You always want to achieve Presentation Impact but this becomes more nuanced when you are presenting as part of a team. Most teams do not present as a team – they present as a collection of individuals.

With a few changes, you can turn this around and really stand out as a team.

I was asked a good question in a seminar recently that prompted me to write this post.

What was the question?

The seminar delegate asked me: “Gavin, if I present with my colleague, where should I stand when my colleague is speaking?”

(And where should my colleague stand when I am speaking).

A simple question but an area where people commonly make mistakes.

Especially if they haven’t given a presentation ‘in the room’ for a while.

It is easier to share with you first of all what not to do if you want presentation impact as a team.

So, here is what you should NOT do when your colleague is speaking:

Be completely out of sight – they forget you completely.
Be too close to your colleague – it is not clear who is in charge at that point.
Get too far away from your colleague – you stop looking like a team.
Do anything that distracts attention from the speaker – otherwise you detract from their message.

Take the points above on board and you have made a solid start.

Now, here are some things you should do when your colleague is speaking (and they should do this when you are speaking) –

Be half a step further back than the speaker – this shows who is more important at that point in time.

Remain in the line of sight of the audience – this shows you are a presentation team.

Turn slightly towards the speaker but not directly facing them, more like a 45-degree angle – this gives a signal to anyone who looks at you that they should divert their attention back to the speaker.

Give positive facial expression and body language in response to what they say – this shows teamwork but make sure you do not overdo it.

Get the foundations right here and you are already doing better than many teams.

These tips are not hard to implement but they end up making a significant difference – you can make real presentation impact as a team.

For another tip about team presenting, have a look at my article on handovers here https://www.speakwithimpact.com/delivering-a-team-presentation-with-a-colleague-three-tips-to-help-you-both-succeed/