My 3 Presentation Tips to Win Over Your Board Members

Last week in my Off the Shelf online design course, I introduced the topic of finish selections.  In that module, I have taught my students all the ins and outs of selecting a strong concept board and how to apply it to their design in ways that will enhance their space, making it aesthetically pleasing but also functional.  Using the right combination of colors and textures and applying them to the right locations, can bring a new life to your design that encourages patrons to spend more time in your Library.  But once you've done the work and made your selections, and before you can begin to make the physical changes, you typically have to get it approved by your Library board.  And this is where things can get tricky.  But if you'll stick to my three presentation tips, (keep it simple, present with confidence and be able to defend your choices), you'll have that Library right where you want it before you can blink! 

KEEP IT SIMPLE!

When you present to your board or anyone else for that matter, don't over present.  And by that I mean, don't show too many options.  IF you feel the need to present any options at all, keep it to two at the most.  If you feel you absolutely MUST present more, don't ever exceed three options.  But if you're not a professional designer, I highly recommend keeping your options narrowed down to two, tops.  The reasons for that are vast, but mostly it can be tough to defend your design choices and with too many cooks in the kitchen so-to-speak, it can get real chaotic real fast.

Put together your two options and know first and foremost which is your favorite.  That's the one you will emphasize when presenting.  However, make sure the runner up design option is something you are also pleased with just in case that's the direction your decision makers lean more toward.  You don't want to have to live in a design you hate for years to come.

For those of you enrolled in the online design course, remember that every design concept you've had in front of you to choose from has been very carefully selected piece by piece to accomplish a smooth and seamless design at the hands of a licensed professional.  So you can present these with the confidence that this is good design.  Which brings me to my next presentation tip.

PRESENT WITH CONFIDENCE

When you do find yourself in front of your Library board or other decisions makers, do it with great confidence.  You've worked hard on this design and you need to present like you know it.  If anyone senses doubt, they will doubt too.  So even if you're not completely sure of yourself, act like you are.  My Mama raised me as a "fake it 'til you make it" kinda girl, and sometimes that's just what it takes.  So throw on your best Interior Designer persona and get that design approved!  And if you can't get it done, find someone in your office that works really well in front of people and push them out on stage.

Try to keep your audience small if possible so you have fewer people to please.  It's not really about controlling their choices, but you've put a great deal of time and energy into this design.  You've lived in the space and imagined your walls, floors and furniture layouts until you're doing it in your sleep.  They will be seeing it for the first time and without any prior knowledge of how you've reached your design decisions and why.  So mostly they are there to give you input on whether or not it looks nice and appears to be well thought out.  You don't want to start from scratch.

BE ABLE TO DEFEND YOUR DESIGN

This is a big one.  First let me explain the term "defend your design".  This is not a hostile or defensive term.   In the Interior Design world, it just means that you know exactly why you have chosen the selections you're presenting and you can explain to your audience clearly and concisely.  Let me give you a couple of examples.

Let's say you have a color scheme with three specific colors and your entire design revolves around those particular shades.  Someone in your audience wants to know why you've selected those colors.  YOU know they are the main colors in your Library logo and they work very well together.  So you are able to explain or "defend" your  color choices based on that line of thinking.  Now this one is a simple one to get your mind on the right path.  But here's a more detailed one.

So you've selected an organic style carpet with clean neutrals but there's one organic gold/copper colored line running through the pattern you've chosen.  It seems random to your audience.  But YOU know that this entire design revolves around the fact that your local history for that Library location is based on a community-driven and long history of a gold mining town.  You want to maintain that look of nature and history, so you have used a carpet that brings to mind the gold veins running through the rock that makes up the majority of the local land.  And because of this you've also taken it a step further and selected natural elements of green, blue and gold to use as accents in your furniture and wallcoverings to bring that design concept into play even further.  Once you've explained or "defended" all of this, they will not only understand your way of thinking on this project, but they will love it.  Now they see how much time and thought you've put into this and they will be pleased with your commitment to your Library.  This is why being able to defend your design is critical in moving your project forward.  

FINAL THOUGHTS

My three presentation tactics have served me very well through the years.  And if you will put them into practice when designing your own space, you won't fail.  Remember to Keep It Simple, Present with Confidence and Be Able to Defend Your Design and you will find your design presentation will go very smoothly.