Launched a fresh division at Google, smoothly persuading senior leadership of my concept
Mira Lane, the founder of the Envisioning Studio at Google, a department dedicated to exploring the societal impacts of technology innovations, emphasizes the importance of brief, problem-focused, and audience-centric presentations.
Lane's own pitch to Google was succinct, not exceeding a page. She meticulously chose each word to ensure maximum clarity and impact, understanding that leaders have limited time and would not read long documents or slide decks.
Lane believes that a pitch should be anchored in a significant problem. The problem should be relatable and large enough to resonate with the audience, so they see its importance and relevance rather than dismissing it as niche or minor.
To achieve this, Lane conducts extensive research on the people she is dealing with to better understand their needs and expectations. She tailors her message accordingly, knowing the mindset of the person who will read her presentation and adjusting her message to align with their priorities and mindset.
Lane advises separating oneself emotionally from the idea to accept "no" as a valid response without discouragement. She suggests that the idea you're presenting shouldn't be "part of your identity," but you should still care about it to some extent.
Even if you really like your idea, many people might say "no" - and that's perfectly fine, said Lane. She was asked unusual questions during her Google interview, such as how she wanted to make the world a better place, which helped her understand the leadership's thinking.
Lane's first piece of advice is to develop an attitude that allows you to handle rejection well. She created a one-page summary of an AI prototyping lab that examines the societal impacts of technology innovations and sent it to the employee who would later become her boss.
In summary, Lane’s approach is to craft concise, focused pitches that clearly address a big problem and align with the audience’s priorities and mindset through thorough research and tailoring.
In the realm of business careers, Mira Lane, the founder of Google's Envisioning Studio, underscores the significance of finance, recognizing that leaders often have limited time and might not delve into long financial presentations.
Lane's strategic approach to technology innovation includes designing her pitches to resonate with her audience by incorporating audience-centric, problem-focused presentations, thereby highlighting the relevance and importance of these issues in the broader business landscape.
