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This exercise is designed to help managers at all levels practice their leadership and communication skills, which are vital for managing change. It provides the group with the opportunity to present their vision of change to their peers and receive candid feedback.
Objectives
After completing this exercise, managers will be able to:
- articulate their vision for change
- practice their influencing skills
- receive feedback on their approach with suggestions on how to improve
How to Use This Exercise
The exercise is ideal for using with a group of people who already know each other. It will take between one to two hours to complete, depending on numbers. The maximum recommended group size is six people, as you will need up to 15 minutes per person for each presentation plus feedback. As an alternative this exercise can be used as a one-on-one coaching session for managers who need support in communicating change to their team. It can be used to boost managers’ skills prior to the implementation of a major change program, or as part of their ongoing development.
What You’ll Need
The following resources are optional and will depend on the preferred presentation format of the group:
- digital camera, smartphone or tablet device with option to record
- computer and screen/blank wall for PowerPoint presentations
- flipchart, paper and pens
- feedback sheet (at the bottom of this page)
What to do (advance preparation)
1. The managers should be contacted a couple of weeks before the session, and asked to prepare a five-minute presentation as pre-course work on their visions for change. This might be a real change initiative that they are going to be involved with, or a hypothetical example that is relevant for your organization.
2. Send the group a copy of the task sheet to help them with their preparation. Provide the group with information about what their presentations should cover, including:
- Who is the target audience?
- What changes are being made?
- Why are these changes being made?
- Who will be affected?
- In what way will these people be affected?
- What kind of timescales are involved?
- How and when will further information be available?
- What will things look like after the change has taken place? What will be different? What will stay the same?
3. You may want to record each presentation at the session. This can greatly improve the quality of the feedback that is delivered.
4. At the session, ask the managers to take it in turns to present their vision for change to the wider group. Before the presentations begin, distribute copies of the feedback sheets and ask the group to note their comments and suggestions for improvement under the various headings, and be ready to share these.
Review (5 to 10 Minutes Per Person)
To ensure that everyone gets the most out of the review stage of the exercise, it is best to facilitate a feedback discussion after each person has presented, rather than after everyone has finished presenting. Ask the group to offer feedback based on the information they have noted on their feedback sheets.
Before the feedback begins, you should set out some basic ground rules for delivering feedback. For example, feedback should:
- be positive (praise positive aspects of the presentation)
- be constructive (offer advice about how the presentation can be improved or suggest alternatives)
- pose questions where you are unclear
- provide an opportunity for the person being assessed to respond
It can be helpful to gather together all the completed feedback sheets for each presentation, and give them to the presenter.
Putting it Into Practice (15 Minutes)
- To round off the exercise, split the group into pairs and ask them to identify the behaviors that they personally, (and their senior team) need to demonstrate when managing employees during a period of change, as well as the behaviors they should avoid.
- Encourage them to note any actions that they will need to take when they return to the workplace.
- Finally, before they leave, encourage the group to identify the occasions over the next year when they might find this exercise useful. For instance, articulating a corporate vision, updating their team on the corporate or department business plan, or introducing a new process or system.
Communicating a Vision for Change – Group Guidance
This exercise enables you to practice your leadership and communication skills, which are vital for managing change. One of the principal roles of anyone who leads or manages others is to drive change by creating and clearly articulating a vision that people can see, understand, and commit to. This is especially important when the vision involves significant change.
What to Do
- You have been asked to prepare a five-minute presentation on your vision for change, which you will present to a group of your peers. This may be a real change that is happening in your organization, or a hypothetical situation that is relevant to your organization. As part of your planning you should decide on the target audience, e.g. should it be everyone in a certain department, employees across a range of departments, or employees of a certain level or role? Your target audience may also be customers, sponsors, partners, or the board. Give the group some information about your target audience as part of your presentation.
- At the session you will be asked to present your vision for change to a group of your peers. You may want to use visual aids (e.g. slides, a flipchart or physical objects) as part of your presentation. Remember, communication is not only about your words, but your actions too. Be sure to explain the need for change, why the status quo can’t continue and the benefits resulting from the change (outputs, bottom line, what success will look like). Anticipate any anxieties or concerns the audience may have and try to address these.
- The object of your presentation is to clearly explain the change, build support for it and get your audience behind the initiative, while addressing any sensitivities and concerns that they might have.
- Be prepared to receive positive and constructive feedback from the other members of the group after your presentation, and also to give positive and constructive feedback to the other group members after their presentations. Guidance on what feedback to offer is provided in the feedback sheet.
- Think about the feedback you received on your body language during your presentation and your behavior after it. Identify the behaviors you and your senior team need to demonstrate when managing employees during a period of change, as well as the behaviors you should avoid. Finally, take a few minutes to identify any action you want to take back to the workplace.
Communicating a Vision for Change – Feedback Sheet
Presenter’s name:
1. Content
Was the vision for change clearly articulated?
Did you find the vision reassuring?
Did the presentation have an overall sense of sense of direction and purpose?
Was the intended target audience explained?
How would you react to the presentation if you were part of the target audience?
In what way(s) could the vision for change be better articulated?
2. Delivery
Was the presentation clear and audible?
Did the presenter engage with the audience, e.g. making eye contact?
Was the presenter’s tone of voice appropriate?
Was the presenter’s choice of language and phrases appropriate?
Did you notice any particular aspects of the presenter’s body language?
3. General Points
Did the presentation end within the time limit?
Did the visuals add to or detract from the presentation?
What was the best single thing about the presentation?
Which aspect of the presentation could be most improved?
4. Additional Feedback
If you have any further feedback, please note this in the space below.
