CHAPTER 2
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Stage 2: Pitch the Proposal
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f it seems as if it’s taken an awfully long time to get to stage 2, that’s not an illusion. A lot of heavy lifting has already taken place and important work carried out. Since the initiative hasn’t already been abandoned, it means it has legs, and the leadership team leader is ready to commit it to paper.
Proposal development can be done in narrative style, slideshow presentation format, or a combination of the two. One way to think of the pitch is as storytelling. The first part of the plot lays down the basic foundation for the idea itself, followed by how the idea (or story) unfolds, and then the ways in which the idea resolves a central problem or conflict. The beginning should hook the audience, the middle should explain the problem that the idea will address, and the conclusion should wrap up the narrative with a recommendation. This chapter introduces you to a calibration tool called a tuning protocol for the leadership team to utilize during the team leader’s first formal presentation on the topic, as well as a diagnostic notetaking form that will result in uncovering the gaps and opportunities ahead. T U N I N G P R OTO CO L
There is a wide variety of approaches for using protocols in professional settings to vet new initiatives. McDonald and colleagues (2013) write: The protocols have been adapted countless times in many settings for diverse purposes. They are popular too because each implicitly teaches one of three but rare important skills: the first, how to give and receive safe and honest feedback; the second, how to analyze complex problems carefully and without rushing to judgment; and the third, how to ground interpretations of complex texts. (p. 1)
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