7 Tips for presenting to your board

I've been in the trenches with many of my clients through the years.  And by the trenches, I mean standing in front of the board members when making major decisions for your Library.  As the majority of you most likely know, board members, usually consisting of the elected board officials that make important decisions for you county, can be either all in or completely bemused when it comes to overseeing Library decisions.  But more often than not, they are a critical component to your ability to move your Library vision forward.  So, a necessary evil they may have to be.

But after years in those trenches, I've learned a thing or two about how to navigate those meetings and today I'm going to share some of my best with you. 

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My Top 7 Tips for Surviving Your Board Presentations

 #1 - BE PREPARED

If you're presenting finishes, make sure you have everything they might ask to see and be sure you know where everything goes and how it will benefit your Library.  But we'll cover more of this later.  If they're looking for numbers (furniture costs for example), have them ready and be able to defend why you want to use one company over another if the other is coming in higher on the cost.  Whatever you're there to present, be fully prepared.  Know what you want to convey and how you wish to convey it.  

#2 - BE CONFIDENT

If you've prepared for this, you're ready.  AND if you're anything like I think you are, you've been working on this presentation and your overall vision for your Library for quite some time now.  You know better than anyone else what you need and what it's going to take to make it happen.  Walk in with the confidence of that fact and make your case clearly and with a cool head.

#3 - BE POLITE

This one is obvious.  You're always going to get a better response to your request if you're being polite.  Hopefully you have a great board and a good relationship with them, but not everyone does.  If that's the case for you, remain calm and be courteous.  It's really just basic playground advice.  But don't forget to use it.

#4 - BE ABLE TO DEFEND YOUR DESIGN

"Defending your design" is a term we were taught in Interior Design school.  It's not as combative as it may sound.  In fact, it's a very strong way of saying, know why you've selected the finishes and design concept you've chosen and be able to explain any questions they may have.  Often people want to know how you came up with the finishes combinations you've created because they can't see the vision you can.  

Remember that when they see it for the first time, all they see are the blunt swatches of fabric, paint chips, carpet samples and all the other copious amounts of finishes you've agonized over for the past several weeks.  You've lived in your space with these proposed new finishes all in your mind for some time now.  They're just seeing it for the first time, raw and unexplained.  So don't just toss them out in front of them without carefully explaining each and every design concept in detail. 

Make them see what you see; love it like you love it.  This is how you defend your design.

#5 - DON'T BE AFRAID TO SHOW YOUR PASSIONATE SIDE

In reference to #4 above, you've really put a lot into this design.  This is the time to really show them how much you've invested in this project emotionally, physically and in time.  If you're truly excited about your project, they most likely will be too.  Give them a glimpse into how much you've put into this presentation and how much thought you've given it.  

#6 - DON'T SHOW THEM TOO MUCH

Oversharing is a cardinal sin in Interior Design.  If you give anyone too many options, they will not be able to choose.  It's overwhelming.  I almost always limit my finishes presentations to three options when making suggestions for a new space.  They don't want to go through 50 different carpet books.  They just want to know that you've considered the design problem, examined your options thoroughly and that you put together a concise and functional set of design options for them to select from.  

That being said, when you and your team have narrowed your design concepts down to the two you like best out of all three, only show them those two.  Because undoubtedly, they WILL choose the one you like least if given the chance.  Call it Murphy's Law if you will.  It wins out. Every. Single. Time.

#7 - SHOW THEM RENDERINGS IF POSSIBLE

The other major snafu I encounter when presenting is that most people cannot see your vision like you can.  And most people are visual by nature anyway.  So if you have the ability to put together drawings (renderings) for them to see how all the finishes will go together, I highly recommend it.  Even if it's just a basic hand sketch with a little color pencil put to it for color representation and texture.  This will go a long way.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Presenting to your board members can be stressful and nerve wracking.  But if you're prepared and know what steps you can take to make your case and show your devotion to your project, you'll do fine.  Hopefully if they're discussing this project with you, they already have the motivation to help you move forward.  So go in with that bit of confidence and do your thing.  You've got this!