Generating interest in your ideas can be challenging. Few have the resources to independently bring their visions to fruition. But interest and support can only be gained after inspiring confidence in your ability to solve a problem. This article is about how you can do so by putting yourself in your audience’s shoes.
Leaders have a knack for identifying an audience and their needs. Successful leaders are good at communicating how their ideas can solve problems. Brilliant leaders identify needs that have never been vocalized and are able to spread this awareness.
But while you know how to solve certain problems, you may be struggling with communicating it in a way that resonates with your audience. Talking about a new technology or the amount of time it took to design something or the obscure inspiration behind ideas make for good anecdotes. But do not expect interest in these factoids for their own sake. As a leader, you always want to speak to your audience’s needs and for that you need to put yourself in their shoes to appreciate how your ideas will help them. Below, I list some guidelines to help keep your communication focused accordingly.
Identify And Communicate The Problem
Gain the confidence of your audience by recounting the problem they are currently facing. This shows that you understand how and why it is a problem in the first place. Articulating the problem creates an expectation for a well reasoned solution. People like it when their concerns are aired. Capture their attention by perfectly capturing their feelings.
Identify Why Alternatives Have Not Worked
You gain greater confidence in your ideas when you show that you have done your research beyond identifying the audience’s pain points. The pain points don’t always exist because there is no solution; they often exist because none of the current solutions adequately address them. Not only does identifying this inspire confidence, it also helps you differentiate your idea from the others on the market.
Describe The Solved State
As I have said in my introductory page, “A problem is sufficiently identified when its absence is sufficiently envisioned. Only then can a solution be found.” You should share your vision of a world where the problem you are trying to solve has been dealt with. Talk about how this would benefit your audience. Sharing your vision of a hopeful future invites them to make it their own.
Some people focus so much on their immediate problems that they grow unaware of peripheral issues or something that could become a concern in the long term. If you develop a bird’s eye view of the situation, you can show how your idea not only solves the immediate problem but also those that your audience isn’t aware of. It’s important, however, to remember to address the immediate issues first.
Timeline Of Results
When discussing solutions, it’s a good idea to lay out a timeline of when your audience could start seeing results. This is where they identify if you really mean business. Not only are they interested in knowing when they can expect results, but they also want to gauge your trustworthiness by observing the logic you use in forecasting your timeline. Be aggressively optimistic and you run the risk of being unbelievable; be too conservative and you run the risk of being uninspiring.
This makes timing your pitch critical and it depends on your customer and the kind of problem you are solving for them. For example, individual consumers might seek a shorter timeline; institutional customers may tolerate a longer one.
Potential Challenges
To build trust, it’s not only necessary to talk about how your idea may benefit your audience. It’s also important to talk about hurdles on the path to that future. What could impede the realization of your goals? How can they be addressed? You should also talk about challenges that may arise after the immediate set of problems have been fixed.
Anticipating challenges is expected of a leader. Your audience will likely think of scenarios such as these and will want to know whether you’ve planned contingencies. Contemplating on this beforehand can help you seek out blind spots before you get surprised.
I hope these guidelines help you tailor your communications campaign by putting yourself in your audience’s shoes. You might want to consider writing a white paper to comprehensively describe a problem, possible solutions, and how your audience would benefit. I specialize in writing white papers and can help you fashion a document that helps you share your vision. To learn more about how I can help, please visit the solutions page.