The Promotion Playbook

This gives an overview of in-basket exercises commonly used in assessment centers.

This guide will help navigate various role-play scenarios you may encounter during an assessment center. This model is similar to the steps used in managing an emergency incident. These initial pages give an explanation of the process and the following pages give the template for practicing the various scenarios you may encounter.

As you work through the template you will complete the following actions for your scenario…

You will also see the use of a C.A.N. report. (Conditions, Actions, Needs)

When you do counsel an employee it will usually be because of a behavior problem or a performance problem. Performance problems can usually be solved with training and accountability. Behavior problems require good communication and use of the appropriate resources.

Below are some common scenarios you may encounter:

Below are some basic guidelines to consider:

The template inside The Promotion Playbook gives an outline for role-play scenarios.

This video gives a quick overview of The Shift Prep Sheet found in the Promotion Playbook. 

Awareness of these 4 areas can make or break your promotional test.

There are four areas that create significant problems for you and your organization if not handled appropriately. Anytime you come across one of these “hazard zones”, use caution. Be prepared to navigate these issues during an assessment center.  

Awareness is the first step. Knowing your resources along with understanding policies and procedures will guide you in dealing with these issues. 

The four hazard zones are safety, emergency response, public relations, and legal.

Safety: Anything that compromises the health and wellness of your employees. Examples: driving, PPE, emergency scenes, station hazards, etc.

Operational Readiness:  Anything that compromises your ability to respond to emergency calls or perform your required job.

Examples: mechanical problems, staffing problems, location, etc.

Public Relations: Anything that damages the public perception of your organization.

Examples: social media, behavior while in the community both on and off duty, etc.

Legal: Anything that can create legal problems.

Examples: harassment, discrimination, confidentiality, substance abuse, violence, etc. 

Application skills are anything not covered in study, speak, and write. These are the unique skills for the position you are testing for.

The Promotion Playbook has tools to help develop the following areas.

-In basket

-Roleplay

-Emergency incident management

-Personnel management

STORY BLUEPRINT TEMPLATE

Two elements of persuasive communication are logic and emotion. Both are important to your success in an assessment center. Telling stories will emotionally engage your audience in your message. Interweave facts into your story to cover both logic and emotion. 

This Story Blueprint Template will help you create and refine stories to use in your assessment center. Writing out the story gives you clarity. After writing out the story, practice speaking the story. This template will help you prepare for oral boards, presentations, writing assignments, narratives on reports, and many other areas in the assessment center. 

There are 5 basic elements to structure your story. Once you have your basic structure, you can expand the story as needed. 

Who: Who is the main character in the story? 

Where: Where does the story take place? 

Want:  What does the character want in the story? 

Problem: What is the problem or conflict that keeps the character from getting what they want? Conflict helps to create an emotional connection.

Resolve: How does the story end? Does the character get what they want? How does the character evolve in the process?

Example: 

Who: Firefighter Jake

Where: Canyon Fire Department, AZ

Want:  He wants to be successful at promotion and follow his father's footsteps. 

Problem: He keeps failing at promotional tests.

Resolve: He finds a mentor who helps him succeed and test #1 on the captain’s test. 

It is important to keep your stories relevant to the position you are testing for. Use your life experience, both personal and professional, as long as it relates to the position you are testing for. 

Some of the stories you should prepare for the test include the following:

Why do you want to promote?

What have you done to prepare for the position?

Your life experience that makes you stand out from the other candidates.

Example of time you have successfully managed conflict.

Your strengths

Your weakness

A role model in your life and why.

A time you had to overcome adversity

www.promotionplaybook.com

Have you ever gone to write a paper and couldn't think of anything to write?

If so, this template will help.

There are five basic steps to the Essay Blueprint Template.

The attached picture shows the 1 Target and 4 Skills from Strategy #3 Define the Prize.

This can be helpful for writing assignments also. To apply this to writing the 1 Target represents your 1 main point and the 4 skills are the 4 reasons used to back up your main point.

Introduction

1 Main point

3-4 Reasons to support the main point/

Conclusion

This audio gives a guideline to create a great written paper in 3 simple steps.

A 5-minute overview of the writing tools found in the Promotion Playbook.

It's not what you say, it's how you say it.