Now It's Your Turn At The Pitcher's Mound

   What would you do if you could throw a curveball assignment at the professor, at the rest of the class, or at your coworkers?

   This kind of role reversal would be highly educational. We all know that responding to a curveball tests your ability to handle some 11th hour complication. It reveals your strengths and weaknesses at handling a sudden challenge. We’ve all had plenty of experience with that. 

    Now, hurling a curveball is an entirely different ballgame. This situation measures your creativity and inclination for testing others. You get to set up the obstacle that your fellow employees or classmates must surmount.

   This may not sound pleasant, but it’s practical. Sooner or later in your career, some difficulty will emerge whose solution depends on the savviness and determination of your coworkers or subordinates. In effect, you are throwing a curveball at them, since the mess that came your way is also coming their way. So I think curveball thrower role play can bolster your fortitude for such circumstances. 

   Let’s say, you are on a PR team. You are leading some junior employees under you. You are tasked with one part of a PR pitch preparation for a request for proposal (RFP).   A development happens that brings new RFP guidelines. Your team must satisfy them while sticking to the original deadline. 

    The issue could be a revised public relations objective. It could be the potential client wants a six month PR plan, instead of a three month one.  Maybe the prospective client faces unforeseen budget restrictions, forcing PR plan strategy and tactic revisions.  The list of conceivable setbacks could go on and on. 

   The point is, you will be dealing with the consequences of this jam with your subordinates or colleagues. Don’t you want to find out what it is like to be on the throwing end? Especially weathering various reactions from the curveball recipients.  

  That’s why I think everyone should have the chance to step up to the pitcher’s mound and chuck curveball assignments. This practice can help prepare you for the moment when your career saddles you with this responsibility.

  I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to exit the bull pen and take to the mound.  I have throw two hypothetical curveballs to throw, one at the PFR&P class, and one at Professor Chandler. So what if neither one requires any actual work? The purpose here is to provoke your solution strategy thinking, and, of course, your opinions of the mock crises.  

  Curveball to the PRF&P class! The Dec 19 final PR plan presentation will be viewed, evaluated, and graded by a real PR agency. The agency, whose identity remains cloaked, will be filling in for Professor Chandler. He will be busy that day completing his own curveball assignment.                  

  As such, all PR plans must fall with a strict dollar budget set by the agency. There must be a specific dollar amount allocated to each tactic. The overall budget will be emailed to each PR workgroup by Nov. 25. That leaves time for every group to have a professional presentation ready for the webcam on Dec. 19.

  Keep in mind, PRF&P class, that upping the ante also increases the payoff. Every PR group that earns a B or better with the final presentation will be offered a PR agency internship at a Manhattan public relations firm, courtesy of NYU School of Continuing And Professional Studies.

  Curveball to Professor Chandler! You’ve have been drafted by NYU SCPS for a special project. SCPS is expanding its online PR course curriculum in 2012. By the fall, 40% of all PR courses will be offered on line.  SCPS needs a comprehensive PR plan to sell its online PR curriculum to the public. Your mission is to have a complete plan ready for presentation before the SCPS administration on Dec. 19.

  Details on PR program budget will be emailed to you from the NYU president’s office by Nov. 25. You will also be allowed to recruit up to five SCPS PR class students to assist you in researching and assembling the PR plan. Each student who participates and completes this endeavor will get a voucher for five free SCPS courses.  

  Unfortunately, Professor Chandler, the Dec. 19 presentation will coincide with your PRF&P class. Don't worry. A real public relations agency will be hearing final presentations from your students. SCPS does apologize for diverting you from PFR&P that day.

  However, your solid grasp of public relations makes you a good candidate for orchestrating a PR plan about the school’s online PR courses. The same is true for your work ethic. SCPS knows you’ll never dream of claiming the dog ate your assignment. (That's alright. The cat ate the assignment excuse works better in your case).   

  The importance of the undertaking can not be overstated. Given that, Professor Chandler, NYU is offering you plenty of incentive. You’ll get free tuition for doctoral studies in PR at NYU, if your plan wins over the SCPS administration.

  Seriously, I think throwing curveballs to other people is beneficial. You find out how comfortable you are pitching a predicament to other employees, classmates, or colleagues. You discover if you truly like dealing with the flurry of back and forth discussions – feedback, ideas, criticism, venting  – that the curveball thrower gets. I think some people underestimate the degree and intensity of human contact involved.     

  So I can’t resist asking. What imaginative curveball situations do you have to fling at me? Let see you step up to the pitcher’s mound for a change.