As an environmental designer, you may encounter clients who have different or even contradictory visions for their projects. How can you communicate effectively with them and avoid frustration, confusion, or conflict? Here are some tips to help you navigate this challenge and create a positive working relationship.
Before you start designing, you need to understand what your client wants to achieve with their project. What are their values, needs, preferences, and expectations? How do they measure success? What are their main challenges and opportunities? You can use various tools and methods to gather this information, such as surveys, interviews, workshops, mood boards, or personas. The more you know about your client's goals, the easier it will be to align your design with them and avoid misunderstandings.
This is a case where you need to make sure you are an effective listener. Those conflicting ideas may contain a gem of information that can help you improve your offering. Even if you don't change and the conflict remains the fact that you listened builds respect and relationships.
In this situation, you need to practice tact. You have to point out to the person that they have conflicting ideas, without offending them. One way of doing this might be to say "You seem to have two distinct ideas here that are in tension with one another. Although that's an interesting dynamic, at the same time we need to establish a central focus so that our message is clear. So of these two ideas, which one is more important to you, A or B? Can we focus on that for the time being?" In this case we use the euphemism of "tension" as a stand in for conflict. Secondly, you don't totally discard one of the ideas but you ask them to put a pin in it.
I think the conflicting ideas arrive when we are not clear about the gaps. We should think well to understand the real need of doing anything and how it fulfills the current gap. If the gap is outlined clearly, we will have clear goals with a simplified approach and objectives that are driven by innovative non-conflicting ideas. So, its important to advise revisiting those ideas to align it well with the gaps and goals of any task.
1. Understand Client's Sustainability Goals. 2. Research 3. Educate and Collaborate: Inform the client about sustainable options and collaborate on eco-friendly solutions. 4. Sustainability in Personas. Ensure personas reflect sustainability values to align with end-users. 5. Define Sustainability Success. 6. Address Challenges: Tackle obstacles in sustainable design, considering factors like cost and material availability. 7. Highlight Long-term Benefits: Emphasize the long-term advantages of sustainable design, such as cost savings and brand enhancement. It's about integrating sustainability throughout the design process, from understanding the client's goals to implementing and communicating sustainable practices.
When communicating with a client with conflicting ideas, listen actively, stay calm, acknowledge their viewpoint, express your perspective clearly, find common ground, propose alternatives, seek input from others if needed, and document agreements to ensure a shared understanding and maintain a positive relationship.
Another way to communicate with a client who has conflicting ideas is to establish clear roles and boundaries from the start. Who is the decision-maker, who is the advisor, and who is the executor? What are the scope, timeline, and budget of the project? How often and how will you communicate and provide feedback? What are the deliverables and milestones? By defining these aspects, you can set realistic expectations, avoid scope creep, and ensure accountability and transparency.
My experience is that the client scope and timeline will often vary from the original. Of course some critical projects are excluded here. Therefore it is imperative that these items are clearly defined and acknowledged by all so that any variance can be dealt with as a separate entity that may be subject to time and cost adjustments.
Define Decision-Making Roles Execution Responsibilities: Specify who implements the sustainable elements. Set Sustainable Scope: Clearly define the project scope with sustainability goals. Communication Plan: Establish how and when to communicate about sustainability issues. Sustainable Deliverables and Milestones: Outline deliverables with sustainability criteria and set milestones for assessing sustainability targets. Maintain Transparency: Keep all stakeholders informed about the sustainability progress. These steps help maintain focus on sustainability while ensuring clear roles, boundaries, and expectations.
Communication is not only about talking, but also about listening and empathizing. When your client expresses their ideas, try to understand where they are coming from and what they are trying to achieve. Don't dismiss or criticize them, but acknowledge and appreciate them. Ask open-ended questions to clarify and explore their ideas further. Show them that you care about their perspective and that you are willing to collaborate with them.
When you present your design to your client, you need to explain your rationale and evidence behind it. How does your design meet their goals, solve their problems, and address their concerns? How does it follow best practices, standards, and principles of environmental design? How does it reflect user research, data analysis, and testing results? By providing your reasoning and evidence, you can justify your design decisions, demonstrate your expertise, and persuade your client to trust you.
When face with conflicting ideas, ask clarifying questions. Don't assume you understand everything. Use open-ended questions to delve deeper into their concerns and get a nuanced understanding of their thinking. Probe deep into the concern area and allow constructive open debates on the subject matters. Record down the pointers (pros and cons) for future reference.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may still face disagreements or conflicts with your client over their ideas. In that case, you need to negotiate and compromise with them. Don't take it personally or defensively, but try to understand their point of view and find common ground. Focus on the benefits and trade-offs of each option, rather than on who is right or wrong. Be flexible and open-minded, but also assertive and confident. Remember that your goal is to create a design that satisfies both you and your client.
Finally, communication with your client does not end when you deliver your design. You should also seek feedback and improvement from them. Ask them how they feel about the design, what they like and dislike, and what they would change or improve. Listen to their comments and suggestions, and thank them for their input. Use their feedback to evaluate your design, learn from your mistakes, and improve your skills. By seeking feedback and improvement, you can show your client that you value their opinion and that you are committed to delivering quality work.
Clearly the #1 rule is to develop and maintain a high level relationship with the client and this isn't possible without constant, clear and concise communication. The power of listening and asking the right questions cannot be understated. Be transparent, emphatic and open to compromise and the path to a mutually agreed outcome will be so much simpler.
In collaborative efforts, a mindset that works wonders is realizing we're all on the same team. Making their mission your mission and seeking ways to integrate solutions can be key. Often, the gap lies in implementation, not the end goal. Drawing from lessons in negotiation & human behavior, it's crucial to address concerns, not just promote your solution. Understand their priorities, whether it's budget, timelines, or other factors. Ask questions, identify common ground, and foster a "we" approach. Together, we can better align for project success! A game-changer, can be a simple phrase like this: 'Let's collaborate to discover a solution that addresses both our concerns. What are your thoughts on finding a mutually beneficial solution?'
In collaborative efforts, a mindset that works wonders is realizing we're all on the same team. Making their mission your mission and seeking ways to integrate solutions can be key. Often, the gap lies in implementation, not the end goal. Drawing from lessons in negotiation & human behavior, it's crucial to address concerns, not just promote your solution. Understand their priorities, whether it's budget, timelines, or other factors. Ask questions, identify common ground, and foster a "we" approach. Together, we can better align for project success! A game-changer, can be a simple phrase like this: 'Let's collaborate to discover a solution that addresses both our concerns. What are your thoughts on finding a mutually beneficial solution?'