The Challenge of the Boat Race- Presenting as a Team | Cath Daley

This weekend sees the 158th Boat Race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. First raced in 1829 The Boat Race is one of the oldest sporting events in the world rowed each spring on the?River Thames in?London.

The event is between competing?eights who propel the boats with?sweep oars, and each is steered by a coxswain, or cox. Every person in the eight has his (or her) specific role to play and they train strenuously and repeatedly together all year round as they work towards winning.

Each team would not dream of practising or competing without the whole crew present every time because it is only by training together that they gel and work effectively as a winning team.

So what has this got to do with winning business presentations?

It is common in large companies, and these days not so large, for there to be a bid team that presents at interview to win contracts.

In my experience a small number are very good, some are ok and most are mediocre or worse.

Why?

Because apart from the very few, they don?t have defined roles within the bid team and don?t practise enough together.

A while ago I was involved in working with two managers in a large international company, who regularly present at interview, usually as part of different bid teams, and was astonished to be told that they rarely if at all practise with the other members of the bid team. They usually meet up just before going in to deliver the presentation and just get on with doing their own bit. And this is for multi-million pound contracts????..

Imagine what would happen if the Boat Race teams did this!

If you want to be successful in any team, be that a bid team or a rowing team, you have to have clearly defined roles and responsibilities and work and practise together.

If you do present as a team you might want to think about the following:

What is the role of each person in the team?

Who will begin the presentation and why?

Who will end the presentation and why?

Who will keep the team on track so that your presentation keeps to time?

How will you transition smoothly from one speaker to the next?

How often will you need to practise?

because it?s only when everyone is pulling together in the same direction making the most of everyone?s different contributions that you cross the finishing line first???.. a bit like the rowers really.

Until next time,

With best wishes for your success,

Cath

Cath Daley Ltd.

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