The Business Innovation Insider: The problem with getting your innovative idea noticed

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April 13, 2006

The problem with getting your innovative idea noticed

The power of glib.jpg

Kathy Sierra of the Creating Passionate Users blog has posted a great explanation of why some people just can't seem to get their innovative ideas noticed. The answer is simple - they just haven't mastered the art of glib. In a Gladwellian world where the power to make decisions in the blink of an eye is a highly prized attribute, people who can't articulate their opinions and ideas as quickly as they develop "gut feelings" may be at a real disadvantage in conference rooms across Corporate America:

"In way too many meetings, the fastest talkers win. And by "fastest talkers", I mean those who are the first to articulate an idea, challenge, issue, whatever. Too many of us assume that if it sounds smart, it probably is, especially when we aren't given the chance to think about it. The problem is, the guy with the "gut feeling"--the one who senses that something's not right, but has no idea how to explain it, let alone articulate it on the spot--might be right. Too bad, though, because the glib usually rule.

Let's face it--the clever, witty, glib talkers can make the non-clever, non-witty, and non-glib sound like slow dolts. Slow-to-articulate is mistaken for slow-in-the-head. And as the world speeds up and decisions have to be made right frickin' NOW, it just gets worse.

So there's the heart of the problem--if you're not able to explain your thoughts, ideas, and concerns quickly and articulately, you are often at a disadvantage. I've been there. I am there. I'm capable of thinking (some would debate that), willing to do the research, and reasonably articulate. But I need time! I have never been one of those think-on-your-feet types. With the exception of those few things in which I have a lot of expertise and experience, I pretty much suck at having to explain, defend, or promote something in real-time."