3 Ways to Articulate Your Unconventional Problem-Solving Approach

Problems are everywhere, but sometimes the jump between frustration and solving takes a bit of a nudge. Other times, the solution to a once mind-boggling, anger-inducing problem is just on the other side of desperation. Copy machine saleswoman Sara Blakely just wanted to wear her favorite white pants without her undergarments showing through. In frustration, she took scissors to an old pair of pantyhose, and a billion-dollar idea was born.  However, the world didn’t catch on as quickly as Sara did with her refashioned tights.

To get others to pay attention to and pay for her now household-name product SPANX, she used some unconventional tactics. Learn these strategies and a few others to help articulate your unconventional approach to your problems. When you present your ideas from a new angle, you earn attention, gain buy-in, and can even change the game.

1. Think Like a Teacher

When you’re a leader in your industry, it’s easy to expect others to take your word for it. But in business, jargon, narrow job roles, and lack of awareness make gaining buy-in challenging. Take a page out of a top-performing teacher’s playbook and apply instructional design principles to your approach.

Similar to how you’d develop a presentation, lay out your goals to let the message recipient in on your plan. Acknowledge their potential pushbacks to break down barriers that easily arise between your message and their understanding. This move lets the audience know that you’ve taken the time to understand them and that an answer awaits.

Craft your message like a trainer, offering step-by-step instructions, especially when communicating something process-oriented. Use multiple mediums to articulate your message to appeal to visual, auditory, and hands-on learners alike. For multi-step processes, a screen recorder memorializes the exact experience you intend to convey, reducing the possibility of confusion. By showcasing your idea using a real-life example, listeners won’t need to spend time familiarizing themselves with a concept. If your idea is accepted, add your recording to your training library and get a head start on implementation.

2. Use Motivational Interviewing

The key to communicating is understanding the motivations of the recipient of your message. You have your own life experience, which influences how you understand the world. For Sara Blakely, this was the frustrating experience of having a great pair of white pants she couldn’t wear. Her motivation was to find a way around the problem, unforgiving white fabric, toward her solution, eliminating see-through.

Approach your interaction with a dose of curiosity, seeking to understand the other person’s perspective before sharing yours. In Sara’s situation, this might be as simple as asking when the last time someone wore white pants. An innocent question enough, this likely will result in a reasonable answer recalling a summer outfit or beach cover-up. Add irrationality to the mix to get both attention and buy-in. Follow up with a question that causes the other person to react big-time, throwing them off-guard.

Sara might have asked how often one’s undergarment choice came into play when choosing pants. Better yet, she could have asked if people liked knowing everyone knew their underwear preferences without much thought. Take it home with a question that forces an answer, like asking for a rating versus a yes or no. This way, they’ll come up with their own reasons for doing it, versus you directing them.

3. Take a Cue from Pixar

Stories make messages compelling and memorable, and you can use them to articulate any challenge or opportunity. Apply your understanding of the message recipient to craft a story that’s relevant and relatable. While stories are as old as human life, the task of creating one might feel foreign. When you’re so close to the idea, it can be especially hard to drop your familiarity bias.

Use a tried-and true-formula that business leaders and movie magicians adore, the “Pixar Pitch.” A simple, six-line prompt that distills a story to its core, the Pixar Pitch forces brevity and unearths clarity. Harkening age-old fairy tales, the template starts like any other, “once upon a time,” setting the scene for the audience. The prompts that follow leave room for imagination and explain what’s happened, what changed, and the problem at hand.

For you, this might begin with the origin of your company and why your founder created it years ago. Next, you’d share how you serve happy customers, but one day, something changed and now, action is needed. This inciting incident is where your unconventional idea comes in and the Pixar Pitch approach can drive it home. Tee up your approach within the story, explaining how it helps your company overcome the obstacle and come out ahead. When you tell a story, you often compel others to act.

Customize Your Message for the Highest Success Rate

Take a pulse check on your audience’s likelihood to accept your unconventional idea. Are you among friends or are you new to the group and need to build trust? Focus your attention on gaining your footing in the culture of your audience to ensure your message gets air space. Research, strategize, and practice your approach to build muscle memory and confidence before you present.

Test new concepts and prompts with peers and get their candid feedback to help improve your delivery. Blend the art of storytelling with motivational interviewing and interactive examples of the tactics you’re presenting. Adjust, improve, and customize your message to connect with your audience and gain buy-in for your unconventional problem-solving approach.