This document is a presentation playbook created by Aynne Valencia to teach creative professionals how to effectively present and sell their ideas. It covers understanding different types of presentations, stakeholders, and meetings that creatives will have. The playbook teaches the four commandments of selling ideas: know your audience, speak simply, tell a story, and make clear next steps. It provides frameworks and guidelines for different types of meetings like ideation, design iterations, and managing up to senior stakeholders. The goal is to set creatives up for success in communicating their work to different audiences.

1. Presentation
Playbook
COPYRIGHT: AYNNE VALENCIA 2014
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
@AYNNE
AYNNE VALENCIA

2. Who is this for?
• Visual Designers
• Art Directors
• Interaction designers
• Creative Directors
• Design Managers
• Anyone presenting creative work or ideas
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3. Learning objectives:
• Learn about different types of meetings
• Learn about stakeholders
• Set yourself up for success to speak to different audiences
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4. As a creative your most valuable skill is
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COMMUNICATION

5. SMART & BEAUTIFUL DELIVERABLES
TIME MANAGEMENT
Design skills:
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EFFECTIVE
APPLICATION OF
TOOLS/METHODS

6. How we learn
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7. Who will you present to?
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PRODUCT
MANAGER
MARKETING
& BRAND
PROJECT
MANAGER
END USERS
CLIENTS
INTERACTION
DESIGNERS
DEVELOPMENT TEAM
DESIGNER
INDUSTRIAL
DESIGN
VISUAL
DESIGN
OTHER
STAKEHOLDERS
CUSTOMER
SERVICE/USER
ASSISTANCE
LEGAL
WRITERS

8. @AYNNE
Selling your ideas

9. When will you be selling your ideas?
• Running workshops
• Presenting research findings
• Presenting concepts
• presenting designs
• ALL THE TIME
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10. When presentations happen in a design process
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Kickoff Ideation Design iterations Development
• What you are going to do
• How you are going to do it
• Clarifications
Research Findings
• What you found out
• How that changes what you
thought you were going to do.
• Ways you can solve the problems
• Opportunities identified
• What kinds of things you might do
• Iterations of possible solutions
• Negotiation and feasibility discussions
!
• Clarification
• Changing/modifying the design as needed
• Adding new elements to the design as needed
!
!

11. Four commandments of selling your ideas effectively
• Know your audience
• Speak simply
• Tell a story
• Make clear next steps
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12. Know your audience
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The big-boss
The boss
The working team
The client’s boss
The client
Influencers

13. What do they care about?
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The boss The Influencer Other Designers Development Team
Where in the project
What - at a high level
!
If any changes have been
made why
!
The value of the idea
!
Tell the high-level first, then,
if asked be prepared to
show details
Where in the project
What - at a high level
!
How much time/cost
!
Where in the product
!
What specifically is needed
!
How this effects other
resources/projects
What - at a high level, then at
detailed level
!
Where in the product
Why it is being done
!
Where in the project
!
What specifically is needed
!
When is it needed
Where in the project
!
Where in the product
What - at a detailed level
!
What a high-level
!
What specifically is the
question
!
What needs to be done
!
Why it needs to be done

14. IDEATION IMMEDIATE WORK TEAM INFLUENCERS MANAGE WAY-UP
Purpose of meeting Generate Ideas Instigate Activities Get Resources Create Change
Goal of meeting
Ask questions and identify
areas where they can pitch
in
Let them know what needs
to get done.
Tell them how much/how
long
Tell them why & focus
on impact
Who is likely to be involved? Designers
Developers
Designers
Developers
Project Managers
Product Managers
Vendors
Senior Management
The Boss
The Big-Boss
Why are you meeting?
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15. Ideation
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Kickoff Ideation Design iterations Development
• What you are going to do
• How you are going to do it
• Clarifications
Research Findings
• What you found out
• How that changes what you
thought you were going to do.
• Ways you can solve the problems
• Opportunities identified
• What kinds of things you might do
• Iterations of possible solutions
• Negotiation and feasibility discussions
!
• Clarification
• Changing/modifying the design as needed
• Adding new elements to the design as needed
!
!

16. When you are in the ideation phases
• Position the meeting as a workshop.
• Clearly state intended outcome and goals.
• Pre-work is important - post print outs or collect relevant
research to present at the beginning of presentation.
• Have whiteboards and paper and pens available.
• Ask questions.
!
• Don’t show anything that looks too finished.
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WHY
WHAT IF

17. Sample ideation framework
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Name of Project
UX Framework Diagram or
User Journey (if you have one)
Pain points - areas for
discussion and ideation
High-level questions
to be answered
Discussion/Ideation/
Workshop/Q&A Next Steps

18. Design to development
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Kickoff Ideation Design iterations Development
• What you are going to do
• How you are going to do it
• Clarifications
Research Findings
• What you found out
• How that changes what you
thought you were going to do.
• Ways you can solve the problems
• Opportunities identified
• What kinds of things you might do
• Iterations of possible solutions
• Negotiation and feasibility discussions
!
• Clarification
• Changing/modifying the design as needed
• Adding new elements to the design as needed
!
!

19. When you are in the iteration phase
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• Show a quick overview of the big picture. Articulate what
portion you will be focusing on.
• Show a timeline of progress.
• Identify what steps need to be done.
• Assign tasks/owners and dependencies.
WHAT
WHEN

20. Sample immediate team framework
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Name of Project
Process diagram and where in
process they are
Big Picture
Specific Features
and what they do
Discussion/Ideation/
Workshop/Q&A Q&A
Assign Next Steps
Specific tasks

21. Make clear next steps. Be kind, be clear
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Action-oriented next steps
with an owner assigned to
it and clearly articulated
timeframe

22. Managing-up
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Kickoff Ideation Design Research Findings iterations Development

23. Learn the elevator pitch
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24. Managing-up
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• Show a big picture overview
• Craft a persona-driven narrative
• Employ a consistent terminology for actors
and features in the system
•Map each scenario to a business driver
WHY
HOW

25. Tell a story to sell the idea
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RELATABLE, LIKABLE
HERO
ROADBLOCK
OR CONFLICT
THE SPECIAL
WORLD
TRANSFORMATION
RESOLUTION
& CALL TO ACTION

26. Sample influencer framework
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Name of Project
Narrative High-level Proposed
Solution
Specific Features
with how they solve
the problem
Discussion/Ideation/
Workshop/Q&A Q&A
Assign Next Steps
Cost/Benefit
Timeframe

27. Don’t waste time
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Send an agenda
Schedule quick check in’s to see work in progress
Post work where people can see it
It’s okay to schedule a 15 minute meeting
Limit the small talk
Start your meetings on time

28. Make it about the audience
• Always show the big picture to begin with a
shared place of understanding
!
• Clarify any definitions or terminology that might
be confusing
!
• Remember everyone understands information
differently. So use written words, sound and
pictures.
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29. Simple is smarter
• Don’t suck the humanity out of what you are saying.
• Use an emotional appeal.
!
• Don’t just state facts
!
• Don’t use jargon
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BLAH,
BLAH,
BLAH

30. Make clear next steps
• Restate the point of the meeting or presentation
!
• Get agreement on action items
!
• Agree on what the steps are
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THIS WAY

31. Four commandments of selling your ideas effectively
• Know your audience
• Speak simply
• Tell a story
• Make clear next steps
@AYNNE

32. @AYNNE
Thank You!
AYNNE VALENCIA
PRODUCT DESIGN DIRECTOR, EDUCATOR
WWW.AVALEN.COM