This document is a presentation by Corey Vilhauer on being a self-directed strategist and managing organizational change. Some of the key points discussed include: - Being self-directed means deciding what work to do and directing projects. - Effective communication, managing expectations, and clear deliverables are important for managing change. - A methodology was presented that includes discovery, governance, strategy, and execution phases for content strategy projects. - Inclusion, deliberate practice, and explaining tracks are important for communicating and leading change. - Self-direction involves defining goals and carrying a project through to completion as a leader.

1. THE SELF-DIRECTED STRATEGIST
Building a Practice and Managing Organizational Change
This is a presentation by Mr. Corey Wayne Vilhauer
@mrvilhauer
It is called:

4. YOU ARE ALL WEIRD LITTLE ELVES

5. This is me. I am:
COREY VILHAUER

6. NOT
EVERYONE
CARES

8. THIS GUY

9. THIS INTERN

10. THIS GROUP OF MARKETERS

11. NOT
EVERYONE
CARES

12. DEFINING
INCLUSION
PRACTICNG
COMMUNICATING

13. SELF-DIRECTION
The art of making things happen.

14. =
CONTENT STRATEGY
PROJECT MANAGEMENT

15. “Project management,
then, is the application of
knowledge, skills, tools, and
techniques to project activities to
meet the project requirements.”
- Project Management Institute

16. “Content strategy,
then, is the application of
knowledge, skills, tools, and
techniques to project activities to
meet the project requirements.”
- Project Management Institute

17. THIS GUY

18. THIS INTERN

19. THIS GROUP OF MARKETERS

20. MAKE YOUR OWN BOOK

21. DEFINING THE PROCESS
What would you say… you DO here?

22. WE ALL
COME FROM
DIFFERENT
BACKGROUNDS

23. CONTENT STRATEGY
IS NOT
DOGMA

24. Gathering Requirements
Interviewing Site Visitors
Quantitative Content Inventory
Qualitative Content Audit
Card Sorting
Site Map
Content Modeling
Annotated Wireframes
Message Architecture
Web Style Guide
Site User Testing
Content Creation
Editorial Calendar

25. Gathering Requirements
Interviewing Site Visitors
Quantitative Content Inventory
Qualitative Content Audit
Card Sorting
Site Map
Content Modeling
Annotated Wireframes
Message Architecture
Web Style Guide
Site User Testing
Content Creation
Editorial Calendar

26. Gathering Requirements
Interviewing Site Visitors
Quantitative Content Inventory
Qualitative Content Audit
Card Sorting
Site Map
Content Modeling
Annotated Wireframes
Message Architecture
Web Style Guide
Site User Testing
Content Creation
Editorial Calendar

27. Gathering Requirements
Interviewing Site Visitors
Quantitative Content Inventory
Qualitative Content Audit
Card Sorting
Site Map
Content Modeling
Annotated Wireframes
Message Architecture
Web Style Guide
Site User Testing
Content Creation
Editorial Calendar

28. DIFFERENT
NEEDS
DIFFERENT
GOALS

29. WHO IS THIS FOR?
WHAT DO THEY WANT?
HOW DO WE GET THERE?

30. Gathering Requirements
A/B Testing
Quantitative Content Inventory
Project Timelines and Waterfalls
Card Sorting
Alignment Session Plan
Content Modeling
Prototyping
Message Architecture Sorting
Content Triggers
Site User Testing
Messaging Framework
Editorial Calendar
Focus Groups
Interviewing Site Visitors
Content Workshop
Qualitative Content Audit
Governance Model Checklist
Site Map
Gut Checks and Cafe Testing
Annotated Wireframes
Copy Decks
Web Style Guide
Core Strategy Mad-Libs
Content Creation
Analytics Measurement and Reporting

31. BEING SELF-DIRECTED
MEANS
DECIDING WHAT TO DO

32. PRACTICE AND METHODS
Doin’ it. And doing it well.

33. DISCOVERY
GOVERNANCE
STRATEGY
EXECUTION

34. DISCOVERY
GOVERNANCE
STRATEGY
EXECUTION
Kickoff Meeting
Content Inventory
Audience Interviews
Personas and User Profiles
Content Audit
Content Modeling
Site Map
Strategic Content Plan
Prototyping
Copywriting
Site User Testing
Content Maintenance
Editorial Calendar

35. DISCOVERY
GOVERNANCE
STRATEGY
EXECUTION
Kickoff Meeting
Content Inventory
Audience Interviews
Personas and User Profiles
Content Audit
Content Modeling
Site Map
Strategic Content Plan
Prototyping
Copywriting
Site User Testing
Content Maintenance
Editorial Calendar

36. DISCOVERY
GOVERNANCE
STRATEGY
EXECUTION
Kickoff Meeting
Content Inventory
Audience Interviews
Personas and User Profiles
Content Audit
Content Modeling
Site Map
Strategic Content Plan
Prototyping
Copywriting
Site User Testing
Content Maintenance
Editorial Calendar

37. DISCOVERY
GOVERNANCE
STRATEGY
EXECUTION
Kickoff Meeting
Content Inventory
Audience Interviews
Personas and User Profiles
Content Audit
Content Modeling
Site Map
Strategic Content Plan
Prototyping
Copywriting
Site User Testing
Content Maintenance
Editorial Calendar

38. FAKING THE
TIMELINE

39. Phase 1: Content Audit and Site Map
Recommendations to the provided site map and recommendations to mapping content to the new site.
Content Audit and updated Site Map due from Blend Week of May 9-13
Meeting to discuss audit and site map Wednesday, May 17
Review due from Washington Pavilion Thursday, May 26
Revisions due from Blend Tuesday, May 31
Phase 2: Information Architecture and Wireframes
A comprehensive content model and information architecture plan, including wireframes at multiple device resolutions, that indicates layout and major
functionality and informs development.
Content Model and Phase One of Wireframes (including home page, navigation, general use pages) due from
Blend
Week of June 6-10
Weekly call to discuss delivered wireframes Wednesday, June 15
Final Wireframes due from Blend (Phase Two) Week of June 13-17
Weekly call to discuss delivered wireframes Wednesday, June 22
Review due from Washington Pavilion Friday, July 1
Final revisions due from Blend Wednesday, July 6

40. Phase 1: Content Audit and Site Map
Recommendations to the provided site map and recommendations to mapping content to the new site.
Content Audit and updated Site Map due from Blend Week of May 9-13
Meeting to discuss audit and site map Wednesday, May 17
Review due from Washington Pavilion Thursday, May 26
Revisions due from Blend Tuesday, May 31
Phase 2: Information Architecture and Wireframes
A comprehensive content model and information architecture plan, including wireframes at multiple device resolutions, that indicates layout and major
functionality and informs development.
Content Model and Phase One of Wireframes (including home page, navigation, general use pages) due from
Blend
Week of June 6-10
Weekly call to discuss delivered wireframes Wednesday, June 15
Final Wireframes due from Blend (Phase Two) Week of June 13-17
Weekly call to discuss delivered wireframes Wednesday, June 22
Review due from Washington Pavilion Friday, July 1
Final revisions due from Blend Wednesday, July 6

41. WHAT ARE PEOPLE
EXCITED ABOUT?

42. “We had a pie in the sky goal. But
man, I was so naive. We were
going to hold all of these training
sessions and train every
department on how to work their
website. And then reality hit."”
- Michael Brauer, Briar Cliff University

43. DON’T THINK
TOOLS.
THINK GOALS.

44. “The best tool is the one that
everyone uses together.”
- Matthew Grocki, First Chair Partners

45. YOU
HAVE
TIME

47. “You become responsible,
forever, for what you have
tamed.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

48. IT’S LIKE LUCHA

49. BE A LUCHA

50. BEING SELF-DIRECTED
MEANS
DIRECTING THE WORK

51. COMMUNICATION
Can you hear me, Major Stakeholders?

53. YOU GOTTA
MANAGE THE WORDS

54. UNIQUEAMAZINGINNOVATIVE
INDUSTRY-
LEADINGPOWERFUL
INTUITIVE
SPECIAL

55. AGILEFOLKSONOMYGOVERNANC
BEST
PRACTICESMETADATA
RCHITECTURE
RESPONSIVE

56. YEAH WHATEVER
I AGREE

57. TERMS OF
SERVICE

58. TERMS OF
SERVICE

59. TERMS OF
SERVICE

60. YOU GOTTA
MANAGE EXPECTATIONS

61. COMMUNICATING
DIRECTION

62. “We got the web contact from
different departments to relocate
and sit by each other. They could
talk about stuff. They had a
chance to challenge each other.
Work got done faster. And it was
better than before.”
- Jessica Kramer, Daktronics

63. YOU GOTTA
MANAGE MEETINGS

65. KICKOFFS

66. FRAME THE ISSUE/GOALS
GET EVERYONE ON BOARD
SET EXPECTATIONS
PREPARE REAL QUESTIONS

67. WEEKLY REVIEWS

68. OPEN TIME

69. YOU GOTTA
MANAGE DELIVERABLES

70. DELIVERABLES
THAT MATTER

71. BEING SELF-DIRECTED
MEANS
MAKING THINGS CLEAR

72. INCLUSION
Who’s on first? Etc.

73. DEFINE:
KICK OFF CHANGE,
THEN REPORT

74. PRACTICE:
BE DELIBERATE

75. COMMUNICATE:
TRACK AND
EXPLAIN

76. TAKE CONTROL

77. BEING SELF-DIRECTED
MEANS
GETTING PEOPLE GOING

78. OOPS YOU MADE A METHODOLOGY
A Wild Methodology Appears!

79. WE THINK
WE’RE THIS

80. BUT REALLY,
WE’RE THIS

81. “Life, with its rules, its obligations,
and its freedoms, is like a sonnet:
You're given the form, but you
have to write the sonnet
yourself.”
- Madeleine L’engle, A Wrinkle in Time

82. AND IN CONCLUSION
And everything is alright.

83. WE’RE
PART
OF A
YOUNG
PRACTICE

84. BEING SELF-DIRECTED
MEANS
BEING A LEADER

85. BEING SELF-DIRECTED
MEANS
MAKING CHANGE

86. BEING SELF-DIRECTED
MEANS
CARRYING THE TORCH

87. GO DO IT, LEADER

88. THANK YOU
For notes, visit: eatingelephant.com/self-directed
This is the end of the presentation.
@mrvilhauer