I’ve been reading a great little book by Paul Arden called It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be. I ran across some sage advice while reading this morning. Specifically, if you present a well-polished idea people will always pick away at some detail(s) without ever noticing the big picture or the key concept you are trying to get across. This has happened to me time and time again in my career. Arden suggests instead starting with a rough sketch that commits to very little, then explaining your concept, engaging the imagination of the person you are trying to sell your ideas to. This gets the client involved in the solution (and thus assures their buy-in). It seems a bit counter-intuitive because we are so often told to go off and create something then present it for review. In my experience such efforts are heavily critiqued, picked apart, and more or less trashed, leaving the author feeling humiliated because some details were unacceptable. I am going to give Arden’s suggest a try next time.