I recently spent time taking part in a show where the presenters were delivering an academic presentation in a fun and engaging way. When I stopped to think about what it was they did that made the presentation so impactful, I realized it had less to do with the content and more to do with the tag-team effort of the two presenters.
You see, at Ethos3, we work with presenters on more than just the creation of their content. We have created a proven method to take even the least exciting presentation and help a presenter bring it to life through their delivery.
What I recently experienced is a method that we have seen work with presenters around the world: the teammate presentation. The idea behind the teammate presentation is that you select two presenters to deliver the content. One is the driver while the other is the engager.
The Driver
The job of the driver is to keep the content moving forward. This person is often an expert in the specific content and brings that expertise to the presentation. Their role is to present that facts and give the audience something to chew on.
When presenting by themselves, a driver could come across as stale and boring which will ultimately lead to a decrease in engagement with the content. However, when operating in the teammate system, the secret weapon of the engager can combat that weakness.
The Engager
The job of the engager is to create an isle of refuge and humor throughout the otherwise data-heavy and academic presentation. In many ways, the engager is there to connect with the heart of the crowd while the driver engages the head.
Much like the driver, when presenting by themselves, the engager can leave a presentation with the audience full of emotion, but the audience may feel like they did not gain any real content value.
As teammates, both the driver and engager must work in sync. It is important that these two roles be embodied by a team who likes each other and connects outside of the presentation space. In many ways, this method is the most successful when banter and interaction feels off the cuff and easy, rather than scripted or designed.
Now, that is not to say that you should not rehearse when using the teammate method. In fact, it is quite the opposite. In order for this method to function, the duo must be so rehearsed and comfortable with the content that it has become second nature for both of them.
When executed correctly, the teammate approach to presenting is a powerful tool to bring to life even the most academic content. By inserting two presenters, you are able to leverage the strengths of each and, in return, cover the weaknesses of each.
If you are interested in learning more about how you tick as a presenter, contact us today to speak with one of our expert presentation coaches!
