Communicating for Buy-In Kurt Crake

2 Why Should You Care About This? Leadership in the 21st century is about buy-in – Mark Walton The key to your success as a Navy leader (or civilian executive) will be your ability to move others to action. Credibility doesnt come with a job title anymore.

3 Objective For This Session Provide you with state of the art knowledge and an experiential opportunity to develop a Strategic Story that will help you get buy-in from a target audience Get feedback from a group of your peers

4 Preview What do we really mean by buy-in? How do you get buy-in? Elements of a Presentation for Buy-In A Step by Step Approach Some Examples Some Helpful Hints About Your Presentations....

5 How Do You Get What You Want? You have to know three things: _____________

6 How Do You Get What You Want? You have to know three things: What you want Who can give it to you How to get it

7 What Is Buy-In? For the purposes of this discussion, buy-in consists of both A positive emotional state Approval Support Sense of Commitment Active Participation Something the target audience will do in support of your agenda

8 How do you get Buy-In? The key to buy-in from others is a story of a positive future outcome…for them! Appeal to higher purpose or greater common good The tool to get your target audience to that state of commitment and action is a Strategic Story. In crafting your story, try to align with your target audiences agenda, and make your points in the order they consider them. Back up each point with evidence.

9 The Elements of a Presentation for Buy-In Buy-In Objective Vision of a Positive Future Supporting Message #1 Supporting Message #2 Supporting Message #3 Call to Action

10 The Elements Buy-In Objective What is it that you want…exactly? A clear-cut single objective Foundation for the rest of the presentation Who is your target audience? What action do you want them to take, and in what time frame do you need them to act?

11 The Elements Vision of a Positive Future To take the actions you want, whats the story of a positive future your audience would need to hear? How will the future you want give them the future they want? Its not about anyone else but your target audience. Know their perspective and agendas. Dont talk about yourself. Use the words you, us, or we, but never I.

12 The Elements Buy-In Objective Vision of a Positive Future Supporting Message #1 Supporting Message #2 Supporting Message #3 Call to Action

13 Your Supporting Messages Develop three supporting messages or concepts that fulfill your audiences agenda What are their needs, wants and goals for the future? What are the elements of a positive future from their point of view? Examples: ROI, cost reduction, improved efficiency, better quality, etc. Back up each point with evidence or a rational argument.

14 Why Three? Recurring pattern used by master communicators through time Backed up by modern psychological research Three is enough to be persuasive, not too much to remember

15 The Elements Buy-In Objective Vision of a Positive Future Supporting Message #1 Supporting Message #2 Supporting Message #3 Call to Action

16 The Elements Call to Action You are much more likely to get what you want if you actually ask for it! Dont stop short of the goal by implying, or letting the audience infer what you want. State it clearly and simply. Make it easy to act. Immediate or near term action is best. Ask for a commitment or first step toward the action you need.

17 The Elements Buy-In Objective Vision of a Positive Future Supporting Message #1 Supporting Message #2 Supporting Message #3 Call to Action

18 Step by Step Preparation Define Your Buy-In Objective Step #1 Envision and Articulate a Positive Future for your Target Audience Step #2 Develop Three Supporting Messages That Fulfill Your Audiences Agenda Step #3 Call Your Audience to Action

19 Outline Form #1 Strategic Message Evidence to support #2 Strategic Message Evidence to support #3 Strategic Message Evidence to support Vision of Positive Future Call to Action

20 An Example Prevail Over Soviet Union Reduce the Size of Government Reduce Taxes Morning in America Vote For Reagan

21 Another Example Leadership is about Buy-In Success depends on ability to motivate Credibility doesnt come with job Successful Naval Leader Engage & Learn

22 Helpful Hints Use Stories Weve all been trained to think in story Having a good story automatically improves your ability to tell it. You feel better about it Your audience gets wrapped up in the story, and are less critical of your story-telling Performance Confidence Audience Receptiveness

23 Other Helpful Hints Make your time count! We live in the age of sound bites Nobody has extra time or attention time. You need to be able to sell your story quickly Anticipate questions What is the upside/downside? What do the nay-sayers say? Why? What if we do nothing?

24 Action Learning Scenario: The key decision-maker(s) for the issue identified in your point paper will be available for a short period on Monday. Develop a 2 minute presentation using the format presented here. Rehearse! Practice doing it in two minutes. Each of you will give your presentation Monday You will receive direct feedback from five of your peers You will provide feedback to five others You will be able to observe 18 others, and learn from them

25 Process for Presentations Class split into four groups of six Presentations will rotate through each group. Two minute time limit. Group members provide feedback to each other Written During breakout after all presentations

26 Peer Feedback Groups Group A Arata Dunlap Jordan Reed Schaefer Stancy Group B Baumann Hays Kinnunen Reimer Sityar Stein Group C Brittain Hekman Malone Rice Smith Stone Group D Burnham Hymas Novak Rose Spawton Urbon

27 Each Person will… Provide a short scene setting explaining Who the target audience is What the buy-in objective is... before beginning the presentation. You have 2 minutes from the point you begin your presentation. Next person begins immediately

28 One More Example New EDs are important to us Community values healthy lifestyle We walk the talk Better EDs, Better Recruiters Yes to Organized PT

29 If you are not the presenter… Keep track of who is in your group. For each of these people Fill out one of the feedback forms Plan to give verbal feedback (and the form) to this person during the breakout session following the presentations It will be best to: Write immediately after the presentation Save the form for after the verbal feedback Feedback w/ CAPT Camelio at the end.

30 Timeline for Next Week Presentations: 100 minutes Breaks (2):20 minutes Breakout Sessions:40 minutes Feedback w/ CO:20 minutes

31 Questions?

32 Peer Feedback Groups Group A Arata Dunlap Jordan Reed Schaefer Stancy Group B Baumann Hays Kinnunen Reimer Sityar Stein Group C Brittain Hekman Malone Rice Smith Stone Group D Burnham Hymas Novak Rose Spawton Urbon

33 Recommended Reading You Are the Message – Roger Ailes Talking to the Top – Anthony Ray The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking – Dale Carnegie Youve Got to be Believed to be Heard – Bert Decker Leading Out Loud – Terry Pearce The Articulate Executive – Granville Toogood Getting to Yes – William Ury Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert Cialdini

34 Process for Today LCDR Crake will track order of presentations Two minute time limit! Each person comes to lectern Describe buy-in objective: Who? What? When? About 30 seconds…. Go to middle of room – make us buy in Group members write feedback immediately Presentations continue

35 Peer Feedback Groups Group A Arata Dunlap Jordan Reed Schaefer Stancy Group B Baumann Hays Kinnunen Reimer Sityar Stein Group C Brittain Hekman Malone Rice Smith Stone Group D Burnham Hymas Novak Rose Spawton Urbon