The 3 influence moments every designer misses (and how to spot them)
1.9K views · 2026-07-13
Interaction & UXDesign Thinking
This video was sponsored by Wonder ✨
🔗 Try Wonder: https://wonder.design/?utm_source=femke&utm_campaign=femke_design&utm_content=youtube
Most designers think influence happens in the design review. It doesn't. By the time you're presenting, the decision is often already half-made.
In this video I walk through the three moments where influence actually lives — and how to start catching them in your day-to-day work.
I've also pulled clips from conversations with Mitchell Clements, Edward Sudjono, and Chris Abad — three seriously experienced design leaders who've navigated this stuff in real companies at real scale.
🔗 Join the waitlist for my group coaching program → https://femke.design/coaching/?utm_source=youtube
📩 Subscribe to my newsletter for weekly insights on growing your design career → https://www.femke.design/newsletter/?utm_source=youtube
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WORK WITH ME
📚 Take my course: https://www.course.femke.design/?utm_source=youtube
🚀 Join Level Up Club: https://www.femke.design/level-up-club/?utm_source=youtube
STAY CONNECTED
🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://www.designlife.fm/?utm_source=youtube
🌐 Website: https://www.femke.design/?utm_source=youtube
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/femkesvs/
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femkedotdesign/
🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/femkesvs
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Why most designers miss their influence moments
1:19 - Moment 1: The conversation before the meeting
2:02 - Sponsor Wonder
3:13 - Mitchell Clements on building momentum before the room
4:45 - Moment 2: The Slack thread where decisions are made
5:39 - Edward Sudjono on mapping what your stakeholders value
7:14 - Moment 3: When a stakeholder asks "what do you think?"
8:14 - Chris Abad on strategic vs. tactical storytelling
9:15 - Recap: the three moments
9:42 - Why I made these mistakes for years
10:10 - What's next
🔗 Try Wonder: https://wonder.design/?utm_source=femke&utm_campaign=femke_design&utm_content=youtube
Most designers think influence happens in the design review. It doesn't. By the time you're presenting, the decision is often already half-made.
In this video I walk through the three moments where influence actually lives — and how to start catching them in your day-to-day work.
I've also pulled clips from conversations with Mitchell Clements, Edward Sudjono, and Chris Abad — three seriously experienced design leaders who've navigated this stuff in real companies at real scale.
🔗 Join the waitlist for my group coaching program → https://femke.design/coaching/?utm_source=youtube
📩 Subscribe to my newsletter for weekly insights on growing your design career → https://www.femke.design/newsletter/?utm_source=youtube
----------------------------------------------
WORK WITH ME
📚 Take my course: https://www.course.femke.design/?utm_source=youtube
🚀 Join Level Up Club: https://www.femke.design/level-up-club/?utm_source=youtube
STAY CONNECTED
🎙️ Listen to my podcast: https://www.designlife.fm/?utm_source=youtube
🌐 Website: https://www.femke.design/?utm_source=youtube
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/femkesvs/
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femkedotdesign/
🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/femkesvs
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Why most designers miss their influence moments
1:19 - Moment 1: The conversation before the meeting
2:02 - Sponsor Wonder
3:13 - Mitchell Clements on building momentum before the room
4:45 - Moment 2: The Slack thread where decisions are made
5:39 - Edward Sudjono on mapping what your stakeholders value
7:14 - Moment 3: When a stakeholder asks "what do you think?"
8:14 - Chris Abad on strategic vs. tactical storytelling
9:15 - Recap: the three moments
9:42 - Why I made these mistakes for years
10:10 - What's next