I started stepping back from my material (PowerPoint slides, usually) and thinking about the essence of what I was trying to say and why I was trying to say it. Then I started thinking of the counterarguments to the position I was advocating and considering whether they were more valid than the support for my point. In short, I started doing what I knew Richard was going to do as soon as I got in the room with him. That made my work better, more balanced, more deeply considered.
