HOW MANY DESIGNERS START PRESENTATIONS OFF ON THE BACK FOOT

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Designers often fail in presentations by treating them like old-fashioned car sales, expecting stakeholders to make costly decisions within minutes without proper preparation or context. Success requires pre-meeting groundwork: sharing agendas or executive summaries beforehand, understanding each stakeholder's motivations, and clearly prioritizing which issues matter most when resources are limited. Major decisions aren't made during presentations but through extensive preparation that helps executives feel informed rather than pressured, similar to how modern car buyers research thoroughly before visiting dealerships.