Getting Everyone To Like Your Ideas
“The ability to express an idea is well nigh as important as the idea itself.” ~ Bernard Baruch
Great ideas need great explanations or they will not be received. Everyone gets ideas, but not everyone communicates them well. Learning the art of communicating your ideas determines if your ideas get accepted. I have known many people that have had good ideas but they were not received because they did not know how to communicate them properly.
How do you get everyone to like your ideas?
1. Build On Don’t Tear Down
Many people come out of the gate swinging tearing down everyone else’s ideas so theirs wins. The moment you start attacking other people’s ideas is the moment you ring the fight bell. No one likes to be shot down or attacked because of their ideas. You need to build on top of other people’s ideas. To get your point across make sure you sway the conversation in a way that doesn’t criticize other people’s ideas. Always seek to build on top of an idea rather than dismantling them.
2. Stay Positive
Always focus on what will go right with your idea. Express the possibilities and potential. Don’t get caught up in all the details. Speak in terms of the end result, not just the process. No one buys the process; they buy the result. Keep the eyes of everyone looking forward to what the idea will produce. People don’t want to know how you are going to do something until they know what you are wanting to do. Be results-oriented and focused as you communicate.
3. Speak Their Language Not Your Own
When dealing with other people everyone has their own language. They need to understand you based on their terms, not yours. This means you must understand what is important to the people you are communicating your ideas to. The more you can find common ground with them, the more they will buy into your ideas. Only focusing on what you are passionate about could easily alienate what others are passionate about. Do your homework and know your audience. Speak in their language, not your own and people will like your ideas more.
4. Be Patient
Don’t give up on your ideas even if they are not received well. Many times people need time to process things and think through them. I have seen loads of ideas rejected at the moment but brought back up later. Timing is everything when it comes to a great idea. Don’t abandon your ideas just because you get some resistance. It’s the resistance that causes us to rethink and refine our ideas anyway, so consider it a good thing and hang in there. Sometimes you’ll have the right idea at the wrong time. Keep a hold of the idea and don’t lose it on the cutting floor. Ideas laying on the cutting floor become the missing piece in another project or idea that is needed later.
