Silence can be a designer's best friend.

I am not a fan of silence. When people are talking there is a stream and a sense of where they stand. No talking, and I'm left to discern less distinguishable cues.

After some hundreds of presentations – some good, some not so good, some down right difficult – I've learned a few things about human tendency vs effective presenting.

As a human – I want to fill the empty space with explanations and examples. The more I can explain, surely the more you will understand and agree?

Not so.

Visuals need time to be understood, taken in. My talking gives context, but it needs to stop there. Ultimately the person on the receiving end needs time to let the visuals settle into their own intellect and emotions. The more I talk, the more I detract from this activity.

Trust silence. If you have presented good work and explained your rationale well – leave it at that. Ask for questions and feedback – but ultimately give it time.

It shows great confidence in your work to allow it to stand on its own two feet.

Thanks to our friend Alina Wheeler for reminding me of this. Image sourced from AMC's Mad Men.

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