Improvement ideas are often dismissed. They are not dismissed because they are not a good idea and don’t offer a good improvement, they are dismissed because no one understands the idea. When you are working with others, people that need to approve an idea before it can go ahead, find out how they work. What do they need to see, feel and hear in order to appreciate your idea? For some it might be a flow chart, for others a presentation. Some may need to see the proposed savings on a piece of paper. Find out how they work and then present it in the right way. Taking a few minutes out to establish the right way to put forward your ideas can make a big difference to the level of uptake you experience. Giles Johnston Author, Consultant and Chartered Engineer