You have a great idea that is going to revolutionize the world, but… Are others going to understand your genius?
In this article, we will see how to increase the chances of success for our idea by doing some groundwork before sharing it.
This article continues the series How to Implement Ideas Without Murdering Anyone:
Why Should You Prepare an Idea Before Presenting It?
Put yourself in the shoes of your boss, who you’re approaching with your great idea. Following the example from the previous article: “What if we make a virtual reality application for our product?”
The poor woman is buried in meetings, worried about reaching her goals, while she has one person on sick leave, and another about to explode from anxiety. On top of that, she is blocking extra work that her superior is trying to pass on to her and she is putting out a fire that another department started.
Anxiety! How stressful, right?
Well, now you show up with your great idea. In her mind, it translates into extra work with nothing to gain in return. You’re lucky she doesn’t yell at you: “Do your f**king job and stop with the nonsense.”
If you want someone to listen to you, you have to show that you respect their time:
- Make sure your idea is worth it.
- Put yourself in their shoes; what are their objectives?
With a little preparation, instead of your idea seeming like a burden, people will see you as someone with initiative.
1. Prepare to Take the Reins
Our ideas are like our children, perfect in our eyes. However, to others, they may seem like hell. That’s why before giving wings to an idea, you need to think a bit, just as one should think a little before trying to have a child.
- Make sure it’s a good idea.
- Prepare to defend your idea.
- Think about nurturing your idea.
When you have a child, you don’t hand them over to someone else to raise, right? The same goes for ideas. It’s very rare that someone hears your idea, understands it 100% on the first try, and wants to take on all the work that comes with implementing it out.
The work involved in bringing it to fruition includes things like:
- Convincing people.
- Refining and focusing the idea.
- Making a plan.
- Executing the plan.
- Following up on the plan and adapting to reality.
Normally, we only think about executing the plan and forget that there is a lot of invisible work.
You need to prepare yourself to lead those steps, bear the weight of the extra work, and be ready for a possible failure.
2. Analyze: Is It a Good Idea?
The cost is high, so the first step is to ask yourself: Is it worth it?
If your immediate answer is “NO,” you can set the idea aside and focus on something else. If, on the other hand, the answer is “YES” or “maybe,” then let’s analyze it a bit more in detail.
Answer these questions:
- How does this idea fit within the overall vision of the project?
- How does it help achieve the project’s objectives?
- How does it benefit your team’s objectives?
- What are the costs? (Time, effort, money).
It’s normal for us not to be neutral and to have biases. When it comes to our own idea, we tend to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits. However, when it’s someone else’s idea, we tend to see it as much riskier and less beneficial.
One thing that can help you see things from a different perspective is to interview yourself as if you were your boss. Put yourself in her shoes and have a conversation with yourself. Try to bring up all the objections your boss might have and make sure you address them in your plan.
For example:
- Boss: But… why do we want our app to work in virtual reality if our users don’t use that at all? Right now, what’s trending is artificial intelligence.
- You: Oh, wow, maybe it’s not worth it as a useful product. But it’s very visual and could be used as a marketing tool.
Don’t be afraid to adjust your idea. You’ll be surprised at how far something you thought was silly can go.
3. Make Data-Driven Decisions
Another thing that will help you a lot is to collect data and make estimates. Replace the words many, few, quite a few, and a lot with specific data.
It’s not the same to say “this is going to affect a lot of users,” as it is to say “this will impact 66% of our users.”
It’s not the same to say “this takes us too much time; we’re overwhelmed,” as it is to say “we’re losing three hours a day on this; we could be doing twice the work.”
Look for data, ask for help if necessary. If you’ve cultivated a good relationship with your colleagues, this is a good time to ask for favors in return.
Three things can happen:
- You may find data that reinforces your idea and helps you sell it better.
- With more context, your idea might evolve into something completely different. Without seeking the data, you might have ended up presenting something mediocre.
- You may realize that your idea isn’t as good as you thought. In the end, you’ve saved yourself and others a lot of time.
4. Test the Waters
Do you need to have your idea fully tied down and defined before presenting it?
Not necessarily.
You can start throwing out test balloons:
- You: I’ve been thinking about ways to draw attention to our product.
- Boss: Really? I’m sure the marketing team will love it.
- You: Lately, I’ve been learning about Virtual Reality; I’m not sure if I could do something with the product.
- Boss: It’s eye-catching, although it doesn’t connect much with the product.
- You: What do you think would interest marketing?
- Boss: I think they were looking for something viral that brings a lot of traffic. And also something striking for the booth at the upcoming fair.
- You: Thank you so much! I’ll keep thinking about it :).
In this conversation, we’ve confirmed that our ideas will be well-received, although the angle of virtual reality may need further thought.
The key to the conversation is to frame it as brainstorming. We pose hypotheses instead of selling our idea. This way, your interlocutors are in a more creative and less analytical mindset.
The important thing in this conversation is to gain context to better shape our idea.
Conclusion
If we have an idea or a hunch, we can shape it with a bit of work. By seeking data, contrasting our viewpoint, and aligning with the objectives of others, we can make our idea better and gain more support when presenting it.
If you want to know more, check out other articles in the series How to Implement Ideas Without Murdering Anyone: