Meeting the expectations of multiple individuals with varying specialty expertise written by Tera Hornbeck

The week started out with a big bang for our group. Tuesday morning on Halloween our amazing, hardworking, and collaborative group stood in front of the judges attempting to present our amazing solution in great detail. Upon receiving feedback from the judges, we left with minor holes in our sails. Although we felt we were presenting our opioid solution clearly to the judges. The judges expressed our solution was unclear.

The judges of the Integrative Experience (IE) asked multiple questions. The questions included the following:

• How will it fit in a venue?

• How will you form partnerships?

• What is the main goal and purpose of your solution?

• The Maslow’s description was confusing.

• Where were the parents with regards to the stakeholders?

• How long does it take to develop a coalition?

• How much does it typically cost to implement a coalition?

• Where is your multifaceted business plan?

• How are you showing the empowerment?

• How will you market this program?

• Consistently reference slides?

• Be specific with regards to the resources the community can bring to the coalition; these resources may tap into stronger resources.

• How will you obtain permission from parents?

• Lastly, we were over with regards to our presentation time it was 18 minutes and 41 seconds.

We left the room discouraged. All the work we had completed, and it was misunderstood, but how? We examined the feedback from the judges and started planning how we might modify the presentation to meet the many needs expressed by the various judges? We changed how we were going to present the information, and we also assigned additional modifications to be developed by various team members. How could we make our solution visual meeting all the needs expressed by the judges?

I learned many things this week:

I learned I cannot improvise quickly when attempting to creatively present information without duplicating.

I learned if I have not practiced the information I am going to present multiple times I will forget half of what I am to speak to.

I learned a coalition is often the partnership of multiple nonprofits and is not a nonprofit itself.

I learned although discouraged our courageous group of women took a breather this week and are prepared to rise again to conquer the final IE presentation and wow the judges!!!!!

Lastly, I learned that Pat cannot resist dark chocolate salted covered almonds!!!!

LET’S GO, TEAM! WE GOT THIS!!!!