The implementation and success of a strategic plan depends on the support of key stakeholders. This in turn depends on your ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with decision makers and to sell your vision of the future. You must also be able to lead the initiative and sustain strategic direction. This assessment provides you with an opportunity to showcase your strategic thinking and exercise the communication skills necessary to move your strategic plan forward toward implementation.
Note: In this assessment, you will develop a presentation to stakeholders for the strategic plan you developed in Assessment 2.
Your strategic plan has been reviewed, and you have been asked to present your plan—including operational recommendations and strategic control mechanisms—at a strategic visioning session with key stakeholders (senior leaders if your plan is organization-wide, community leaders if your plan is for a community health project, or the nurse manager of a specific department or team). This session is the next step in moving your plan toward implementation.
Your deliverable for this assessment is a slide deck of 10-20 slides to supplement your presentation and facilitate discussion of your plan. You may use Microsoft PowerPoint or any other suitable presentation software. Please use the notes section of each slide to develop your talking points and reference your sources, as appropriate.
If you choose to use PowerPoint and need help designing your presentation, consult PowerPoint Presentations for guidance.
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.
Reflect on the current cultural climate in your care setting.
- What aspects of the current cultural climate would aid in achieving one or more specific goals contained in your strategic plan?
- What aspects of the current cultural climate would present a challenge in achieving one or more specific goals contained in your strategic plan?
- What leadership theories, models, or strategies could help you turn this challenge into an opportunity?
Effectively communicating with internal and external stakeholders and constituencies can help in achieving strategic initiatives.
- How would you communicate the essential aspects of the strategic plan you developed in Assessment 2 to stakeholders or groups, both internal and external to your care setting?
Presentation Design Tips
Being able to effectively address any audience is a necessary leadership skill. Remember that you are the speaker, not a projectionist. Your purpose is not to present a slide show. Your audience is there to listen to what you have to say, not read your slides—or worse, listen to you read them. Design your presentation slides to compliment and reinforce your message and engage your listeners.
The following tips will help you create presentation slides that work to your advantage:
- Focus on the content of your presentation and the development of your main points. Remember that your purpose is to garner support for your plan and build partnerships for implementation.
- Consider your intended audience and how best to communicate effectively with them.
- Create slides that support your presentation. They should not be your presentation.
- Use a professional presentation template, or one used in your organization.
- Ensure that your slide background provides sufficient visual contrast for your text and graphics.
- Avoid filling your slides with text. Use speaker notes to record the details you want to communicate to your audience.
- Be judicious in your use of bulleted lists. You might even consider a separate slide for each main point.
- Use images and graphics, when appropriate, to illustrate information and make your points. Presentation slides are a visual medium. Images are more effective than text at engaging your audience.
- Avoid using images that are simply decorative. They can be a visual distraction and do not contribute to your message.
- Avoid using flashy slide transitions and animations. They can be both distracting and annoying. Keep your slide transitions consistent throughout the presentation.
- Add a slide to the end of your presentation to prompt questions from the audience.
