The better our conversations, the better our life.
A good structure for conversations is IDEA – which stands for:
- Impact
- Discover
- Enhance
- Action
In more detail:
- Impact – first impressions drive everything. So, start brilliantly
- Discover – find what matters to the other person, by asking great questions
- Enhance – once we know what matters to them, do all we can to help them
- Action – end by agreeing actions – who is doing what, by when
You see this working well in many walks of life. For example, when you go to a doctor:
- Impact – great first impression – “Thanks for coming. How can I help you?”
- Discover – she’ll ask lots of questions, to understand your symptoms
- Enhance – she’ll then suggest relevant treatment options
- Action – end by agreeing what actions you need to take, to get better
We know intuitively that IDEA is a great structure. But that doesn’t mean we always use it. For example, when you chat with others:
- Impact – do you always start brilliantly? Do you prepare in advance how you’ll start – to ensure your first impression is as strong as it can be?
- Discover – do you prepare, and ask, great questions? So that they do more talking than you early-on? When they answer your questions, do you jump in with your thoughts, or (much better) ask “Tell me more about that?”
- Enhance – do you always add value? Does the other person always benefit from speaking with you?
- Action – does every conversation end with agreeing next steps? That then happen?
We all think we’re ‘above average’ at conversation.
But half of us are worse than average – that’s how averages work.
So, are you ‘above average’? If not, it’d be a good IDEA to improve…
Action Point
Quick reflection time: how good are you at each of the four steps of IDEA? Where can you improve?
Or be more specific – reflect on a conversation you had yesterday. Did you nail all of IDEA? What could you do differently next time?
And, if you want me to help improve your sales/communications, please hit Reply and let me know…