Pitching your ideas

- Say you need to persuade your manager to approve a change in the platform your team uses for daily communication. Relying on email is inefficient and unproductive. This needs to change. So let's use the four building blocks to help us pitch this new idea. First, think about the people whose approval you need and what's in it for them in order to agree. In this example, the current process slows team communication and reduces productivity. Your idea needs to address this problem. Consider the decision making style of the person you're trying to influence. Are they an analytical thinker type who makes decisions by processing data and bottom line results? Or is this someone who is more emotional and makes decisions by processing the effects on people? Head or heart, thinker or feeler? Your thinker needs evidence, facts, comparisons, and benchmarks. For example, these are the three most popular platforms in our industry. The heart decision maker needs to make sure people will benefit, values will be honored, and harmony will be upheld. Here's some comments from our engagement survey pointing to people's frustration with our system. Then consider your message. A great pattern of organization when pitching an idea is the what, why, how one. Immediately overview the what of your suggestion. Then give two to three compelling reasons why your idea is a good one. Back up those reasons with solid evidence, statistics, industry data, case studies, and specific examples. Make sure these reasons are aligned with the values and priorities of your decision maker. And finally, explain to your decision maker how your idea can be implemented. Prove feasibility. What, why, how. Your pitch may sound something like this. We need to think about transitioning to a teams or slack type of platform for our internal communication. I know that last week you stayed late trying to find those customer files buried in your email threads. One of those new platforms will help us improve response time by 50% and will decrease negative comments in our year end engagement survey. So let's meet with our IT folks and get them to help us transition and train the staff before the end of the month. And that's how you use the what, why, how pattern. Now when you influence, we also want you to consider the context building block. Think carefully about your timing and location of your message delivery. So the communication platform idea should not reach your manager when they are burdened with a hundred other things and definitely not after the end of the meeting or in a hallway encounter. Timing and context matter when you try to influence. Finally, remember our listening building block. Train yourself to ask questions, talk less and listen to deeply understand the needs of those we're trying to influence. The communication platform example is a simple tactical idea. However, some of your pitches may be more complex. The same principles apply, but your pitch may need to evolve into more of a campaign. You may need to recruit other members of your team to help you pitch, do additional research and add to the conversations with your manager to help influence their approval. Take the time to strategize. Use the what, why, how formula, and always consider your audience's needs. The toolkit following has a great practice drill that you can work on.