Although its rarely stated directly, design as a profession is a consulting business. While we are responsible for producing work, we still seek final approval elsewhere. This fundamental understanding is important because our business, and ultimately the most difficult part of our job, is the business of influencing others. It is natural for us to think that if we present our designs clearly and logically, provide data to support our decisions, and truly have the client’s best interests at heart, that we will get the buy-in and support that we are seeking. We often believe this because we are not paying enough attention to the affective level of our interactions with others until we begin to run into resistance. Given that designers are agents of change, resistance is a predictable and natural part of our profession. The key to understanding resistance is to realize that is it an emotional reaction against the process of change, of being helped, or having to face up to difficult organizational problems.

1. Understanding the
Nature of Resistance
Presented by Alla Zollers
@azollers

2. Welcome to Therapy

3. We are all consultants

4. You can advice, recommend, influence

5. You can’t make anyone do what you want

6. Attend to feelings that are under the surface
You can advice, recommend, influence

7. Managing Resistance
Activity: Note down the name of a current or
recent project where you faced resistance

8. Resistance is futile natural

9. Resistance is an emotional process

10. Resistance is discomfort expressed indirectly

11. Identify it
Name it
Wait

12. Identify it:
Use your own
feelings as a gauge

13. Activity:
Write down how you felt

14. Name it:
Resistance has
many faces
It’s important to
the name the
resistance in a
neutral way

15. Questioning Methods
“You are asking a lot of questions
about my methods. Do you have
doubts about the credibility of
results?”

16. Confusion
“You seem very confused
about what we are discussing.
Are you confused about the
problem or just not sure what
to do about it?”

17. Intellectualizing
“Each time we get close to
deciding what to do, you go
back to developing theories to
understand what is happening”

18. Compliance
“You seem to be willing to do
anything I suggest. I can’t tell what
you real feelings are”

19. Activity:
Think about the type
of resistance you were
facing and name it in a
neutral way

20. Wait:
Leave room for
the response

21. Share Your
Feelings

22. “Authentic behavior
with a client means
you put into words
what you are
experience with the
client as you work.
This is the most
powerful thing you
can do to have the
leverage you are
looking for and the
to build client
commitment”
Peter Block
Flawless Consulting

23. Thank you!
azollers@gmail.com
@azollers