OUGD502 - How To and Not To Effectively Pitch Your Work

Mike Monteiro: 13 Ways To Screw Up A Presentation

1. You are not there to be the client's friend - you are there to help achieve the client's goal, happiness is a side effect of good design, work you didn't sell is no better than work you didn't do at all, avoiding confrontation is increasingly expensive - as a designer you have ethical responsibilities, to solve problems.
2. Not getting off your arse - make it clear who is leading the presentation, confidence makes your client feel better about themselves and gives them more trust in you as a designer - more inclined to trust your decisions and hire you for the job.
3. Starting with an apology - you are always presenting the correct amount of stuff, do not apologise for what you do not have as this simply does not exist - the best way to fix a meeting is to cancel it (however, make sure you only do this once).
4. Not setting the stage properly - why are the audience important, why are we here? Thank them, let them know what participation is needed from them, what will it take for them to leave? What are you hoping to get out of the presentation?
5. Giving the real estate tour - do not talk about what the audience can see, instead get the clients to picture themselves with your work, how they will benefit from it, etc.
6. Taking notes.
7. Reading from a script.
8. Getting defensive - you are working to meet a client's vision, they are allowed to criticise your work if they do not feel it is appropriate or meets their goal.
9. Mentioning typefaces - stop asking for permission to do job you were hired for.
10. Talking about how hard you worked - you are not graded on effort.
11. Reacting to questions as change requests - do not turn questions into problems, be confident in your design decisions.
12. Not guiding the feedback loop - anything that helps you do your job is a part of your job, guide the presentation in a way which gives you access to the feedback you want and need, make this clear.
13. Asking "do you like it?" - SUBJECTIVE - you should have reasoning and research behind all of your design decisions which you know makes it a good piece of work, asking one of the most subjective questions brings down the quality of your work.