What steps has your group taken to prepare for the Group Proposal Presentation? How have roles been assigned? How was the PowerPoint or deck created? How does the presentation differ from the written report? How will you maintain your audience’s attention? What strategies will you use to build credibility and persuade your audience? Which of Mai and Akerson’s leadership communication styles will you use in your presentation? Why?
Unfortunately, I was not present in class on the day the roles were assigned. However, it appears that Jesse took the lead in dividing the work amongst the group members. I believe he did a good job – the work assignment seemed fair and everyone was comfortable with their individual parts, no complaints. Overall to prepare for the Group Proposal Presentation, we distributed a working draft of powerpoint slides with each person tasked to add 1-2 slides discussing their role in the project. Everyone was forthcoming with their different constraints on time and other priorities, so there was an understanding/trust amongst the group that everyone will do their parts well and with enough lead time prior to the presentation.
The presentation was much less detailed and granual than the wirtten report. The written report went into further budgetary detail and the plan we created for opening a Dress for Success branch in the Bronx.
Personally, to build credibility I went back and reread the Echoing Green case so that I could demonstrate knowledge of the organization during our pitch for funding. I figured this would show that we did our homeowork on the firm and were interested in a partnership, not just for the money, but because their vision was for the future was in alignment with our own.
I tried to utilize the leader as meaning maker strategy – connecting Echoing Green’s relatively small contribution to the bigger picture of increased employment and therefore enhanced quality of life for women both nationally and internationally and the opportunity to help turn a small nonprofit dependent on grants into a self sustaining organization.
