Using the Film Process for Sales Education: The Results of an EU project

In recent years, increasing innovative learning techniques have been applied to sales education (Whalen and Coker 2016, 2017; Labrecque et al. 2019; Spiller et al. 2019; Cummins et al. 2020). The mix of traditional and innovative teaching techniques is grounded on social learning theory, that demonstrated the efficacy and students’ preference for practical instruction rather than theoretical lectures (Kelly, 2004), especially in skill-based disciplines such as sales (Lastner et al. 2016). This work presents the results of the development and implementation of an innovative, active learning methodology based on edutainment, the "Movie education" (Conform 2019, as a part of the overall IN.K.A.M.S. Erasmus Plus project (International Key Account Management & Sales – cofounded by European Union in 2017), which consists in involving students in the application of storytelling techniques and the creation of short films related to the didactic topics covered, in order to give a more experiential approach to the course. Movie education consists of student participation in Film process laboratories, to acquire storytelling techniques, act and make short films dedicated to typical sales situations, based on the knowledge acquired in previous lessons. The integration of Movie education with other educational methods (lectures, discussions, video/film analysis, and tests), resulted in advanced knowledge elaboration and transfer, critical evaluation and development, memorization, behavioural response, with elevated student involvement and engagement. This work presents the benefits and challenges of using Movie education through experimentation in five business university courses in five different EU universities, also providing contributions and suggestions for further implementation of this methodology.