You’ve had a great idea, and after working on it and preparing it well, the moment has come where it’s ready to debut. Finally!
Though it might seem counterintuitive, at this stage the most important thing is not convincing others that your idea is the best.
The important thing is to communicate three key points:
- You’ve identified a problem or an opportunity.
- You’ve already done some groundwork considering options.
- You’d like to help coordinate the implementation of a solution.
In this article, we’ll go over some tips to clearly communicate these three points.
This article continues the series How to Implement Ideas Without Killing Anyone:
Communication 101
It’s the basics where we tend to fail the most, and where most frustrations arise. So, let’s review the fundamentals to start with a solid foundation.
- Communication has two actors: The one who sends the message, and the one who receives it.
- Both parties need to speak the same language for the message to be conveyed effectively.
A worker and a manager speak different languages. Workers are focused on the day-to-day and tend to speak a more technical language. In the case of managers, the higher up in the organization they are, the more they care about the big picture and use a more abstract language.
On the other hand, an engineer tends to communicate through schematics and documentation; whereas someone in marketing or a manager communicates usually choose charts and presentations.
As a worker, you tend to expect your boss to do the extra work of understanding you in your language, and when that doesn’t happen, we get frustrated.
What you need to understand is that there’s no malice behind these actions. Not everyone is capable of communicating at different levels.
If you’re truly interested in being understood, meet them at their level.
And this is not about sucking up to anyone, it’s about becoming someone who is easier to work with. It’s about fostering empathy and teamwork, which are qualities that will always help you become a better person overall.
We could sum this up with two key phrases:
- Know the rules of the game, and you can hack the system.
- Don’t be a jerk, and people will want to work with you.
Communicating with Your Boss
Let’s apply these learnings to presenting an idea.
For the format, start with a presentation:
- State the problems to solve, or the opportunity you’ve identified.
- Describe how your solution changes the situation.
- Briefly outline the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and the objectives that would validate your idea. Don’t forget to include your estimates for the efforts and resources required.
- Optionally, mention other alternatives you’ve considered and why they aren’t suitable.
- Open the floor to other ideas, perspectives, and comments.
Remember everything we’ve covered so far:
- Practice assertiveness. It’s not about blaming anyone or selling your idea. It’s about highlighting a problem and being open to finding a solution together as a group.
- Use all the numbers and concrete data you’ve gathered to support your observations.
- Link your idea to the project’s goals. The more the benefits relate to your audience, the more they’ll connect with your idea.
- Prioritize. Focus on the most important points, and don’t dive into technical details unless asked.
- Communicate clearly. Avoid technical jargon and make your audience feel informed. When we understand things, we feel more confident and listen beyond just the words.
If everything goes well, you’ll move into the next phase, where you’ll finalize the idea and start planning its implementation.
If Things Go South
If you encounter a lot of resistance, negative comments, and pushback, it might be time to take a step back.
We need to change the strategy and find where the disconnect is between you and your audience.
Ask questions. Try to identify where you both agree.
- Do you agree on the problem?
- Do you agree on the value of the opportunity?
- Is it the proposed solution that isn’t resonating?
- Is there a particular detail that’s causing the issue?
Gather information to prepare for your next move.
Maybe something wasn’t explained clearly. Pay attention to cues in your audience’s language, confirm that the message was well received, and take the opportunity to correct any misunderstandings.
- Boss: That’s a very ambitious scope, I don’t think we can afford to dedicate that much effort right now.
- You: I think I may have communicated something incorrectly. Could you confirm what scope I conveyed to you?
- Boss: I understood that you’re proposing a fully developed virtual reality app. That’s a lot of work.
- You: Apologies, I misspoke. I’m only proposing a proof of concept for starters, which on the long term could evolve into a full app.
- Boss: That makes much more sense, thank you for clarifying. Please, go on.
I’ve often found myself in situations where my proposal was solid, but a small detail (a word, a color…) didn’t sit well and caused a lot of pushback. After changing it, the project went from being disliked to being the best idea ever ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Don’t settle for generic responses like “I don’t like it.” Ask for more detail: “Is there a specific part that you dislike?”
When gathering information, the golden rule is: Ask, ask, and ask again. The more time your audience spends thinking about your idea, the more useful and specific the feedback you’ll get.
Check this conversation:
- Boss: For this to succeed, it needs to be ready in two weeks.
- You: Impossible, there’s no way we have enough time. We’d have to cut too much, and it wouldn’t look good.
- Boss: Well, maybe next time.
We became frustrated and respond with a negative. We’re shutting down the flow of ideas.
In comparison:
- Boss: For this to succeed, it needs to be ready in two weeks.
- You: Oh really, why’s that?
- Boss: In two weeks, there’s event X, and we can use it to gain visibility.
- You: How much more visibility?
- Boss: About ten times more.
- You: Wow! That’s a lot. We have to try. What would the priority be?
- Boss: At this stage, seeing how people react.
- You: In that case, would just having use case number 3 be enough? It seems to be the most eye-catching.
- Boss: Absolutely, if that gets traction, we can finish the rest at a slower pace.
- You: Great, I’ll get started on organizing the work right away.
We may have looked a little dumb with all those questions, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve managed to get a lot of context, and thanks to that, we’ve reframed the entire problem and found a solution.
In Summary
Being able to communicate at different levels and prioritizing information to connect with our audience’s goals are skills that significantly increase the likelihood of our proposals being accepted.
What we sometimes take for granted may be understood differently by others. Ask questions and gather information to make sure there are no communication errors.
If you want to know more, check out other articles in the series How to Implement Ideas Without Murdering Anyone: