ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

How does planning impact the final design, product or services? 

How can strategic planning lead to professional success? 

​

OVERVIEW 

Strategic planning is a key element of achieving goals and completing projects. Learning how to brainstorm solutions, make informed decisions and execute strategic plans will help to ensure success and satisfaction of all stakeholders. Strategic planning is often times used by businesses to align the focus of employees, establish priorities and utilize resources in order to achieve a common goal. Throughout this lesson, students will work through the five stages of the strategic management process to plan and develop content for the entertainment broadcast. 

​

Clarify the vision. All parties involved must have a clear understanding of the overall vision for the project. In regards to developing content for the entertainment broadcast, this step requires students to choose an overarching operational style and develop a goal for each segment chosen. 

​

Gather and analyze information. The information gathered in this stage will directly impact the next two stages. Therefore, students must be thorough in their analysis in order to achieve the vision and satisfy consumers. Some pertinent information has already been gathered in lesson two when students identified and analyzed the target market. However, in this stage, students will also gather information pertaining to the elements of a script and importance of unbiased and factual content development. 

​

Formulate a strategy. The first step to developing a strategy is to review the information analyzed in stage two. This information should be the driving force of the plan. It is important to note, there is not one correct strategy. In fact, many strategies could be equally successful. Therefore, it is imperative students communicate and collectively choose the best strategy considering the vision, analysis and available resources. During this stage, students will develop a timeline, script and storyboard to reflect their strategy for each entertainment segment’s content. 

​

Implement the strategy. This is the action step. Up until this point, all planning is merely speculation. No one knows for sure how a strategy will play out until it is executed. Once the strategy has been implemented, real results and feedback can be gathered. It is not uncommon for adjustments and more planning to take place in order to achieve the desired outcome. During this stage, the students’ vision will come to life when the content for each segment is rehearsed. Students will be able to see first-hand the effect of the content on consumers and whether or not the vision is properly achieved. 

​

Evaluate and control. Feedback and data from stage four, the implementation, must be evaluated. If it is determined that the strategy does not achieve the desired vision, corrective action should be taken and the five stages of the strategic management process repeated. In regards to the entertainment content development, students will make adjustments to the script and finalize entertainment segment details. 

​

Students must consider all external and internal factors when developing their strategic plan for the entertainment broadcast. These factors may predictable, such as the budget, or unpredictable, such as the weather. External and internal factors impact our life on a regular basis. Stress the importance of planning for potential factors both personally and professionally.

 

OBJECTIVES 

Upon completion of this lesson, students will develop the skills through which they may:  ​​

​

• Collaborate with peers to achieve a common goal. 

• Understand the importance of unbiased and factual content development. 

• Analyze information and effectively develop a strategy.

• Gather feedback and modify strategic plan accordingly. 

• Understand the importance of audio/visual consent. 

​

Click HERE to see full lesson plan with activities.