Your ideas have to make sense in order to make cents. Or dollars. Or millions of dollars!

Make sense to make cents? What does THAT mean, speaking of making sense?

Well, this is a story of an all-too-typical situation.

You’re in a meeting. You have an idea and you bring it up at the meeting. People acknowledge your idea and then continue with the meeting as if you haven’t spoken. A few minutes later someone else brings up an idea that’s suspiciously similar to yours. Meeting participants love the idea and immediately start working out how to implement it.

Hey…Wasn’t that YOUR idea to begin with?

Why did they decide to take action on the other idea and not yours when you first brought it up?

One reason I’ve learned through personal experience, as well as from many of the entrepreneurs and corporate leaders I work with, is that the ideas didn’t “make sense” at first reveal. Then, for various reasons, when the idea was suggested in a different way by a different person, it became clear enough to take action on.

So how can YOU communicate your ideas so that they make sense to the people with whom you meet?

Here are three pointers that my mentors gave me long ago that I now teach my clients for making their ideas clear to others.

1. First, organize your thoughts before you blurt out your idea. Take a few moments to jot your thoughts on paper. Perform a private “ideastorm”—which is brainstorming to yourself. It doesn’t have to take long. The more you can write down what you’re thinking, the better you can “see your thoughts” and organize them before you say them.
2. Make sure that at least one of your points is your suggested action for implementing your idea. While a private ideastorm may sound like it takes too long and you’ll miss your opportunity to speak up with your idea, an extra few minutes before you speak can appear that you’re being thoughtful and carefully working out your idea…which, by the way, you are! Look for two or three powerful points you can make relevant to the group and the topic being discussed. These will be the points you make to reinforce your idea on the spot. Ideas are great. Solutions for implementation move them to action.
3. Finally, SPEAK UP and share your idea – succinctly and clearly. At an appropriate time in the discussion, or butt-in if you have to, speak confidently and so everyone can hear you. Share your idea in a sentence or two, and then give your supporting points to reinforce your idea.

For an additional resource that covers this process more deeply, my book titled “Hey, That’s MY Idea: How to Speak Up and Get Recognized for What You Know and Think” is available from my web store. You can learn my entire process for getting your ideas heard and getting others to support you by acting on them.

Let me help you communicate your ideas more-powerfully & strategically so that you can make sense, to make cents…and much more!