Sell the Idea: How to pitch and present for maximum impact
Ian Wharton
Founder and CEO of Aide Health
Join over 2,000 alumni and give your ideas unmistakable potential.
Ever struggled to get someone to see what you see?
It's not the idea; it's the way it's sold. Even the best ideas in the world can fall at the first hurdle — when they are communicated to the people needed to bring them to life. Whether that's a design manager, an executive, a $10m client or an investor. Keeping an idea alive at this moment is the real challenge. This course will arm you with three principles to do just that.
'Storytelling' is a superpower, but usually unactionable
You've probably been told to "just use storytelling." Like everyone else, you likely found that vague and unhelpful. And yet, it's the most important skill to have if you want to accelerate your work and career. This course simplifies storytelling into a single element that you can easily use to your advantage.
If you dislike pitching, you're not alone
Presenting your work can feel exposing. Most people don't want to do it or fear it. That can wreak havoc on how an idea is expressed. The good news is this isn't a skill reserved for an elite few; you just need a simple method of preparation so you can confidently walk into the room, whatever the stakes.
What you’ll learn
This course covers three simple and widely applicable principles that will help make your ideas more memorable and get buy-in.
No more vague theory. Make storytelling actionable with one practical tool so you can use it to your advantage.
A simple method to ensure your idea isn't misunderstood.
A technique to stop you from overselling
Learn from client, VC and high-profile talent pitches.
Learn directly from Ian
Ian Wharton
Apple Design Award winner, author and tech founder. 20+ years of innovation.
Who this course is for
Design, product and strategy professionals in agencies or in-house teams who need to sell their work to clients or managers.
Founders of startups from the stages of Pre-Seed to Series A who are going through growth or venture capital fundraising.
Cross-functional teams who are required to conduct frequent internal ‘upwards selling’ to VP-level execs or the C-suite.
What's included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Ian Wharton in a real-time, interactive format.
Lifetime access to 22 lessons
Return to course content whenever you need to.
3 interactive live sessions
Deep dives, Q&A's and 3x real-world example pitches delivered by Ian.
Notion pitch playbook
Lifetime access to a simple step-by-step guide to help you prep any pitch.
60+ minutes of additional Q&A content
A library of the most-common questions from over 100 hours of live training.
Hands-on projects
Apply the principles in short, fun projects and get feedback along the way.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Recap PDF
A concise written summary of the key topics from the course.
Maven Guarantee
This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.
Course syllabus
3 live sessions • 22 lessons • 2 projects
Week 1
Introduction
Principle 1: Inciting Incident
Principle 2: Context
Jan
16
Week 1 Q&A
Week 2
Principle 3: The Surgeon
Jan
22
3x real-world pitch examples (client, VC, high-profile talent)
Project: Briefs
Jan
23
Collaborative working session + Q&A
Conclusion
Free resources
Schedule
Live sessions
1-3 hrs / week
Fri, Jan 16
5:00 PM—6:00 PM (UTC)
Thu, Jan 22
5:00 PM—6:00 PM (UTC)
Fri, Jan 23
5:00 PM—6:15 PM (UTC)
Projects
1-2 hrs / week
Async content
1-2 hrs / week
Testimonials
- 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
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 Wandelmaier
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
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
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
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
Creative Director, N26
Course trailer
Reviews from course alumni
Frequently asked questions
$699
USD