in-depth learning activity

Identify a clear and compelling change you would like to make at work, home, or with a community group.  It can be a small change; it just must be important to you.  Create an “elevator speech,” or language that you could state in 1-3 minutes explaining the change, the reason for the change, and the proposed result.

Then consider the following questions:

• How will others be affected by the change? Who do you think will be receptive, and who won’t be receptive, and why?
• How will you “sell” people on the change and the need for change? What tactics and strategies can you use to convince the people who will be affected that working toward this change will be useful?
• What kinds of resistance do you expect? What will be the obstacles?
• What resources do you have and what resources do you need to enact this change? Do you need specific information to make this change successful?
• Whose support and buy-in do you need in order to enact the change and to make it work?
• How will the change affect the current culture?  (Change agents cannot ignore cultural factors, because the gaps between culture and the change are the root of many failed changes. Consider if your change will affect groups’ cultural practices; will affected groups regard the change as positive?
• How should you communicate the change?  What messages do you need to send, to what audiences and for what purposes?
• How will you reinforce the planned change? Reinforcement is the power behind motivating behavioral changes. Should there be positive rewards or negative consequences?  Do you need buy-in from administration to use the reinforcements you identify?

Use the questions above and your answers to develop a professional proposal detailing your plan and the actions needed.  Your “elevator speech” will become the executive summary.  Then include full proposal information with the following sections:

• Statement of Problem
• Other Possible Solutions—This is not your proposed change yet, but other options to show that you’ve considered many options before deciding on your proposed change.
• Proposed Solution—Describe your change, with full discussion.
• Communication Plan—How and to whom do you need to communicate the proposed change? You may want to include a discussion of buy-in here.
• Action Plan—Include your proposed activities, in a particular order, that are needed to enact your change, and who will be involved in each; what actions you propose to take if encountering resistance?
• Timeline—This may or may not be incorporated with the action plan; it’s your choice.
• Resources—What do you need to enact the change, including reinforcements as well as monetary, personnel, and/or time resources?
• Qualifications—What qualifies you to propose the change?

Submit: the full proposal, including the executive summary and all sections