Tom Greever

, I would say there are three things that every design needs to be successful:
It solves a problem.
It’s easy for users.
It’s supported by everyone.

What problem does it solve?
How does it affect the user?
Why is it better than the alternative?

Finding common ground is important to earning trust.

Develop empathy

Get to know their viewpoint so intimately that we’re driven to action.

Ask good questions

Understand how their interests outside of the office affect their perspective.

In addition to getting to know our stakeholders, it’s important to look at the individuals on our team and work to improve the quality of our communication by:

Identifying influencers

Based on what we already know about their role on the team, we can understand the values that drive their reactions to our work.

Building good relationships

Simple things can go a long way in establishing rapport: be yourself, do stuff, and give stuff. Communication is easier in good relationships.

Creating an empathy map for stakeholders is another valuable tool for understanding their perspective.

Summarize the last meeting

Show a timeline

Next, create a visual that will help them understand where you are in the process of your design.

Specify the feedback you need

Also, tell them the kinds of feedback that are helpful at this stage in the project and what feedback is not needed yet.

example, I will send calendar invitations like these:

Tom Greever, Case Study UX
Home Services + Concierge Design
UX Research: Search Insights
Homepage Content, UX Team
I find that words like review, sync, demo, feedback, or discussion are unnecessary because they’re implied—like naming it “meeting.”