Your ideas are only as powerful as your ability to communicate them. You can design the perfect solution ... but if nobody understands it, cares about it, or champions it? It goes nowhere. If you can master presentation skills, you’ll open new doors in your design career, access new opportunities, and guarantee that your brilliant ideas get the recognition they deserve.
Brilliant design alone won’t get you that promotion, new client, pay raise, or the respect your work deserves. If your ideas aren’t heard, they don’t stand a chance.
That’s why every successful designer (and frankly, every ambitious professional) needs solid presentation skills. In this video, Morgane Peng, Head of Product Design & AI Transformation at Societe Generale, shares why presenting your work well is one of the smartest career moves you can make.
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Design is inherently collaborative—you'll find yourself engaging daily with product owners, managers, developers, and other key stakeholders. You’ll likely spend as much time discussing your projects as you do creating them. You need to present your work clearly, confidently—and in a way that gets people to say yes.
That’s why presentation skills are so valuable:
They help you explain your ideas without confusion or being overwhelmed.
They get stakeholders on board faster.
They keep your projects moving (instead of stuck in approval limbo).
They show leadership that you are the one to trust with bigger opportunities.
When you present well, you:
Get the feedback you need to improve quickly.
Make sure users' needs are heard and protected.
Stand out in meetings, even when you're not the loudest voice.
Earn trust. Grow faster. Get recognized.
Even better, it’s not some “born with it” magic. It’s a learnable skill with simple techniques that anyone can use.
The Take Away
Presentation skills are not just a bonus—they are a critical asset that directly influences your project's success and your professional advancement. As a designer, you'll spend much of your time communicating your work, so your ability to articulate your designs, gather essential feedback, and advocate for user needs is paramount. If you can master these skills, your contributions become seen, heard, and valued, which advances your professional growth and recognition.
References and Where to Learn More
Read How to Communicate Clearly and Gain People’s Interest.
Watch the Master Class, Win Clients, Pitches and Approval: Present Your Designs Effectively presented by Author, Speaker, and Leadership Coach Todd Zaki Warfel.
Discover Key Soft Skills to Succeed as a UX Designer.
Get a deeper understanding of Why Soft Skills Matter In The Creative Industries.
Explore communication in UX design in The Art of Stakeholder Communication.
Hero Image: © Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 4.0
