internet Marketing Team
Decision Making (formerly E-Commerce MDM)
- Business Law and Ethics
Team Decision Making
- Buying and Merchandising
Management
MARKETING
RESEARCH EVENTS – For research events, you may include up to
three people on your team. You are given a topic to research. and
your research event consists of two major parts, the **written document
and an oral presentation. Pick your category, research your topic,
and prepare your document and presentation. Heavy emphasis is placed
on the document itself. The occupations to choose from are:
- Business and Finance
- General Marketing
- Hospitality and Recreation
- Retail
See the SLC
page for the current year's research topic.
CHAPTER TEAM
EVENTS – These are projects for your entire chapter. You probably
are doing these things during the course of the year anyway, so organize
them and enter them in competition! Up to three people can present
each project at SLC. They consist of a **written project and an oral
presentation. Heavy emphasis is placed on the document itself. The
projects to choose from are:
- Community Service Project
- Creative Marketing Project
- Entrepreneurship Promotion
Project
- Learn and Earn Project
- Public Relations Project
BUSINESS
OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT EVENTS – These manuals are based on
the same topic, but are very different. Each entrepreneurship event
is based on the development of a new business. The written event is
a **thorough paper, and describes your plan in detail. You provide
details for the summary, introduction, analysis, planned operation,
financing, and conclusion, as described in the outline. Heavy emphasis
is placed on the written document.
- **Entrepreneurship Written
The participating event
includes a much shorter document, including topics of description,
marketing/promotion plan, and financing. Unlike the preceding event,
heavy emphasis is placed on the oral presentation here. In addition,
you may compete by developing a new business, or a franchise.
- Entrepreneurship Participating
- Independent Business
- Franchise Business
One common misconception
about this event? You do NOT have to create a new and innovative business
that no one has ever tried before. You simply have to generate a good
business plan for a business that will work in the real world. A good
manual on how to start and operate an new McDonald’s will go
a lot farther than the mediocre manual describing how to sell pizzas
on the Internet.
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS EVENT – This event consists of a written report and
an oral presentation. Emphasis is placed on the written report, so
anyone willing to do the research can be competitive. Do you know
anyone who has ever had a business in a foreign country? They might
be your best resource! Simply complete the guideline in your DECA
guide, discussing the basic steps to starting your business in another
part of the world.
E-COMMERCE
BUSINESS PLAN - Treat this one just like the International Business
Event above, but with an electronic twist! Integrate marketing fundamentals
with e-commerce.
PARTICIPATING
EVENTS – As you can see in the parentheses below, each of these
events are based on different criteria. Each depends heavily on an
oral presentation, but don't for get to keep you strengths in mind!
In the Technical Sales Event, you are given a problem to solve. This
is basically nothing more than a sales presentation, something that
almost all of you are currently teaching! Read it thoroughly, make
sure it interests you, and get a business person in a related business
involved in your solution. The other two provide you with an opportunity
to select your company.
- Advertising Campaign
(written exam, fact sheet, oral presentation)
- Fashion Merchandising
Promotion Plan (fact sheets, oral presentation)
- Technical Sales Event
(written exam, oral presentation)
THE SUNKIST
WEB SITE/BANNER AD CHALLENGE – Now an "official" event,
construct a Web site
and/or a banner ad following the guidelines prescribed in the DECA,
Inc. Guide. If you have a flair for such things, no presentation is
required. Simply build the Web page or banner, and submit the form
attached to the guidelines. Good Luck!
VIRTUAL BUSINESS
– Another "official" event, Virtual Business is a computer
simulation that allows students to own and operated their own convenience
store. New last year was an additional event that allows students
to run their own sporting event (football game). 
Students
make decisions on factors like pricing, staffing, merchandising, mark
up, inventory and branding, and much more. Your students will love
it, and it helps you to teach and reinforce the same basic marketing
principles that you are teaching anyway. Monthly challenges are provided
to your class' teams, and the highest ranking teams may earn their
way to ICDC. Best of all, it's FREE! You can download the
simulation at knowledgematters.com.
For specific questions about the contest, e-mail your inquiries to
decavbc@knowledgematters.com.
DECA
QUIZ BOWL - Team members
(from 1-4 per team) take an online test prior to SLC registration.
The top four team are invited to SLC to compete against each other
in a game show environment. The top team team represents Virginia
DECA at the ICDC. See your Chapter Management Guide for details.
(There are other “state only” events
that do not go on to international competition.)
**Check for details on your
written manuals. Most of the “longer” manuals include all of
your “extras”. If you have a 30 page manual to prepare, these
30 pages include pictures, charts, graphs, surveys, etc. USE
THEM! A lengthy manual with no visual aid can get pretty dull
in a judge's eyes.
| THE
STOCK MARKET GAME
Another
event that lasts througout the year, so be sure and sign
up early. For more information, click
here. |
 |
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Determining your strengths and weaknesses.
Next, what are some of your student's strengths and weaknesses? Do
they like to or are they good at:
- Writing?
- Doing oral presentations?
- Taking tests?
- Quick decision making?
- Supervising and planning?
- Time management?
- Doing projects?
- Helping people outside
of the community?
- Other talents?
The odds are, they've listed
something here that they either like or are very good at. Many of
these qualities can contribute to an overall team effort, and you
don't have to be able to do them all. Let's say, for example, one
student likes to do presentations, and prefers them over writing.
Look at team decision making events or one with a “short“
paper, such as Entrepreneurship Participating or the Advertising Campaign.
However, if they are good at expressing themselves on paper, and like
digging for solutions, consider another project, such as a Entrepreneurship
Written. Or if they like writing and “doing stuff”, consider
a chapter project or Marketing Research. There's something for everybody.
Once again, consider making these class projects. They are a lot of
work, but it will help to motivate them!
Now that
you're all familiar with the projects, let's get familiar with your
students. What are some types of things that they like to do? Do they
like:
- sports?
- recreation?
- boats?
- cars?
- clothing?
- make-up and appearance?
- food or eating?
- computers?
- games?
- helping others?
- animals?
- anything?
If they are going to do
a good job with their manual and spend a lot of time with it, they've
got to get their heart into it! Many or most of these manuals are
NOT content specific. THEY pick the business and THEY pick the approach
you want to use. For example, let's say they've decided that they're
creative, don't care to write too much but love to present orally,
and they love plants and landscaping. They could possibly choose to
do the Advertising Campaign Event for a nursery in your area. This
would meet all of their criteria, likes, and dislikes.
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Putting it all together.
Now that they have analyzed what they are good at, what format they
are most comfortable with, and what topics they would like to work
on, have your students pick an event and a topic and submit it to
you in writing. Put your heads together, thinking through the possibilities,
and they're ready to begin! The toughest part of a manual is getting
started. Let me repeat that because it bears repeating. The
toughest part of a manual is getting started. Just follow these
directions and dive in! If you don't feel comfortable yet, that's
ok. Just start writing. You'll quickly see what questions your students
will want to ask. It'll all fall into place.
Step one:
Now that they've decided on a project, THOROUGHLY read the event
guidelines. It is very important to understand the rules,
as well as how they will be judged. Your students should know these
like the back of their hands. They should read them at several stages
of production. In these guidelines, they will be told how long their
paper should be, how long their presentation can be, what they should
include in their written documentation, and they will be told exactly
how they will be evaluated. Keep this is mind as they go through the
process of developing their manual. They have a copy of the sheet
that the judge will be given to score them. Use it! The more they
know before you begin working on their manual, the better off they'll
be. Then go back regularly to review the guidelines, comparing them
to what they've done so far.
Step two:
Outline the problem and determine exactly how to go
about addressing the manual, and what kind of “twist” they
want to take.
Step three:
Form an advisory panel. No one is an expert on everything,
but there is an expert out there for everything. They are high school
students and can take advantage of it. Adults are receptive to students
seeking assistance. Just ask! Encourage them to figure out who can
help them. In the example we described above, calling on the manger
or owner of a few local nurseries would be the first logical step.
Students should explain who they are and why they need help. If the
first person they call on will not help, try another one. Someone
will be willing to assist. Have your students think of everyone who
might be able to help, and start a list. For the nursery problem,
they would consider an English teacher to proof and edit their writing,
an advertising company representative, a printer, a banker or financier
(they will need to explain their costs), their Marketing teacher,
a typist, and anyone else who might be helpful along the journey.
Don't make the committee too big, or they won't be able to get quality
input from each of them. For example, if they get an experienced nursery
owner on their panel, he or she can help with finance problems, etc.,
because he has dealt with it in his business. Start there and then
add to the panel as needed.
Step four:
Create a timeline for getting things done. Determine
when the project is due, and how much time you can give them to do
it. Break the manual down into “little chunks” so that they
can determine how long they need for each part. Sometimes things don't
go as planned, so allow extra time!!! In the nursery example, allot
time to come up with the advertising slogan and concept. Once that's
done, then determine a framework around this slogan and concept (if
that's the way you choose to do it). Just as in the real world, once
they get started, they might even think of a better idea, so give
them time to make changes.
This particular
manual is broken down into nine parts. This might be a logical way
to set goals. For example, the first section is "Description."
Give them a week to finish their draft of the description. The second
section is "Objective." You might only need two days to
develop this. Do this for each of the nine parts.
VERY IMPORTANT:
HAVE THE STUDENTS WRITE THEIR GOALS DOWN ON PAPER, AND PROVIDE A COPY
TO YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT!!! You may even ask
them to put them in a table or chart so that you can see them visually.
Have your students use this document regularly as they go through
the project. They may modify their goals; in fact, they probably will.
But have them! Don't forget the Sample Time
Frame for Manual Completion.
Step five:
Put the manual together. Now that they've done each
part, put it all together and proof it. Include any charts, graphs,
and pictures that may be relevant (certain manuals only). Go back
and reread the guidelines again. If it says number your pages in the
lower right hand corner, then do just that! Be sure to adhere to the
guidelines, and be sure to check that every element that is on the
evaluation sheet has been included . Then have your students give
their manual and a copy of the judges sheet to an “outsider,”
asking them to try and evaluate the project as best they can. They'll
certainly let you know if they don't understand something or if it
appears that something is missing. BEWARE OF PENALTY POINTS! Follow
the format in the guidelines to the letter. For example, if
the guidelines which pages should and should not be numbered, pay
attention to exactly what it says!
Step six:
Prepare your presentation. This will be different at
the state and national levels, but let's get you through states first!
Your students' judge will be given the manual prior to the presentation,
and will be asked to read it and list relevant questions they might
have.
Food for
thought: Should your students intentionally omit important information
in an attempt to elicit guided questions?
YOUR STUDENT
SHOULD NOT SIMPLY RESTATE THEIR PAPER TO THE JUDGE(S), AS THEY HAVE
ALREADY READ IT! (different guidelines apply for national competition)
They must be concerned with some “sizzle” here, and it needs
to get the judges' attention. They should consider using audio or
visual aids, if appropriate, and remember, they are selling the judge(s)
on an idea. Their paper is factual; the presentation is the “commercial”
that sells the facts. Some things to work on with your students are
are:
