Sell the Idea: Storytelling for design

4.9

(8 ratings)

·

2 Weeks

·

Cohort-based Course

Learn how to pitch and present your ideas effectively using classic narrative techniques used by the world's best design teams.

Course alumni

BBC
frog
Dyson
Metalab
Wieden+Kennedy

Course overview

Communicate your ideas in a way so their potential and urgency are unmistakable.

➤ Get your ideas made

If you want your ideas made, which is the most honest and respectable way to advance a career or company forward, they must be sold well and without deception.


➤ Proven approach

The material in this course has been used to sell ideas to the boards and C-Suite of the Fortune 500, leading VC funds, and high-profile international talent including a former US presidential candidate.


➤ Practical, applicable

No more vague, unactionable 'storytelling' theory. Three simple and widely applicable principles to give you a method of preparation whether you're selling to your design manager, an investor or a $10m client.


➤ More efficient teams

Take top-of-funnel ideas and R&D through to validation more quickly when ideas are communicated clearly and effectively. Getting internal consensus on new ideas will become your teams' superpower.

Who this course is for...

01

Design, product and strategy professionals in agencies or in-house teams who need to sell their work to clients or managers.

02

Founders of startups from the stages of Pre-Seed to Series A who are going through growth or venture capital fundraising.

03

Cross-functional teams who are required to conduct frequent internal ‘upwards selling’ to VP-level execs or the C-suite.

Three principles for memorable, easily understood and masterfully delivered pitches.

Learn the single most important part of narrative structure

Use the Inciting Incident to make your idea compelling and memorable so it can be easily retold.

Avoid the common pitfalls of pitching ideas

No more unnecessary theatrics. Just clear, effective communication.

Learn from real-world pitch examples

See the Principles in action. Learn from client, VC and high-profile talent pitches.

Live workshopping of briefs

Hands-on putting the Principles to use as a community.

This course includes

3 interactive live sessions

Lifetime access to course materials

21 in-depth lessons

Direct access to instructor

2 projects to apply learnings

Guided feedback & reflection

Private community of peers

Course certificate upon completion

Maven Satisfaction Guarantee

This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.

Course syllabus

Expand all modules

  • Week 1

    Oct 7—Oct 13

    Events

    • Oct

      11

      Week 1 Q&A

      Fri, Oct 11, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTC

    Modules

    • Introduction

    • Principle 1: Inciting Incident

    • Principle 2: Context

  • Week 2

    Oct 14—Oct 18

    Events

    • Oct

      16

      3x real-world pitch examples (client, VC, high-profile talent)

      Wed, Oct 16, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM UTC

    • Oct

      18

      Collaborative working session + Q&A

      Fri, Oct 18, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM UTC

    Modules

    • Principle 3: The Surgeon

    • Project: Briefs

    • Conclusion

  • Post-Course

    Modules

    • One final lesson

4.9

(8 ratings)

What students are saying

Meet your instructor

Ian Wharton

Ian Wharton

20 years of design and innovation as the creator of award-winning and internationally bestselling digital products.


Ian has been honoured by the Apple Design Award, the Royal Television Society, and the Art Director’s Club in New York. He is the Founder of VC-backed healthtech company Aide Health, Founding Partner of digital product studio Zolmo and published author of Spark for the Fire: How Youthful Thinking Unlocks Creativity. He previously served as part of the design leadership for agencies in WPP and Publicis Groupe.


Ian has spoken at 30+ conferences worldwide, including Semi Permanent, Cannes Lions, and Thinking Digital. He has written for Fast Company, Sifted, The Guardian and Creative Review.


He is also an advisory board member of D&AD Shift and a member of the Board of Governors at Arts University Bournemouth, one of the top creative institutions in the UK.


More here: ianwharton.com

Trusted by the world's best teams

        Ian brings decades of experience, having worked across several senior positions in creative and start-up businesses. His materials are easy to follow and impactful, and he brings a wealth of real-world examples to the course. Ultimately, if you want your teams to be able to sell their work harder, put them through Sell the Idea.”
Simon Cox

Simon Cox

Global MD of Strategy, Huge Inc
        This course was exactly attuned to the level of learning that our already high-function team needed to push our understanding of storytelling methods further and apply them in our day-to-day. Every design team deserves to have this in their toolkit!
Michael Wanelmaier

Michael Wanelmaier

Previously Head of Design, Metalab
        Ian provided actionable insights we can immediately apply to make our ideas more compelling and impactful. This session is a must for any company looking to enhance their team's ability to communicate and sell ideas effectively. Highly recommended!”
Dan Whitehead

Dan Whitehead

Brand Creative Director, Frog
        Ian delivers a rejuvenating perspective on inventive thinking and conceptualisation. His commercial insight instructs creatives on the optimal strategies for presenting their ideas. An inspiring speaker that the global Ticketmaster Product and Design teams thoroughly enjoyed.
Troy Suda

Troy Suda

Chief Product Officer, Ticketmaster
        I would strongly advocate for anyone who is interested in improving this part of their skillset (not just designers) to go through this course. These are hard-won insights.”
Kevin Johnston

Kevin Johnston

Product Design Director, Future Platforms
        “Sell the Idea was a great course for our creative, social media, and marketing teams and proved super valuable for everyone involved. Creatives left with practical takeaways, while stakeholders gained insight into our pitching process. We've already been applying these learnings to our work."
Christopher Poots

Christopher Poots

Creative Director, N26
A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Sell the Idea: Storytelling for design

Cohort 2

$599

Dates

Oct 7—17, 2024

Payment Deadline

Oct 5, 2024
|

Bulk purchases

Course schedule

2-4 hours per week

  • 💡 Go at your own pace

    Work through the 21 lessons (18 video) in your own time.

  • 👉 Apply the principles with projects

    Hands-on ways to apply your learnings.

  • 🙋‍♀️ Live Q&A at the end of Week 1

    1 hour

    I'll answer all of your questions about the course and my pitching and management experience over 20 years.

  • ⚡️ 3x pitch examples delivered live

    1 hour

    In one live session, I'll show you a real-world client, VC and high-profile talent pitch, and share the mistakes I've made so you can learn from them.

  • 👏 Live group session in Week 2

    1.5 hours

    Working together, we'll deconstruct and tackle two fictitious briefs. We'll apply the Principles and see how they form a foundation for any pitch no matter the stakes, or the odds.

Reviews from course alumni

Reviews from course alumni
Free resource

Want to make 'storytelling' more actionable? You're not alone.

Using three beloved feature films, this free lesson covers the definitions of the Inciting Incident — the only part of narrative structure you need to use when selling an idea, whatever the stakes. It covers:


➤ What is it?

➤ Why is it so crucial?

➤ How do we use it to our advantage?

Get the free video lesson 👇

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I learn?

What stage of a career is this for?

What if I can't join the live sessions?

What isn't covered?

How often will this run?

Why do you support D&AD Shift?

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Sell the Idea: Storytelling for design

Cohort 2

$599

Dates

Oct 7—17, 2024

Payment Deadline

Oct 5, 2024
|

Bulk purchases

$599

4.9

·

2 Weeks

Powered by Maven