A practical digital workbook for influencing up
You have the idea. They have the authority.
Make the Ask helps you turn a strong idea into a request a decision-maker can approve with confidence.
Make the Ask is a digital workbook that helps you prepare an idea or proposal for a conversation with senior leaders. You'll work through the decision you need, the evidence supporting your recommendation, the resources involved, and the questions you may receive. Then you'll bring your preparation together in a one-page Influence Brief.
Digital PDF workbook · Instant download · Fillable and printable
Prepare for the conversation
You have an idea you want to move forward, and you need someone else to approve it. Before the meeting, work through what you're proposing, how it addresses a problem they need to solve, and what it would take to carry it out. This workbook gives you prompts and examples to prepare that explanation and respond to questions.
The person you're asking rarely weighs your request on its own. They have to see how it fits the priorities of their business unit, and sometimes the goals of the whole organization. This workbook helps you show that connection.
Leave with a one-page plan for your ask.
By the last page you will have completed your Influence Brief. It is your prepared case at-a-glance, built line by line as you work through the book, and you carry it into the meeting to stay focused and on plan.
- Define the decision you need and when you need a response.
- Connect your recommendation to the decision maker's priorities.
- Identify relevant evidence, resources, risks, and information you still need.
- Prepare responses to likely questions and summarize your preparation on one page.
Seven chapters
The meeting is in two weeks
How leaders assess your request
The W.O.R.T.H. audit
Build the ask
Prep for the room
The Influence Brief
After the answer
Prepare for three kinds of questions
The workbook includes questions to consider, sample responses, and space to prepare your own answers. One person may ask all three kinds of questions. Use the exercises to examine your proposal and identify what you still need to find out.
See the workbookWho this is for
- You have an idea you want to move forward, and you need buy-in from people more senior than you
- You are asking for budget, headcount, sponsorship, or approval to launch something
- You lead a team, a program, or a function without the authority to fund your own ideas
- You want your thinking to carry weight with the more senior people in the room
- You are ready to build real influence at work and willing to do the work in writing
Why trust this framework
- 15+ years
- of public speaking and leadership experience
- 150+
- leaders coached
- LinkedIn Learning
- instructor
- Corporate experience
- 15 years in global tech organizations
About Summer
Summer Alexander works with leaders on public speaking, strategic thinking, and workplace conversations. Her work centers on a challenge she sees often: the operationally credible leader who now needs to carry that authority into the executive layer and influence across and up an organization.
She holds a Master's in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelor's in Strategic Management from DePaul University, along with a certificate in Educating Adults from DePaul's School for Continuing and Professional Studies. Summer is an accredited Insights Discovery facilitator and an IDI Qualified Assessor, and she holds a DEI&B certification from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
With more than 15 years designing and leading leadership development programs, she has led learning functions for global organizations and coached leaders across industries and geographies. Her approach is human-centered and practical, built on creating spaces where leaders can practice, experiment, and grow.
Make the Ask is that coaching, written down: the same preparation she walks leaders through before the meeting that matters.
Questions
Plan for about two to three hours of writing and practice. Gathering information and arranging conversations may take longer. You can work through the exercises across several sessions.
Both. It is a fillable PDF, and the worksheet pages are designed to print cleanly if you would rather write by hand.
Yes. The workbook tells you which pages to do first when you are short on time.
No. It works anywhere you need a decision from someone more senior than you, including nonprofits, higher education, and the public sector.
PrepTalk™ offers guidance on message structure and a place to rehearse your delivery. Individual coaching provides time to practice, receive feedback, and try again.
You download it immediately after checkout, and a copy is emailed to you.
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Your idea is ready. Make the ask.
Get the fillable workbook and start writing your first ask today.
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