By Duane Becker

When I was in college, one of my professors gave long lectures covering very important information, and we knew as students that his tests were going to ask specific questions that included important dates, names, and locations.

Have you ever found yourself listening to a presentation where the presenter was moving so quickly that it is difficult to grasp all the important information?  If you are like me, questions pop into my head quickly, but I find myself having to write them down because, in the process of listening to the presenter’s next idea or thought, I have since forgotten the question.

If the topic being presented is useful and interesting, you can easily find yourself frantically taking notes, to capture the most relevant and important information.

When this happens, audience members sometimes ask the presenter, if there is time, to review something again.  Frequently though, the pace of the presentation doesn’t allow for this to happen until a Q&A session at the end.  If you have forgotten to take a note of your question or there was not enough time for you to ask your question, you might find that it was never answered, and you are a little lost.

As an interior designer, your client may be in the same situation where they feel like they are being hit with a fire hose of information.  There is a lot of information that is important for your client to know when you are reviewing their project with them. 

Most of the information is completely new to your client in that these may be things that they have never considered before, or you may be using new terminology that they need to fully understand.

It is for these reasons that it is very important to include in your presentation strategic pauses that allow your client time to understand what you are describing, and the opportunity to ask the sorts of questions that pop into their mind on the spot.

My college professor was thankfully good at this in that when finishing his idea or thought, he would pause for a few moments before moving to the next idea, giving us time to make notes, or ask questions.

If you really want a point to sink in with your client, especially if it has to do with expectations, timeline, etc., take a few moments to breathe when you are done and give your client time to absorb what you have said and to ask a question if needed.  This will also help to emphasize the importance of the information you are conveying.

Another time when pausing is critical is after asking a question.  If you allow for a pause not only right after your question but also after your client’s answer to your question.  You may find that with a little thought, your client will elaborate on their answer.  The example I like to give is after you discover that your client has previously been shopping at a competitor, you may ask “So what brings you here, instead?”

The client’s first answer will most likely be a sort of knee-jerk reaction but given a few more moments to think about it, may tell you even more information.  You may hear a response to this question to be something like “I wanted to see if the price was competitive.”  <pause>, <pause>, <pause>, “…and I also didn’t feel like this designer was listening to what I wanted.”, or something to this effect.  Strategically allowing the silence to be present, your client will frequently feel obligated to fill that silence gap.

This is also very useful when you are presenting the final price for a project.  If you pause for a few moments after you present the price, your client has time to take in the whole picture, and possibly ask questions that pertain to justifying the price or express their emotional reaction to what you have presented.

Customers who have been shopping for a kitchen or bath remodel have frequently stated that they feel overwhelmed by not only the many decisions that need to be made but also the vast amount of information that is poured their way.

By pausing strategically throughout all your presentations, your client will feel less overwhelmed, and you will give them the time they need to fully comprehend what you need them to know.

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Tags: #design, #interiordesign, #kbis, #kitchendesign, #kitchens, #nkba