Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings ~ Know How to Present Your Work

People always say it’s important for creatives to have excellent presentation skills, but to be honest, I never believed it. I just thought it was one of those things that if I do, it’ll help, but if I don’t, it’s not going to kill me. Like when my parents used to tell me to eat my veggies. Well, this is not true. At all. If you can’t present, it will kill your career.

Why? In short and simple terms: because no matter how great an idea is, it won’t come to fruition if the client doesn’t believe in it. And a client won’t believe in something unless it’s presented in terms they understand.

As creatives, we don’t think like others. We dance to the beat of our own ipod shuffle. And often times it’s hard to explain how we arrive at a concept. It’s funny how we can be master communicators when it comes to the benefits of someone else’s product or service, but when we try to communicate our own thought process, we might as well be speaking in tongues.

Enter the invaluable skill of presenting your work. Now, I am by no means a pro at this. Yet. But I have learned a few helpful tips since I’ve been here at EOS. Read on…

1. The creative brief is your Bible. This little guy will figuratively and literally get you and your client on the same page. When in doubt, refer to the brief when presenting. The strategy is all there in black and white.
2. Go through your thought process. Most of us in advertising and marketing know that good creative can only come from well-mined thought and research, but your client does not. So when you present, tell them what you learned about the history of their industry, what you liked and didn’t like about the competition’s website, anything that says you’ve put time and effort into learning about their brand.
3. Write out your reasoning before you present. Yes, I realize this is tedious and a little silly, but I promise, it helps. This is my form of practicing in front of an audience. Why did I choose a serif typeface instead of a sans-serif, how do certain design elements interact with others…WRITE IT ALL DOWN. No need to write it like you’re giving the State of the Union Address - just get it on paper.

So yes, “Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings.” And for creatives, our landing gear is found in the form of the presentation. Ease the client into the concept. Make sure they know you weighed all possible options. You didn’t leave a stone unturned. If you can master the art of the presentation, you will see your ideas take off.