You may be presenting as a team to win new business, update a major project, or as part of a conference or special event. Any time you are presenting as a team, you need to take specific steps to be sure the whole team works well together to make the presentation a success.
- Select a strong team leader who has the leadership ability and authority to make on-the-spot decisions. Whether it’s content, structure, presenters, etc, this person needs to take full responsibility for the overall success of the presentation.
- Make sure everyone understands the overall presentation objectives as well as their roles in the development of the final presentation.
- Write your overall objective in one sentence or less. What do you want your audience to know, do, or feel as a result of the presentation? This helps you maintain focus during the preparation process.
- Ace transitions, openings and closings. When done well, these create a smooth, cohesive presentation. When done badly, they send a poor message about the team and the organization.
- Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Everyone must be completely familiar with presentation content, visual aids, and transitions between presenters. It is critical that the team practice together in order to reach a high level of comfort with the presentation and each other. A full dress rehearsal with visual aids is a must!
Team presentations provide special challenges, but if you are out to win that new account or ace that project report, the extra effort you put in up front will pay for itself in results.