Last week Parsons had a career day and invited different architects and designers to visit the school and talk with students who are looking for internships. I’m always fascinated that schools don’t really give the students a sure-fire method of presentation or teach them how to really put across their concepts. I think that they’re focusing on developing within the student a concept, but they don’t give them the tools in how to sell that concept and successfully put it across.
I sat with around 15 students and I was disappointed in seeing how few of them were able to sell their book to me and explain their concepts in a clear and concise way. That was most of what I was telling them – how to sell it, what to eliminate, what to say, what not to say. So many of them started off by apologizing, which is he kiss of death.
Many of the questions coming through this blog focus on presentation skills. If you don’t know how to present your thoughts it’s like getting on a ship without a map of where you’re headed. It’s a sure trajectory to getting lost. I feel that it’s our duty as professionals to share information and experiences. And I’m not saying that my way is the right way. I can only say that my way has carried me through 37 years of business with very few failures at presentation time.
Do you share your experiences with others? How can we as an industry ensure that students and other professionals are equipped to sell their concepts and ensure success?
#1 by Laurel on May 3, 2010 - 1:07 pm
This is why I said that a degree in psychology might be preferable to a degree in design. Of course, I was just partially kidding, but first and foremost, we are salesmen. We need to know how to sell our ideas and designs to our clients. Sales are about perceived need and desire.
Once in design school. We had to design a bathroom and there was this girl who came up with the most God-awful scribble-y drawing of her bathroom. However, she stood up there and her description of her bathroom was so vividly clear and enticing, that it sold the concept.
I don’t think there’s one approach and its a matter of using your own strengths to sell your ideas.
Those students, I’m sure, felt intimidated because they weren’t sure if their designs were any good. A designer has to first believe in what they are doing and then convey that enthusiasm and love to their clients. After that, for me, comes a sensitivity to them. Do their eyes light up? After all, its their home. If they don’t also love it, it doesn’t matter what I think.
#2 by scone on May 3, 2010 - 1:24 pm
A class or two in “communication” combining speech, English composition, rhetoric, and a bit of acting would go a long way. A presentation is essentially a speech, while the presentation materials often include a lot of written material, as does the contract. Speaking, writing, and critical thinking should be part of the curriculum.
#3 by melissa on May 3, 2010 - 3:29 pm
ANYTHING THAT TOUCHES MY SOUL…
I AM THERE… SOLD…
XXOO
MELISSA
#4 by melissa on May 3, 2010 - 3:30 pm
WHY DO YOU NOT TEACH AT PARSONS????
M
#5 by Paola on May 3, 2010 - 7:11 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more Vincente! I studied at Parsons & later worked as a teacher’s assistant. I keep in touch regularly with many of my former classmates & students & the number one thing that they complain about & that stands out to me is the complete lack of preparation for real world practice. The school itself is so focused on the abstract, architecture, digital programs & concepts, that many important tools needed to know how to actually work in the industry are left from the wayside: presentation skills, how to create contracts, vendor relationships, & even what kind of paint to use where, info on fabrics, etc. etc. I got a great education at Parsons but there are certainly aspects where they are lacking in preparing their students. I’m glad you were able to share some of your knowledge w/ those lucky students!
#6 by kimberly on May 4, 2010 - 5:10 pm
i could not agree more! i have honed my presentation skills through retail sales and various jobs in interior design, along with a minor in psychology. after 12 years of practicing design, i feel confident in my presentation style and consistently get great feedback. however, it would have been nice to have that as a required course in school. along with a class on how to assert yourself as a woman entrepreneur/businessperson. thanks for the article!
#7 by Christine Schwalm Design on May 4, 2010 - 8:29 pm
You hit the nail on the head!! If you can’t sell your project, then all you’ve got is a hobby, not a career. Designers need courses in public speaking and marketing just as much as lighting and color. And yes, psychology classes are helpful! You’ve got 4 basic types of clients-dominant, expressive, solid and analytical. If you don’t read your client and tailor your presentations accordingly, your can’t close the project–no matter how well thought out, beautiful, and perfect it is. By not teaching these things, we’re doing a real disservice to new designers.
#8 by Gary Nelling on May 5, 2010 - 4:37 am
My academic experiences are pretty out of date, but I’m told that not much has changed about the differences between design degree programs and professional practice today. When I was a student, you were expected to get your professional experiences, such as in presentation, mainly through summer internships and your first few years of working after graduation. Many architects, designers and artists gave lectures at my school or did guest critiques at design juries, but tended to focus on academic issues. We only had a few sessions out of several years of design studios that dealt with good presentation methods.
At the time I believed that they were trying to protect our idealism, but I think it also made the process of becoming successful more prolonged. In all fairness, it all worked out in the end, and many of my classmates are successful in every sense of the word, but I still think that there could have and should be greater co-operation between the academic and professional worlds for everyone’s benefit. If any of you can sit on your school’s curriculum committee or teach a class in everyday professional practice issues, I think you would be doing those students a real service. – Gary
#9 by Vicente on May 6, 2010 - 10:34 am
Melissa, I’ve never been asked! I’ve taught one-week classes in the Dominican Republic and I can only take one week of teaching as I find it very draining. I couldn’t be a teacher on a permanent basis, preferring to share knowledge in a more short-term basis.
#10 by Maria Killam on May 12, 2010 - 2:31 pm
The instructor that would teach the sure-fire way of making presentations is probably out there making a fortune doing that so they don’t have time to teach
Just a thought.