12 Smart Ways to Respond When People Dismiss Your Ideas

Ingenuity and creativity often find ridicule. You think you’re presenting an excellent idea, but the next thing you know, your ideas are being dismissed, and you’re dealing with feelings of frustration and conflict. It’s natural, but it doesn’t mean you can’t try again. We’ve come up with a couple of fun and innovative ways to respond when people dismiss your ideas.

Reframe Your Idea

Sometimes, it’s not the idea itself that causes someone to reject it, but certain aspects of it. This means you could be sitting on a million-dollar idea but simply need to refine it. Take a look at your idea again. Explore it from different angles and try to figure out how to reframe it so it appeals to the public more. Present the idea again, but this time highlight the changes so the other person can get an insight.

Ask Questions

Rejection is hard, but it shouldn’t stop you from achieving success. It’s entirely possible that your idea has the potential but lacks refinement. You won’t know why you were rejected until you ask, so don’t hesitate. Reach out to the person (be it a boss or a friend) who dismissed the idea and ask questions to find out what caused them to reject your idea.

Stay Confident

We think a rejected idea is a rejected us, but that’s not true. While your concept being rejected will make you feel down and insecure, don’t let this insecurity linger. It’ll only curb your enthusiasm and creativity later. Instead, stay confident. It might be challenging, but if you let yourself feel down, you won’t be able to summon the imagination to truly move on.

Provide Evidence

Pull out the facts if someone dismisses your ideas without really looking into them or quickly skims over them and rejects them because they think you’re wrong. Start with strong, resolute statements like, “Well, actually, a study revealed XYZ” and “I beg to differ. I’ve actually put in the research”. This way, the other person won’t dismiss your ideas and might even reconsider.

Ask For Feedback

While it’s certainly hurtful when your idea is dismissed, seeking feedback to know why the dismissal took place will help you move forward. Aside from questioning why it was rejected, also ask for ways you can improve and refine the idea. Talk about key metrics, ask for a professional opinion, and even request that the other person help you out when you feel clueless.

Find Allies

Sometimes, a dismissed idea is only a short group away from approval. While it’s certainly frustrating, your idea might have been dismissed because people or your boss don’t think it’s attractive enough. But if you reach out to enough people, you might create a group of allies, seeing which could convince your boss to reconsider your idea.

Don’t Take It Personally

We’ve stated this before, but we’ll do it again: A rejection or dismissal of your idea doesn’t necessarily mean a rejection or dismissal of you. You might be hurt or depressed, but often, ideas are rejected because they still require a lot of metrics to be worked on. Instead of moping around, keep a positive outlook and look into ways to improve the idea.

Clarify Your Intention

Explain the purpose behind your idea. It’s possible that someone dismissed your ideas because they didn’t really understand the motive or purpose behind them. Try to break down your purpose into smaller steps so it’s easier to explain. Ensure you’re clear about why you suggested the ideas and list all the pros. Who knows, it might make your boss reconsider.

Address Concerns Directly

If your idea was dismissed because it lacked a certain depth, then instead of feeling down, address the problem. How can you improve your idea? How can you fix the problem? Is there a way to make the idea more beneficial and less susceptible to risks? Fixing these little bits of concerns will give your idea a higher chance of being accepted and encourage you to think level-headed.

Stay Patient

Behind every accomplishment is a plethora of failed experiences. You might think your idea being dismissed is the end of the world, but it’s just the start of a new beginning. And the only thing that will truly help you get to it is patience. If you’re quick to anger and disappointment, you’ll only make things challenging for yourself. Staying patient will give you enough space and energy to figure out where you’re going wrong.

Change Your Outlook

Maybe your idea wasn’t dismissed because it needs improvement but because you’re approaching it from the wrong angle. It’s entirely possible the rejection stemmed from the wrong market. You can still market your idea to a different field. If things still don’t work out, don’t lose hope. You were able to progress enough to share your creativity, so maybe keep to that, and you’ll find your true calling.

Propose A Trial

If you think your idea has the potential but it was rejected because of risks, propose a trial. A trial is the safest way to see if any idea or project is secure enough to reach a market. It gives you a glimpse into possible pros and cons and helps you assess the project and the market before failure knocks on your door. This way, you’ll avoid failure and still figure out how to bring your idea to life.

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This article was first published at Rbitaliablog.