Selling Your Idea

12/07/2011

A fool may chance to put something into a wise man's head.
African Proverb

You have a great idea. How to you convince others to cooperate in making this idea happen? Rick Kirschner, writing in Work and Family Life (December 2011), offers these suggestions for "clicking with people"

Put the most important information up front. Lead with your main point.

Be specific. Include key details such as names, places, and actions. But don’t tell them everything. Give them the bottom line clearly and early on. If people want more information, they will ask for it.

Focus on goals, not process. State your desired result, rather than elaborating on the process of getting there.

Forecast. Tell people what you’re going to tell them and why.

Point the way forward. After you have presented your idea, tell people what you want them to do and why.

Use rhetorical questions. Raising a question and providing an answer can make your opinion sound stronger and may help tilt the playing field toward consensus.

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