how to share the BIG IDEA
I’ve got a big idea that I’m getting ready to communicate.
The idea isn’t important (to you), but the way I want to pitch it should be.
A while back I was spending a few hours in Barnes and Noble skimming books. I do that regularly. If a book I’m skimming is great, I’ll usually pick it up (after I pay for it, of course). Otherwise, I just hang out for a while and pick up ideas.
So, during that visit I came across an idea about how to share ideas, and it’s been rolling around in my head ever since (yet, I can’t, for the life of me, remember what book it was from—maybe someone will recognize the concept here and let me know).
Anyways, a great idea—a life-changing idea—should include the following elements.
1. It should be significant. If it’s an idea really worth embracing, it needs to be something so big that it will make a difference. Do you want to start a new home Bible study? Great. You might get a few people to participate and I’ll encourage you and pray for you in your endeavor. But do you have a dream and a solid plan to equip 100 people to start dorm-room Bible studies in universities across the LA Basin? Now you’ve got my undivided attention!
2. It should be selfless. If your idea benefits you personally, I’m less likely to buy it. There is nothing wrong with making your living being a salesman, but if I think you are selling me something because of what you can get out of it, I’ll decline buying from you every time. And I think the more epic an idea, the less it should personally benefit you. That’s called servanthood, and a huge idea based in true servanthood will often catch fire.
3. It should be simple. Many selfless, HUGE ideas never get anywhere because they are overcomplicated. Are you absolutely confident of the core? Most of the details can be communicated later, after an idea has been given a nod, but if it starts out being bogged down in the details, it will weary people before they know why they want to say yes.
A great exercise is the elevator pitch. Imagine yourself getting in an elevator with a person who could absolutely make your idea happen. For a script-writer, it’s a producer; for an entrepreneur it’s a venture capital fund manager—you get the idea. You have between 30 seconds to two minutes to describe what you want to do, why you want to do it, and how you want to get it done. Ready…go! (and no fair pushing the emergency stop). If your speech is effective it is not going to include details unnecessary to the big idea, but if it involves SIGNIFICANT, SELFLESS, and SIMPLE concepts, it just might get the green light.