NESI TIPSheet 3 checklist identifies ways to avoid five classic mistakes when presenting your request to a superior for use of Tablet and other mobile PCs in school.
Reminder: Your superiors have been in your shoes, know what you should be doing, and likely have strong opinions about you and your job performance.
1. It’s a big deal. Think when preparing and presenting, “It’s a big deal to me, and I want this project to succeed.” Don’t let anyone convince you ahead of or during your presentation that it’s not a big deal. As long as you’re allowed to present, that means school time is being spent by you. So, it’s a big deal, especially if you flub your presentation and get labeled as a flake who wastes school people’s time.
2. Make a coherent presentation. Make a coherent presentation of your plan with a beginning, middle, and summary ending that states that you want them to approve your plan. Make the presentation 3 to 5 minutes short and prepare for a robust Q and A. Use the 3 T’s speech strategy, if you don’t have another. Tell them what you will say, say it, and tell them what you said. Prepare to answer objections with one or two sentences of data and other positive clarifications. If you don’t prepare this way, expect a rejection, mutation of your plan, or another loss of your control over the project even though someone else will have credit for its success, and you will have responsibility for it’s failure, if that happens.
3. Demonstrate control of information. Don’t try to get the better of your superiors with your project. You’re not in a contest of wills or opinions. They’re smart, experienced people who rely on each other and on you to perform your job in certain ways. Describe to your superiors how they will benefit from your project, even though you think your project is to increase student learning. Show how these increases will make your superiors look good, increase the school’s positive image, etc.
4. Follow-up. Don’t expect your superiors to do anything other than to authorize your next step in preparing your project. They have their jobs to complete, and you have yours. They shouldn’t and won’t do your job of preparing and conducting this project for you. If they say, ‘Yes, go ahead,” that means you have more to do than when you started your presentation, including keeping them in your information loop.
5. Build a foundation for approval. Assemble your support before your presentation. Review your ideas, plans, etc. with superiors one-on-one before making any formal presentations and putting them on the spot publicly. Even if you think you know them well enough to offer public surprises, don’t take that risk, if you can avoid it. They may never forget or forgive you for making them appear unprepared for something happening that they think is in their responsibilities or sphere of life.
Steve Tobak offers suggestions about how to make killer pitches for authorizations.
And, thanks, Steve, for your model that I adapted for this post.