Think like a client: delivering effective presentations

Since presentations are a necessary part of the design process in order to build
bridges among the clients it is given with the opportunity to achieve a mutual
understanding between architects and clients.

What could go wrong?

A failed presentation is in the most fundamental sense, a failure of

communication. As an Architect it is our responsibility to deliver our ideas in a
way where clients can comprehend and receive feedback from, aside from the
critique, it is by means of acquiring an approval for the ideas we worked hard on.
Clients expect to be amazed and in awe of the presentation, and It is the goal
Architects would try to achieve, aligning the expectation from the reality.

Lost in translation

Architects sometimes communicate in a manner where it is incomprehensible to

the ears of the clients, failing to communicate and get the message across the
clients will result to misunderstanding and failure to express the ideas into reality.

The architecture design presentations

All presentation should tell as story. A message or a point should reach the clients
in a way where everything is comprehensible and aligned to what the architect
relays. exposition- is the start of the presentation, the objective of the
presentation is being pointed out and highlighted, it is when the architect relays
his ideas on the table and the client sits back and listen to what the architect has
to say on his ideas, given both should communicate professionally. Conflict is
when Architects show the information such as site analysis, findings and
highlights of the design, it is also the part when architects lead the clients to
question what the real problem is. Climax is when the Architect reveals the design
solution of the problem and how he made it as sustainable as possible.
Do’s and donts

Architects should aaim for visual clarity, use appropriate tools and rendering the
design in a way clients can understand and expect on real life.

Don’t overpromise, architects present their design with the aim to sell, but it is in
best regard if the clients shouldn’t expect too much on the given possibility of the
design presentation, and by that, Architects should get the message through with
clarity and accuracy of the design aligning it to what clients should expect of the
outcome.

Presenting to a hostile audience and non-clients

A challenge architects face, every now and then. But several techniques are able
to reduce the conflict being drawn upon, such as seeking a common goal and
highlighting in the presentation, or even asking a friendly proxy to present in
behalf of the architect. In this instance, the audience will have to cooperate and
listen intently as the presentation is being delivered professionally.

Conclusion

A Successful presentation is a rewarding experience to architects that can

motivate them to handle numerous projects in the near future. It is important to
relay the message in a comprehensible manner and by that, the architect and
client can avoid conflict in a matter of time, however, design presentation can be
more successful when architects and clients coordinated beforehand, rather than
accepting what’s been laid out on the table.