Communication

Ideas Part 3: Presenting your idea so it doesn’t die

So, you’ve come up with a great idea to improve business? Your first instinct is to run right in and tell your boss, right? Not so fast.

Like anything else, before you present, you should know your audience. While working at my first job, I came up with a great idea for our company website. Since I had recently graduated with a degree in technical writing, I got to writing a beautifully detailed five-page proposal. I emailed it to my boss and awaited a response.

Nothing.

For a week.

When I asked about it.

It wasn’t that the idea was bad (although I don’t think it was ever implemented), but I went about presenting it all wrong. My boss was absolutely swamped with work. She didn’t have time to read my five-page proposal. I would have been much better off with three bullet points in an email and a 10-minute meeting.

In your presentation, be mindful that your idea may threaten their hard work.

Don’t say: The current process doesn’t work because it’s so convoluted no one can figure it out.

Instead say: Due to recent technology changes, the paper process is no longer as user-friendly as this proposed technology solution.

You never know who created what’s already there. One good way to get your idea shot down is to insult the person who can make or break it.

No matter how you make your idea presentation (in person, via email, through a five-page proposal), make sure to illustrate that you’ve thought through possible problems and have come up with solutions.

If it’s possible, arm yourself with proof that your idea works. Some people have a hard time visualizing solutions. If you’re proposing that your staff go on a retreat, provide some statistics or outcomes from similar experiences. If you’re proposing a new webpage, give an example of what the page might look like. Just be sure to let them know it’s a draft!

Finally, give them time to digest. Some people are more open to new ideas than others. Change can be scary for the individual or the company. So, give it a week or so and say, “I mentioned that knew solution to Jenny in marketing and she thought it would be a great way to smooth out the current process. Is it ok if I move forward with her on it?”

While not every idea you get will be approved, your thoughtfulness and creativity will be appreciated if presented properly.