IDIAMM

Public speaking is in the top 3 of most people’s phobias along with clowns & spiders. The thought of standing up in front of a group of total strangers, all gazing on with great expectation very quickly gets the better of us. We panic, nerves set in with sweaty palms and suddenly all of our confidence has been drained and we shut down, mumble on and build even more panic and stress with no light at the end of the tunnel.

Public speaking & presentations are part of the design industry & it revolves around a very simple concept – SELL SELL SELL!. Here are 3 examples of when, as a designer, we have to put our salesman hat on:

1. When  we have to sell both ourselves and our design potential to an employer
2. When he have to sell a design concept to a potential client, proving we can / have met the brief
3. When we have to explain our concept / solution to a problem to a contractor

All 3 seem simple in principle, however with the added pressure of “needing the job / getting the client onboard / persuading the contractor to do it as per your suggestion, it is not as easy as it sounds.

Here are 3 simple areas to start your journey of gaining more confidence in public speaking:

1. Have confidence in your subject matter
2. Build a stage presence while maintaining eye contact and look like your enjoying yourself
3. Understanding the best approach to delivering a speech without saying err & ummm

Preparation is key to a good speech. At university everyone (including myself)  would spend every hour of every minute of every day desperately trying to finish their projects & visual presentations in time for the final review / critique. No one ever spent time writing, rehearsing and finalising their presentation speech prior to doing it in front of the lecturers and fellow course members. This is of course  a mistake and I would recommend you plan into your project program some time to develop and practise.

There are 3 elements you need to master to give a good presentation. You have to write a speech and then you have to give the speech. Anyone can read notes from a script so it is importantly, you learn to present a speech and sell your design. This may sound too easy but it really is that obvious. 3 quick tips to help you starting out:

1. Tell them what you are going to tell them
2. Tell them 
3. Tell them what you told them

It sounds simple but it is very important and makes sense as it drills home your presentation & your message from start to finish. A presentation can be 5 minutes or 90 minutes long so it’s important to get the message across. An example of a good opening statement should be something like this:

“Today I am going to explain my approach to Project Nature through my research, my design journey and how it led to my final proposal……”

“Today I am going to explain my approach to Project Nature through my research, my design journey and how it led to my final proposal……”

In your opening statement give the following information and then this naturally gives you a foundation to build upon:

1. What the subject matter is 
2. Topics / areas covered in your presentation
3. Highlight the potential problem to solve

A speech needs bridges to transfer from one section to another. It helps the story flow, gives pointers for future tie backs as well as when to transition to the next topic plus gives you a finish line knowing you have covered everything you needed to say in that part.

1. Helps presentation naturally flow
2. Creates links between stages
3. Takes the audience on your design journey

“ …My research of the petal shapes were developed geometrically to create my own version that would form a pattern that I would scale and integrate……”

When you write your design story, start by composing lists of the different sections from research to design development to detailed design etc. Then add to each one what you need to mention and cross reference it to when and how it appears in another section. Now look at each different sector and see how each element leads to the next element in that section. Make sure your ending links to the next sector. Think of it as stepping stones to get across a river with smaller and bigger stones and being the next section of your design story to tell. You don’t want too big a leap or the audience will be lost and you will show gaps in your design. Good design should flow and make sense.