I’ve been both a requestor and an approver of ideas so over the years I’ve seen and done good and bad things. Regardless of whether your audience is the internal management team, customers or finance people the basics of getting your idea across are the same. You need to consider and combine four elements: Timing, Positioning, Tactics and Psychology.
Timing (When)
Received wisdom says that ‘now’ is the ideal time. The reality is, that ‘now’ is rarely ideal, most people are busy and accosting them at random will display a lack of manners and more importantly a lack of planning.
How do you get the timing right?
- Time is the most precious resource, show respect for this. Don’t book a meeting until you are sure you are completely ready to present. Turning up with a half-baked idea and no supporting evidence will not only spoil your chances of having that idea accepted, it will likely damage your reputation.
- Ask for a time that suits them not you. Be sensitive to what’s happening in the other person’s calendar, try to avoid obvious busy or stressful periods such as year end, straight after conferences etc. Waiting a few days or weeks will give you an audience that is focused on you, not on other problems.
- Don’t be pushy, sometimes it will take longer than expected to secure time for a meeting. Whilst you may consider your idea the most important thing in world, they probably won’t. If you haven’t had a response from your request don’t phone or e-mail constantly leave it a few days, then a week, then a month. Remember persistence is an admirable quality, badgering is not.
If you are refused an opportunity to present, offer to meet with someone else in the organisation, ask whether it would be possible to do something via phone / e-mail. Politely offering a few alternatives is ok but also learn that sometimes no means no. Walking away gracefully will ensure that you spoil future opportunities.
Position (What and Why)
A while back IBM ran an advert where a woman is pitching her ideas for a project to make the company greener. On hearing the idea, the disgruntled executive dismisses it. The woman then mentions that the plan will result in savings and suddenly the executive is receptive.
This advert is brilliant depiction of how positioning your idea correctly is key to it being received successfully. In the advert the presenter failed to position her idea in terms that the executive appreciated. She was lucky in that she had a chance to change her angle, you may not have such a tolerant audience.
Positioning your pitch is based on two factors, what they need and what you need.
You need to know (or guess) the needs and interests of your audience. Basing your pitch around the ‘P’s: pain, proposal, proof, point and price will provide a useful framework.
Where is the pain? In other words what problem are you solving. Be brief set up the situation with a little background and explain the problem don’t stray into defining the solution.
What’s your proposal? Explain the solution that you offer in clear, concise terms avoid marketing speak and overly technical descriptions.
The key is to ensure that both the pain and the proposal are focused on the audience’s perception not yours. In the example above, there was a valid proposal but the pitch almost failed because she failed to identify the recipient’s most pressing ‘pain’.
Where’s the proof? Provide evidence to explain why your idea is viable and as importantly why you are the person to deliver it. Facts and figures are preferable, well sourced anecdotes can work but avoid drifting into unsubstantiated opinion.
What’s your point? Or show me the money? Show the positive impact that your proposal will have. Stick to one or two main themes financial, technical, operational etc. Be realistic, avoid hyperbole and provide backup data.
What’s the price? In most cases you will be asking for financial support but in others mentoring or technical advice will be of more use. Be clear about what type of support you’re asking. The price must represent value for both parties and should be based on something more than a wild guess. Too high, you’ll put people off. Too low and you look naive or sceptically about the value of your project.
Most people will only retain few key points from a presentation so keep each section of your presentation short. Save the heavy analytical and technical stuff for the hand-outs.
Tactics (How)
There are two elements which need to be balanced when deciding on the style of your presentation, information and emotion. The two extremes are
‘Style over Substance’: high energy, emotionally charged affairs. They rely on trying to create a wave of positive energy which sweeps everyone along. Or trying to instil the famous IBM FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) which makes the audience fearful of rejecting the idea. They are full of hyperbole and absolutes and are short on data. Think ‘blood and thunder’ preachers, the caricature car salesman etc.
‘Death by Data’: assumes that the audience is composed of people who are entirely logical or easily confused by huge spreadsheets which contain complex analytical gymnastics. The emotional and human elements which engage individuals are removed. Think doing tax returns with the caricature of an accountant.
Most people aren’t sufficiently charismatic to carry off the ‘Style over Substance’ approach. Whilst ‘Death by Data’ will bore most audiences rigid. So avoid operating at either extreme and
- Keep the presentation simple, you want people to remember the message not the medium.
- Play to your idea’s strengths. Never lie to cover up weakness but don’t flag them in the initial presentation.
- Always assume that you have a sophisticated audience with sensitive BS detectors.
- Use examples to establish context and credibility.
- Try to avoid ‘going negative’ on competitors. You give them publicity and you could accidentally be criticising choices that a member of your audience has previously made.
- Avoid humour and off-topic banter. At best you’re funny but the audience only remembers the jokes. At worst you look unprofessional.
- Remember that you are trying to start a discussion so leave a few open ended items or ‘what if’ questions which can draw your audience in.
Psychology (Who)
Some people don’t want an already baked cake, they want to add the icing themselves. In cases like this your pitch needs to have room so that the ‘expert’ you’re pitching to can add value. But in the case of the ‘don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions’ person you idea will seen as incomplete or ill conceived.
In Poker they say that you don’t only play the cards, you play the person. Pitching an idea is similar. Vanity, fear, culture, intellectual curiosity, profit etc. Each person has a driving element in their personality or professional life which makes their decisions for the
m. Y
our job is to discover what your audience’s driver is and ensure that your pitch is directed appropriately.
Playing with the psychological elements is a subtle and dangerous game which can easily backfire. The keyword is subtle, your presentation shouldn’t rely on psychology it should be the varnish on the finished item and not the core of the presentation.
You won’t always be successful but with preparation and understanding you can make things easier. Above all remember that provided you’ve been professional and courteous the worst thing that can happen is that you walk away with more experience and your reputation intact.
Flickr Photo by rick