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Writing and Public Speaking

When Presenting with a Partner - How to Succeed Rather than Bomb
By:Chris King

Making a presentation along with another presenter can present a challenge. Yet, by adhering to the suggestions in this article, you can make your presentation worthwhile for your audience. Recently, I attended an excellent presentation given by two men, who billed themselves as brothers. In this article I draw on this excellent experience.

Remember this is a partnership. When working with another speaker and/or speakers, make sure that one doesnt upstage another. I have witnessed this with panel discussions and, if it is too evident that one presenter is trying to outdo another, it is amazing how quickly the audience will turn against that person. This takes the attention away from the whole presentation and presenters, which is a shame and is counter-productive. One must remember that this is a team effort.

Listen intently to what the other presenter is saying. If one of the partners appears to be bored, dazed and/or not interested in what the other is saying, this will also detract from what is being presented. On the other hand, the positive effect of one presenter really taking an active part in listening and learning cant be emphasized strongly enough. It will become obvious to the audience members that this is important information that they need to hear also.

Dont interrupt, act-up and/or make unpleasant sounds. When two people are on stage together, it is easy for one to feel like speaking up, sharing a joke or a comment, or making a funny or distracting face. Dont. It certainly wont endear you to the audience members. Even though these brothers joked around with each other, they knew not to do it while important information was being offered.

Pre-determine what will be covered, so there are no unfortunate surprises. Even though the two brothers gave the impression that they were just easily going along with the flow, it was obvious to me that they were well rehearsed. It was just like an athletic performance that has been practiced, practiced and practiced. They made it look easy and that comes from proper preparation. If you have ever presented using a computer and an LCD projector in a strange place, you know that making it all look easy takes a huge amount of preparation and confidence.

If you want to deliver a doubly strong presentation, consider forming a partnership with another speaker. Just make sure that you choose wisely. You can work together well, you respect each other and together you have important and compelling information to share.

Chris King
http://www.PowerfulPresentations.net






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