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Statement Need Draft Proposal

The document outlines a structured approach to drafting a Statement of Needs and proposing solutions for communication challenges faced by early-career employees. It emphasizes the importance of clearly defining the challenge, providing concrete examples, and detailing the consequences of inaction. Additionally, it offers guidance on formulating specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) solutions to address the identified problems.

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wkurlinkus7386
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206 views14 pages

Statement Need Draft Proposal

The document outlines a structured approach to drafting a Statement of Needs and proposing solutions for communication challenges faced by early-career employees. It emphasizes the importance of clearly defining the challenge, providing concrete examples, and detailing the consequences of inaction. Additionally, it offers guidance on formulating specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) solutions to address the identified problems.

Uploaded by

wkurlinkus7386
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Statement of

Needs Drafting
& Ideating
Solutions
Dr. Will Kurlinkus
Visual Hierarchy of
Headings
1. Title of Your Communication Challenge
2. Section Headings: Statement of Need &
Proposal (be more specific—give an after the
colon title)
3. Subheadings within sections for statement
of need and proposal (eg. Overview,
Challenge Description, and Ramifications for
X Company are good for statement of need).
Again, make them more specific than just a
one word. Be more informative.
Statement of Need
• By the end of the problem/challenge section I should understand and get a more
specific explanation of:
• The pre-existing situation: what is the task? How and why does the
challenge disrupt the task? Why does the challenge even exist—what are it’s
causes?
• A clear example of the challenge in action: this can be a hypothetical
example that you ground in the specific company you’ve chosen and/or it
can be an example from your research but you need to show me the
challenge in action.
• Some kind of nuancing of the challenge. Show me how it’s complicated,
comes from multiple causes, exists across time, etc.
• An explanation of a few negative consequences that result from this
challenge (again show me).
• Some kind of proof that this problem exists. Often it’s easier to find
articles on solutions rather than problems, that’s ok because if I find an
article on a solution it’s usually going to start by describing the problem.
That’s how you prove the problem exists.
• Common Sections: Overview, Causes, Why it Matters, Consequences
Small Groups: Say it,
Then Write It
Section 1: Overview
Summary: A brief paragraph that introduces the
communication challenge and makes sure to
mention type of communique, specific type of early
career employee and audience with attribute, topic
communicated about (task being done), and
specific challenge that disrupts that task. Might
end with ramifications for the company
What We’ve Written: You might combine one of
the general descriptions of the problem we did on
Tuesday of last week with the follow-up example
statement from Thursday.
Research: This is where you might use Onet and/or
your interview to prove this is a real task early-
career people in your industry do.
Things to Look Out For: Remember to mention the
specific name of the company as well the specific
job title.
Comm Challenge
Introduction
Section 2: Challenge
Description
• Summary: A detailed description (multiple paragraphs here) of the challenge (the
current bad state of things) including:
1. A concrete example/illustration/story about the problem (show me it in action)
2. Research in the field and elsewhere on the difficulties of the challenge,
3. Distributed causes. Considers stages of the challenge (journey map) as well.
• What We’ve Written: For your example, here, you need to get a bit more specific than the
examples we’ve written so far. I need a hypothetical example or a real example or one
from research. You might say something like, “last month this specific thing happened.”
Ideally you also have a back up example from a real source. “A similar situation is
described by Bob Campbell in the Harvard Business Review, he writes, ‘…’” We’ve written
about distributed causes both last Tuesday but also in our journey map.
• Research: The research here might include a quote from your interview or from a trade
magazine on this specific challenge in your field, an example of the problem from an
article, a source/quote from a trade magazine or a more popular source like the Harvard
business review on the causes of a similar problem but not necessarily in your field.
• Things to look out for: Make sure—and this goes for everything in this class—each
paragraph is being written for a different purpose. Don’t have three paragraphs that talk
about examples, causes, etc., all blurred together
Section 3:
Consequences/Ramifications

• Summary: Description of the


consequences of the challenge for the
company if it does not change. Show
negative consequences for multiple
parties.
• What We’ve Written: We’ve both
described the consequences of the
problem from the company’s perspective
and your communication partner’s
perspective. This is a good place to also
write about Kairos—why solve this
problem now rather than later.
• Research: Research on how other
companies or areas have been negatively
affected by similar problems. Research on
why do this now rather than later—what’s
been in the news that makes your problem
more pressing?
Common Errors in the Comm Challenge
• Body paragraphs repeat themselves: Make sure each body
paragraph says a substantially different thing. Ask yourself: what
is the point of this paragraph? If paragraphs have the same point
then you probably don’t need the second one.
• Point evidence analysis applies to this section as well. Each paragraph
should have a topic sentence, example, and analysis.
• Quotes that seem just thrown in there so that you can reach ten
sources. You will get points taken off if you do this. Following each
quote you should have a sentence that says, this is how this quote
is related to my challenge. (Remember, too, that we don’t always
need long quotes, paraphrasing articles is fine)
Proposed Solutions
Choose the pieces of the puzzle you are
solving before you solve them.
1. Give Me One Solution
That’s Good and that
teaches me how
2. Give Me Another That
Breaks My Guessing
Machine
Comm Challenge
Solutions
1. Callbacks: Your solutions should be directly related to the problem(s)
you describe. If they aren’t you will receive points off. Think very
carefully about this. Reference/callback the specific problems and
partners in solutions.
2. Be Specific/Teach Me Something I Don’t Know: Your solutions
should think carefully not just how to solve something but how to
solve something in the best way—what are best practices in
simplifying data presentation or visualizing data. If you just say
visualizations can help simplify complex data. Visuals are easy to
understand-–you’ll probably get a low C for this section.
3. Demonstrate: Your solutions shouldn’t be general. Like the problem, I
need to see examples of what you mean by your solution. Give me a
hypothetical situation or describe a solution from your research.
4. Show Me How: Your solutions should ideally be stepped: first do this,
then do this, finally do this.
Your Solutions Should Explain
• What: What are two things you can Feasible Solutions are S.M.A.R.T
do to address the problem? • Specific: Here’s the stepped plan of what
we’ll do and who will do it. Here’s the
• How: How will you actually address research on why we’re doing it this
the problem? What will be specific way.
made/done? What are the specific • Measurable: Here’s how I will know it
steps? Who will make it? When will worked. Some concrete measurement
this happen? Think SMART mechanisms like a survey, client
interview, number of mistakes made.
objectives.
• Attainable: Here’s why this is feasible. It’s
• Why/Feasibility: Why do it in this the easiest way. It’s not expensive or time
way and not another? Are there consuming.
things that might go wrong with your • Relevant: Here’s how this is directly
solution? Are there easier ways? related to the problem I described in my
need section. Is it sidestepping/not
Less expensive ways? Will people in addressing the true source of the
power actually do this? Why? problem.
• Evidence: What proof do you have • Time Bound: Here’s how long training will
take, building things will take, etc.
this will work (hint—it’s your
research). What are best practices of
this solution?
Where Do I Find
Solutions?
1. Scholar.google.com
2. Type your search “simplifying data
presentations for clients”
3. If you don’t get hits rephrase
4. Set your date range to fit your
resources (2020)
5. Ideally use the advanced search
button to search your field:
"simplifying data presentations for
clients:real estate”
6. Think about other fields that might
have the same problem: I’m talking
about presenting medical advice to
kids, who else has to teach kids
complex subjects? Teachers.

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