Chasing the next big (or small) idea in our teams is one of our main joys of process improvement. We strive to analyze what we are doing today and come up with creative solutions for a better tomorrow. And when we finally do come up with an idea, success is just around the corner. Right?
As I am sure you have already experienced, having that idea is not enough to jump into execution. Unless you work in a very lonely office, there will be other stakeholders and teammates that you will need to convince that your idea is, in fact, great.
And unsurprisingly, that exciting new idea you show them may not be as exciting for them as it is for you.
So today, I will run through some quick tips on how to organize your ideas in a way that gets others to feel the same level of excitement as you do.
They Really Don’t Care?
Don’t think this happens to you? Think about the last time you showcased one of your proposals. After going through the details and next steps, were you greeted with the dreaded collective silence of “agreement?”
“Thanks everyone for your time. So, does this make sense?” Radio silence. “Okay I will take that as a yes then!”
I hate to break this to everyone, but negative affirmation doesn’t work with process improvement. Without enthusiastic buy-in from key groups, there’s very little chance your idea will be delivered or adopted.
Here are some reasons your stakeholders aren’t finding your idea as exciting as you do:
- They understand the idea but not how it will help them
- It’s coming across as more work for them
- It’s not more important than the 50 other things they need to do
- They just don’t understand it
Each of these reasons is partly because your pitch didn’t generate that same excitement that caused you to spend your own precious time on it. The only way forward is to get people to care!
And this is especially true for convincing our managers. Check out an earlier post on tackling this particular stakeholder.
Examples of the Good and Bad
So with audience engagement as the goal, I’ll give some examples that I have seen in the past that work and also some ones that don’t work. Remember, the key is to end your pitch with excited participants, rather than glazed-over captives.
What People Like: Using the context of their own problems
Make it relatable! If you are trying to sell an idea to a group, make sure you are using examples that you know they already care about. Don’t use generic examples of car manufacturing if your team manages health care services. Do your research and speak the same language as your audience.
What People Don’t Like: Long Lists of Requirements
Flashing up a seemingly impressive list of user stories or requirements is the quickest way to put people to sleep. There’s no need to go into so much execution detail if you are still in proposal mode. I am pretty sure if I showed a detailed list of requirements for transportation, most wouldn’t know if I was asking for a boat or a plane (ie needs windows, seats, engine, etc). So, stay high level and try to summarize concepts and major impact rather than organizing a to-do list.
What People Like: Demos
If possible, mock-up a fake process, system or whatever else you are asking to build. Do as much as you can without needing buy-in because you only get to make a first impression once. This can be as simple as a bunch of fake screenshots that you cycle through imitating functionality. Try to wow them with the future by showing them teasers.
What People Don’t Like: Open-Ended Next Steps
Even if you did put your audience to sleep, you can still wake them up with action oriented next steps that push for a decision. Without this, your audience will quickly agree with little required from them after the meeting. Don’t set up endless meetings simply “for your information.” Try to always end with an action, and if you can’t, do you really need to meet with this audience anyway?
What People Like: Personas
Organizing ideas and impact by personas is a great way to show why different audiences should care about a single idea. Document what each persona group cares about, what they struggle with and where they will fit into this new idea. And most importantly, how they will benefit.
What People Don’t Like: Product Sales Pitches
Don’t get distracted by the next shiny new tool. Your idea should be grounded in business benefit and pain point resolution. People tend to question the cost and effectiveness of new products. If you jump into promoting a tool with little business justification, those doubts will lose your audience’s ability to trust the rest of your analysis. Do you really want to resemble a door-to-door vacuum salesman?
Final Thoughts
Beyond the above tips, my final recommendation is to just have fun. Don’t think that you suddenly need to be a TED talk presenter to get your point across. If you are truly excited about your idea, just let it show.
People like positive energy and will gravitate towards your excitement in an organic way.
Oh and PowerPoint is the worst.
Happy Innovating!