Action Plan & Communication Plans

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." H. Jackson Brown

What can we learn from geese?

The main emphasis will be finalization of the design, approval and financing, and if all these steps are competed, even some implementation. You will be expected to: - carry out a workshop where you present the changes in the project plan to coworkers, stakeholders etc. - keep your mentor updated on the progress of your work. - submit a progress report to your mentors where you will present the results of following you action plans. A format for the report will be sent to you by your mentors. It won’t be complicated nor particularly time-consuming. phase 3

1) Clarify your goal. Visualize it. What are the expected outcomes? How will you measure the results? Do you have any constraints when it comes to time limits, money, other resources? 2) Write a list of activities that you have to complete in order to achieve your goal. 3) Analyze & prioritize. What actions are absolutely necessary to achieve your goal. What can be dropped without significant consequences? Drop them.. action plan

4) Organize your list into the plan. Decide the order of the activities. Start with the key activities. Determine their sequence and dependencies. 5) Don’t forget to monitor your plan and to review it regularly.. action plan

personal goals A solid personal goal setting system is the key to effective time management and life planning. Setting personal goals wisely, you get a sense of achievement, sustain motivation, and reduce stress.

action plan When you fill out the action plan, try to be as realistic as possible! Include the personal goals you formulated during the team building. On Thursday you will discuss it with your mentor and both of you will sign it.

communication plan What are your communication objectives? What and why are you communicating? Some examples of communication objectives: - To provide stakeholders and coworkers with information about the activities and outcomes of the project. - To make contact with decision makers, make them aware of the project and work with them to make evidence based decisions about management of resources. - To assure quality at all stages of the project by ensuring that others will have access to information about and from the project. - To engage people with skills and interests in promotion and communication of the project and its results. - To develop links with media in order to use them as a tool to reach the target audiences, including the general public.

target group Different groups will be interested in the activities and results of your project. But, people are busy and overloaded with information from many difference sources. For a message to break through, messages should be based on the needs of the target audience, and not on the priorities of the sender of the message. The messages that are communicated and the means of communication should differ according to the specific target groups you want to inform or influence.

target group Example of target groups: - coworkers - project group - stakeholders - community groups - local government - government agencies etc. These groups may want different information. You may also need to communicate the same information using different methods to different groups.

timing & frequency The timing and frequency of the communication depends on the availability of the information, the need of the target group, the resources of the project group, and the time different communication methods take. - Find out when and where key decisions are made by stakeholders of the project. If you miss a meeting, you may miss out on important information. - Make sure you don’t send out information to target groups before they are prepared and ready. - Provide analyzed results (not just raw data) - Use existing communication tools where appropriate and available (websites, newsletters etc).

methods Your communication plan should describe how you will communicate your results and which methods will be most appropriate to get your message through to the target group. Some examples of methods are: - Project reports - conference, seminars, workshops, - regional/local newsletter - field or demonstration days - pamphlets/brochures - TV, radio, internet - word-of mouth - websites

quality assurance To ensure the quality in the communication make sure to: Be clear: make sure to limit the risks of misunderstanding. Use as few bureaucratic terms as possible. Eliminate unnecessary information. Be consistent: a consistency in message,language, and method will assist in engaging the target group. Set the right tone and appeal: Be clear about the desired response. Do you need to communicate the message straightforward, reassuring, challenging, or controversial? Make sure always to be truthful.

quality assurance Have credibility: The project must be believable and trustworthy. Make sure you can prove the results. Be open: Make sure that the communication demonstrates openness to ideas from stakeholders and other users. Inform them about upcoming activities in communication.

Fill out the action plan & communication plans (internal and external). Be realistic! On Thursday, you will discuss them with your mentors.

Today: Start fill out Action Plan & Communication Plans Tuesday: Networking and Communication with Björn Lunch Strategic Planning with Anders Coaching Wednesday Whole dayStudy visit to Tyresö Municipality this week

Thursday Project Presentations. 10 minutes per person. Focus on the changes you’ve made Evaluation ICLD 13.30Final coaching in groups EveningClosing Dinner Friday: Project Presentations ICLD Evaluation Wrap up & closure Final Lunch this week