How to Present Ideas Successfully

Introduction

Hello! It’s Kristine here with the Express to Impress podcast. 

This week, we’re going to be talking about a communication skill vital to your workplace success. You will learn how to present ideas successfully. 

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Before we get started, I want to tell you about a recent success story. One of my new clients was asked about her salary expectations in a pre-screening telephone interview. She almost gave a range, but she remembered my advice from the Salary Expectations episode. So instead of providing a salary range, she said,

“To give me a point of reference, could you give me a pay range for this job?”

To her utter shock, the recruiter gave her the salary range without hesitation, and the salary range was much higher than the one she had in mind. What a delightful surprise!

Alright, I want to share a friendly reminder that you can subscribe to receive notifications whenever I release a new episode! You can subscribe anywhere you download podcasts like Pandora or Apple. 

And if you want to get my latest episodes, communication tips, and special opportunities, I invite you to sign up for my newsletter at express-to-impress.com. 

Be sure to stick around to the end of this episode because I have two important announcements to share!

Now, let’s begin!

Why Care About Presenting Ideas Successfully? 

The English award-winning Author Neil Gaiman wrote,

“It’s not the idea, it’s never the idea, it’s always what you do with it.”

Authors receive praise and acclaim for their ideas and creativity. Their works epitomize what is possible when ideas are expressed and explored.

Yet all of us have good ideas. Though sadly, most of them never see the light of day. People keep their ideas to themselves for many reasons. Perhaps they don’t like speaking up in meetings or feel overburdened by work and don’t want to invite more work. Maybe they’ve brought up ideas at work before, and others didn’t seem interested or even discouraged them. After all, most people don’t recognize the potential of an idea at first.

But of course, we all benefit from good ideas. In the workplace, they can lead to the creation of entirely new products and services, an easier way to do something, time saved, or countless other benefits.

Once you learn how to present ideas successfully, you will be unstoppable. You’ll be able to influence people and the direction of your organization.

In the story section of today’s episode, let’s look at the history of a handful of good ideas.

Stories

First up, the idea for the telephone as a means of communication. Let’s consider a Western Union internal memo from 1876:

“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” 

Fast Forward to 2021, where everyone seems to be glued to their phones.

Now let’s consider one of the most common forms of transportation: cars!  Mr. Scott-Montague, a member of parliament in the United Kingdom, said in 1903,

“I do not believe the introduction of motor-cars will ever affect the riding of horses.”

Lucky for horses, Mr. Scott-Montague was wrong!

Next up, let’s look at one of the most prized items in a car: the radio! David Sarnoff’s Associates refused an opportunity to invest in the radio in the 1920s, reporting,

“The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?”

Nowadays, podcasters like myself benefit from the fact that many people will listen to messages sent to nobody in particular.

The next example especially cracks me up. Harry Morris Warner, a co-founder of the Warner Brothers, said,

“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”

In 1927, the world wasn’t ready to make movies with sound. Nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find a silent film.

Now let’s look at a relatively recent example. In 1977, Ken Olsen, the founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, said,

“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” 

Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine our homes without computers in them!

Entrepreneur Peter H. Diamandis sums up the problem with good ideas nicely, saying,

“The challenge is that the day before something is truly a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.”

Peter knows a thing or two about how to present ideas successfully. At just 59 years young, Peter has already started more than 20 companies.

How to Present Ideas Successfully 

It’s evident from these famous examples that good ideas, even world-changing ideas, are often rejected at first. They only became a reality because someone believed in the ideas, shared them, and advocated for them tirelessly, eventually convincing others to believe in them.

Let’s look at some techniques you can use to successfully present your ideas.

Present Your Ideas to the Right People

Are there people at your company that encourage people to share their ideas? Do you have an advocate within the company? Are there people who would benefit from your idea? Consider if it would be better to share it with many people in a team meeting or with individuals privately that you trust.

Show Enthusiasm

The way you present an idea is just as important as the words you use to present it. After all, people will be more likely to seriously consider your idea if you talk about it with genuine enthusiasm, passion, and confidence. You can convey this in many ways. You can raise the tone and volume of your voice, smile, and show good posture. For example, you can sit or stand up straight with a big smile on your face and say,

“Hey team! I’ve got an idea I’m pretty excited about that I want to share with you!”

Get The Other Person’s Attention

Once you’ve identified the best audience for your idea, you want to prime or prepare people for it.  You want them to be all ears by the time you present your idea. In addition to the previous example, here are more phrases you can use to catch someone’s attention:

 “How about this for an idea…” 

 “I think I have an idea that could solve our problem.”

 “I’d like to get your input on an idea I have.”

“I want to throw out a possible solution to our problem.”

Or, if you want to get someone’s attention with a little humor, you could say,

“I have an idea that’s so crazy it just might work!”

After using one of these phrases, the person or team you’re addressing will be listening to you and ready to hear what you have to say. 

Introduce the Idea as a Suggestion

While your ultimate goal is to get buy-in and approval of your idea, it’s often best to share it in a softer way that invites others’ suggestions and feedback. Plus, they might say something you’ve never considered before.

Here are three phrases you can use to introduce your ideas successfully: 

“We could…,”

“How about…” 

“What if…?”

For example, you could say,

“We could allow employees to continue working from home if they have positive performance reviews.” 

Or,

“What if we allowed new hires to work remotely?”

Explain Why Your Idea is Good

Now comes a crucial part in presenting ideas successfully. To convince others your idea is good, you need to share what it offers.

Will it improve something? Could implementing your idea make something easier, cheaper, or faster? Will it make something more powerful, efficient, or effective? 

For example, you could say,

“What if we focused on cutting parking subsidies? It wouldn’t affect that many employees, and it seems the fewer people we affect, the better.”

Explain Why Your Idea is Possible

Many people can convince others’ they have a good idea. But convincing others a good idea is plausible is another story. Be ready to explain some details regarding the implementation of your idea. You don’t need to have it all figured out, but you need to provide sufficient information and enthusiasm to boot. Imagine someone shares an amazing idea that people love, but it would require technology that hasn’t been invented yet. They would be hard-pressed to find supporters.

Explain Why Your Idea is Practical

For others to accept your idea, they need to find the cost-benefit of implementing it acceptable. So, be ready to share your thoughts on the energy, time, and resources your idea would require. If you don’t, you could hear something like,

“There is no way that is going to work!”

When to Present Your Idea

It’s often helpful to present your idea after you have shared some context, especially if you’re sharing an idea that could be perceived as extreme or unpopular.

So, after getting the other person’s attention, you may want to lead up to your idea by outlining your understanding of a problem or situation. Then, you can present your idea as a solution to that problem. For example, you could say,

“Alright, let me throw something out there. From a sales perspective, consistency is key for building customer loyalty. So, when your team doesn’t order enough inventory, I can’t keep my promises to our corporate clients, and I have to make even more promises that I don’t know if we can keep. I don’t want to strain customer relationships further, so I’d like to suggest we invest in the latest inventory management software to help with ordering inventory.”

You may also find that it’s beneficial to sit on your idea for a while before sharing it with others. During that time, you can verify it is a good idea that is possible and practical. Then, you’ll be prepared to present ideas successfully.

Challenge Yourself

That’s all the tips I have for you today! If you’ve presented your ideas in meetings in the past and been unsuccessful, I challenge you to do it again using some of these techniques. And don’t forget that just because your idea isn’t accepted initially, it doesn’t mean people won’t accept it eventually. So, stick with good ideas. 

Alright, watch out, world! Now you know how to present ideas successfully. 

PRESENTATION MASTERCLASS

Now it’s time for the first piece of exciting news to share. I am thrilled to be launching a Presentation Masterclass! 

Becoming a great presenter doesn’t happen overnight, but I’m excited to bring together a group of professionals dedicated to self-improvement and professional development to embark on the journey together. If you need to deliver effective presentations to achieve career growth, if you feel anxious leading up to and during presentations, or prepare diligently for presentations but lose the audience and fail to get your intended message across, this training is for you. 

I’m limiting the group size to no more than 10 participants to ensure everyone receives a lot of individual coaching and feedback. We’ll meet 12 times for 30 minutes a session. The idea here is that 30 minutes is a lot less demanding than hour-long or 90-minute training sessions. Plus, skill development takes repetition, and most people tune out after 30 minutes.

The dates are not set yet, since I will be polling participants to find out their availability before setting convenient times for everybody. We’ll get started the week of February 1. You’ll receive training, prepare and deliver presentations, and critique others’ presentations. By the end of the training, you will be able to deliver inspiring, informative, and influential presentations. I hope you will join us!

To learn more and sign up, visit express-to-impress.com/presentation-masterclass before February 1.

SALE on How to Succeed in a Job Interview Online Course

Alright, it’s time for my final announcement. I’m offering the most generous discount I’ve ever extended on my most popular online video course, “How to Succeed in a Job Interview.” It’s on sale for $39 and will return to the regular price of $59 on February 1. So, if you plan to switch jobs anytime in the future, now is the time to get it.  You will learn everything from body language to etiquette to answering questions confidently in the course. You’ll get two in-depth handouts, including 14-pages of common interview questions and tips on how to answer them. To learn more about the 90-minute course and watch free previews on my website, visit express-to-impress.com/courses. 

Tune in Next Week

Alright, I invite you to tune in next time to improve your English skills. You’ll learn definitions of phrases and idioms from this episode. 

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Express to Impress podcast. If you found this episode useful, please remember to share it with a friend! See you next time. Bye!

 

Music By Lucas Knutter