Written by: Vickie Sullivan | May 20, 2021
How to Position Weird Ideas
Often our insights on issues go against the status quo. Sometimes, as a recent Fast Company article about dealing with extremists shows, you can take it a step further by advocating for ideas that doesn’t make sense on the surface.
The author interviewed Vidhya Ramalingam, cofounder and CEO of Moonshot CVE, a digital counter-extremism company, who is looking for new ways to reach extremists – such as search ads for mindfulness.
The interview does two things that made this approach more credible. It:
• Addresses why standard tactics can’t work. Key quote: “We can’t rely on what we knew worked when we were dealing with … people that were really on the fringes.” When the normal routes don’t work, the door is open to the more offbeat ideas. How you can adapt: Address why traditional solutions won’t cut it. That context sets up new ideas.
• Focuses on the weird connections. Up front, Ramalingam acknowledges the skepticism. Then she explores the research and cites the commonalities between mental health and extremists. How you can adapt: Cite the similarities between your odd idea and the environment. This context opens the door to juxtaposition, the fine art of connecting two unrelated things.
Listen: 2 Ways to Use Juxtaposition
Let’s face it: A lot of us play it safe with our recommendations. We stay in our comfort zone. But if you are willing to swing for the fences, you open the door to influence in a bigger way. With the right context, you can step up with out-of-the-box ideas.
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