A good, sometimes even brilliant idea sadly often dies a quiet death because the core of the idea is poorly conveyed.

You surely know it: you're in the car, lying in bed or standing in the shower and you come up with a terribly good plan. The solution to the problem you've been working on for a while, a new product, .... After you've thought it over a bit yourself, the moment arrives to get people on board with your idea, to get them enthusiastic so it gains broader support. This is an important moment, because it will determine whether your idea gets to live on. And yet this is the moment when it often goes wrong.

With a poor presentation, the idea is misunderstood and it dies a quiet death. It was Patrick De Maeseneire who once taught me: "Tell me what you have to tell. Get straight to the core. If I'm not following, I'll ask for background." And it's no different with presenting an idea. Get straight to the core. So make your presentation short, powerful and to-the-point.

1. Give the core of your idea in one or a few lines. Create expectation and make people curious. You can also indicate the expected result straight away.
2. Indicate what the problem or the idea is based on, or what it offers a solution for. This sketches the current situation.
3. Sketch the idea, the solution in a few key words or key lines. From the existing situation, pull your audience up to a level far above where things are now.
4. Who will be better off because of your idea, and how? Indicate who benefits from this plan and in what way.
5. In the final phase you have to be as concrete as possible. The listener(s) wonder: "What do you need from me? Why are you telling me this? What are the next steps?"

Especially to help you convey your idea powerfully, I made a PowerPoint template based on the steps above. Use it in combination with your own enthusiasm and your idea will have a better chance of success.