How to Bring People on Board with Your Idea

I often get asked how, as an academic researcher, and later an entrepreneur and CEO, I conveyed my ideas to others and got their support. It brought me way back — I remember when I first started at Cambridge University, I initially struggled to get my PhD advisor on board with my idea of building an emotionally intelligent machine. BUT I persisted and got creative in how I tried to get through to him and it made me better at what I did. The very same goes for when I co-founded Affectiva (now part of Smart Eye) — you have to convince people to join your team, customers to use and/or buy your product, and investors to back your company. After responding directly to someone on Instagram last week who asked me about this, I thought I would share more broadly.

Here are 5 ways to bring people on board with your idea:?

1. Know your shit! This might go without saying but it is so important! Make sure you are an authority at what you do. Be the world’s expert. Stay on top of the latest developments in your space and build your own point of view.?
2. Communicate often and relentlessly. You can never communicate enough. Learn how to communicate with clarity, with energy and with passion. I’ve also found it helpful to make your audience the hero (not you). Ask for input, feedback and ideas that build on your own and make sure you acknowledge those. It’s also crucial to use multiple modalities to communicate: live / presentation, as well as in writing. I personally find that writing helps me summarize my point of view. Get creative! I used to walk into my PhD advisor's office with a HUGE board with colorful bubble diagrams and mind maps.??
3. Identify your stakeholders and bring them on board. And ammo them with ways to champion you; first, figure out who that would be in your organization. Invest time one-on-one to really get to know them and build bridges. Equip them with “talk tracks” and ways they can become your biggest cheerleaders.
4. Show proof of progress. Provide evidence that you are onto something! Identify low-hanging opportunities to show success. Share the results of early proof of concepts to build excitement and buy in. Look at the landscape: are others onto the same idea or similar idea? Who are they? Reach out and connect with them.? Build a roadmap, with clear milestones and share that with your team.
5. Empathize with your audience. Ask the following questions: where are they coming from and what's their frame of reference? Be aware (and understanding) that joining you on your journey requires people to take a leap of faith, like the one you’ve taken, which may take time and trust — and that’s okay! Great things take time.?

Finally, persist and keep a positive mindset. Don't take it personally and be patient. All this skepticism will only sharpen your sword and make you more of an expert (see #1 again??).

What are some of your tips and best practices for bringing people on board with your idea? Please share, I would love to hear your thoughts.