Death by Screens: how to present high-stakes digital-design work and live to tell the tale

Book Synopsis: Presenting your design work? Stop boring stakeholders with screen after screen after screen... tell them a story instead!

The hardest thing to explain about a design is the elusive ‘why?’ Why is it like that? It’s tough to communicate your design decisions, especially when everyone has an opinion about design.

The remedy to this problem isn’t what you say about the design, it’s the story you tell about it. It’s more important than the design itself. Death by Screens makes it simple to craft a story about your design with an easy-to-follow process and a template presentation structure. You don’t need to be a rockstar presenter, you just need to get your story straight.

You already know how to design a great looking presentation - Death by Screens covers the not-so-obvious topics: what to say, what to show, in what order, and how to talk about it with confidence.

If you’re in a hurry to present, you can use the suggested presentation structure right away, with a handy checklist at the back of the book for quick reference.

In the first half of the book you’ll learn things like:

• The right preparation saves time and pain later on. Set up for success by mapping the concerns of your stakeholders, sending them an invitation email that manages their expectations, and booking the right room at the right time of day.
• Start with structure: work on slides later. Map the structure of your presentation horizontally to see the ups and downs of the story you’re going to tell to avoid lengthy boring sections.
• The attention-grabber: use a surprising quote, quiz, or story to engage your audience. Use one of the suggested methods in the book to get your audience listening right away, and receptive to what you have to say later.
• The story: show your hero using the design. Don’t just show the design, tell the story of someone using it - what they’re thinking and doing, and how the design helps them reach their goals.

The final chapters of the book cover the emotionally-charged topics: your speaking style, discussing feedback, and performance anxiety.

Self-assess the basics: speed, volume, and expression. Learn rehearsal methods that you use to improve your speaking style on your own. The 6Ds of design discussion - It’s hard to think of the right answer to a tricky comment in the moment: use this framework to respond with satisfying answers.

Self-awareness: reframe your anxious thoughts. Deal with anxiety using easy-to-learn CBT methods (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and turn your negative feelings into positives.

Why this author can help you

Ben Sauer is a product and design leader, author, and keynote speaker. He’s presented to clients and conferences around the world and trained hundreds of designers, including at NASA, Amazon, and the BBC.

Upgrade your design career

Whether you’re presenting in a high-stakes scenario or not, Death by Screens teaches you how to be a strong communicator, vital to developing a successful career. Engage your audience with a well-structured presentation, transform uninspired stakeholders into enthusiastic collaborators, and gain strategic influence.

Presenting soon? Get this book. Death by Screens is practical and (mostly) skips the theory - be a better presenter, fast.