Watch all four videos that are posted in the assignments for this week. This week we are discussing implementation and communication.

Evolution of Dance (Links to an external site.)RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms (Links to an external site.)

https://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_ritz_a_teacher_growing_green_in_the_south_bronx (Links to an external site.)

(Links to an external site.)The Millenial Question

https://www.fearlessmotivation.com/2018/08/30/simon-sinek-quotes-leadership/ (Links to an external site.)

While virtually all of us have an idea about what we want to change and how we want to accomplish that change, we seldom create a comprehensive plan that includes implementation steps. Far too often, a well-conceived change initiative ceases to exist altogether, because the change agent has not appropriately addressed many of the barriers to successful implementation. From poor communication to change resistance to poor design to lack of training, implementation barriers need considerable attention from change agents. What part do leaders play in implementation? The videos for this discussion have some clues about why change initiative implementation may fail. Some of those barriers are addressed in your text, but others are found in many other places.

There is no greater barrier to change than communication issues. There is no greater skill than communication that can cross levels, depth, scope, and breadth of people and information. People who are adept communicators quite literally link the world for everyone else. Using the video above, think about the communication that Mr. Laipply uses as he works through his time on stage. Did you understand it? Did you laugh with the audience? What was the language that he used? Why did you understand it? How does culture feed into understanding this video? How does empathy impact our communication skills? Is empathy its own language? Do change agents need a great deal of empathy? Explain. Is there value in outrospection in change management? Why is Sinek’s message so impactful? What techniques is he using to communicate his message? All of the questions here are presented to help create a framework for your answer. They do not require explicit and listed answers.

Directions

To receive credit for the discussion board, you must meet the following criteria:

1. Do NOT describe or restate the content of the discussion reading or video. Instead, choose one or two points that you find interesting/important and elaborate on those points in your discussion. Do not answer the questions in the topic as a list. Answer in essay form.
2. A minimum response is 300 words.
3. There are several articles in Course Materials and Web Links that you can, and should, use as references to support your discussions.
4. You must respond to, at least, two (2) other students in class in their discussion boards as well as any questions and comments from the professor or other students. You are required to actively communicate with other students in this class. You should also respond to all students that reply to your original post.
5. The initial post for each week’s discussion board is due by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m., of every week when a discussion board is due. Your response to the threads of other students is due no later than Saturday, 11:59 p.m. of each week when a discussion board is due. That leaves Sunday for you to respond to those who replied to your original post.
6. There are no discussion boards in week 1 or week 9, because these are the weeks for preparation and the final exam. Discussions can be opened in any other weeks if we need them.
7. I always suggest that students write their discussion board posts in Word or other word processing software rather than directly into Canvas. This allows you to save your work and to make corrections before you post your work publicly. Canvas has, regrettably, been known to eat some thoughtful and insightful responses simply because the response did not load correctly.
8. Below, you will see a checklist that will help you ensure that your work meets graduate standards and decreases the likelihood that you will suffer oversights.