I’ve had the privilege of observing many stakeholder presentations as well as doing a plethora of my own. Through those observations, I’ve noticed a pattern between the ones that go well, propelling a project forward, versus the unproductive presentations that devolve into opinionated debate:
1-Narrating your deliverables and then asking for feedback as if your stakeholder is grading your homework sets up a disorganized critique wherein your stakeholders look for errors. This approach invites spin and reduces confidence.
2-Using the presentation as an opportunity to gather richer input from your stakeholders and work closer to the goal together through collaboration. This sets you on a path of productive progress.
I made the following poster for IA Summit 2015 as a guide to IAs and Designers to conduct productive presentations for our complex, abstract work.
