THE TOOLKIT
The Strategic Update
Sometimes, our audience wants us to demonstrate a broader, more strategic view. If the amount of subpoints or your Directory is your understanding of breadth and the detail and Support you provide is your understanding of depth, then the ability to think and share at a higher level is height and providing vision for the future is sight. The Strategic Update builds on The Update to provide a bigger picture, visionary viewpoint to reports, updates, and status reviews. The Strategic Update uses all of the components from The Update and adds two additional elements:
- Height: A broader, higher level perspective of the topic or situation you are sharing. Provide a statement or question that brings your audience’s perspective to a higher level. Think about additional ramifications, new twists on the topic, questions you haven’t asked yourself, or other possibilities.
- Sight: A visionary, forward-thinking statement that looks into the future. Provide a long-term impact statement. This is not fortune-telling; rather, it is anticipation. It is not predicting the future, but rather providing some perspective on the possibilities.
When you include these two components to your message, our focus groups have said the perception is one of increase strategic viewpoint.
Objectives
There are expectations of understanding and communicating at a higher, more strategic level the further people move up in the organization. The Strategic Update can be used to provide an overview as well as a big picture, forward-thinking perspective of the topic by accomplishing the following objectives:
- Structure your thoughts for clearer understanding.
- Categorizes various subpoints and topics under a central theme.
- Provides supportive material to make your communication more influential.
- Shares a bigger picture view to come across more strategic.