I usually discuss the communication skills of one person. But listening to recent podcasts on educational technology trends by my daughter Mary Jo at EdSurge.com made me think about “the power of two”. She typically performs the podcast with a male colleague. Their back and forth banter is very engaging. It occurred to me that duet speaking can be more effective than two or more individuals speaking consecutively, i. e. each alone on stage for a significant period of time. This is true in a number of circumstances, such as in work presentations. Why? Let me explore that in this essay.
When two speakers share the spotlight visually or the broadcast vocally, that indicates a strong connection between them. Unlike a series of individual speakers gradually replacing one another physically, duet speakers share one sensory space. Their joint presence signals shared ownership of meaning. So they alternate communicating in a very intimate way about a single topic.
In complex transactions, whether those involve commercial or nonprofit matters, it is common for more than one key person to service a client For example, in design services there can be a chief designer, a project manager, and a principal in charge on large engagements. The chief designer provides creative ideas, the project manager looks after daily practicalities of time and cost, and the PIC ensures executive oversight by ownership. It would be hard for one person to deal with all these responsibilities simultaneously. The division of labor makes sense. But how do you assure a client that these three people work together well? Business studies have shown time and again that prospective clients overwhelmingly want to interview the actual designated persons who will be servicing them, not sales people. And they want to be convinced that those who will do the work will also perform together as a team.
You could have each one on a proposed team talk in a linear sequence of information sharing. That’s what usually happens in short list interviews for new design work. For example, let’s say the PIC opens the show (acting as the bigwig sponsor for this effort) demonstrating commitment and accountability, and steps down. Next the chief designer takes the stage to present concepts and approaches to accomplishing objectives; then he or she sits down. Finally the PM stands up and discusses how these objectives will be accomplished reliably within quantitative limits, on schedule and within budget. It’s a dog and pony show that everyone knows. Usually, you can safely predict that your competition will be doing the same.
How about jazzing up the way such a proposed team interacts in the interview? For example, have the designer and manager present together, alternating their remarks while standing shoulder to shoulder. The designer discusses a first idea and the manager describes its time and cost implications. Then the designer presents a second idea and the manager provides the constraints for that. This presentation appears more seamless. These two players may be speaking to an audience but they also appear to be having a productive dialogue. It’s as if the audience is eavesdropping on a conversation between colleagues. It makes the client thinks these two really do know how to work together. In my experience, it’s probable the competition will not attempt this approach. Have the PIC join them at them at the end to reinforce the visual symbol of unified effort and it’s even better.
Now, what if one of these two duet speakers makes a mistake? Lets say he misstates something, or forgets a point. Well, the other speaker is ideally positioned to correct the text or fill in what is missing. It’s all part of the dialogue after all. In fact, the audience may not even realize the error occurred since the content is shared.
Here’s a real example of the benefits of duet speaking. I once had to present to a major, potential new design client simultaneously with a co-worker. I would be the manager and she would be the main designer on this one. My colleague was very nevous about public speaking. To make matter worse, we had to interweave our remarks with complex audio/visuals, in this case a video made for this event. My colleague was inexperienced. She confessed to me that she was terribly afraid she would forget something or fall behind and be embarrassed, especially with the relentless metronome of the video behind us. Nevertheless, that did not happen. As one way to ensure a good outcome, I assured her I would fill in if she got flustered. During our rehearsals together we practiced trading speaking parts in order to be prepared for delivery hiccups on either side. In the end, we presented seamlessly as planned; all went well. Both of us did fine. I think my ability to back her up built her confidence (and mine as well) in the overall speech.
Okay, so you are sold on the power of two. Now let’s optimize how the duo deliver. First, consider employing contrasting speech mechanics. I mean the rate, volume, and pitch of each human voice. In particular it is more interesting if pitch varies between the speakers’ voices. That is why a man and a woman pair are so effective in duets, like my daughter’s podcast. It’s not surprising that TV news broadcasts often feature male and female newspersons together. The differences are engaging. The man’s voice is often lower and the woman’s higher in pitch, adding subtle variation to the overall presentation. Adding slight differences in rate and volume help too. See my earlier essay, “The Ultimate Instrument” for a more technical discuss of speech mechanics and how to exploit them.
Other differences between duet speakers can be helpful as well. For instance, you can pair an older seasoned colleague (poised and graceful, offering time-tested methods) with a younger colleague (energetic and enthusiastic, offering fresh ideas).
Now, what about who says what? I believe it is better if each person has a specific role and assigned content to deliver that is different from the other, like the designer and the manager I discussed before. Then there clearly are two poles to the dialogue. Invoking the theme I often use in these essays, one effective approach is to have one person as “the head” and the other as “the heart”. In other words, one speaker is quantitative, emphasizing facts and injecting logic, while the other speaker is qualitative, telling stories and injecting emotion. In my experience, that strategy never fails to work, because it addresses the whole of human experience.
Should the two speakers disagree? Well, only to a point. In the end they must remember that they still represent one organization. Iterative banter verging on witty repartee by your presenters is enjoyable so long as it does not create an impression in the audience, however slight, of apparent internal dissension in your company or of triviality. The trick is to show your team can integrate multiple important viewpoints while avoiding damaging conflict. Actually, duet speaking is a great way to show how differences of opinion can and will be resolved beneficially. It can explain how respectful debate really works. In short, it’s not like the US Congress! Rather it is like two old friends who disagree on something but seek common ground, both recognizing that there is value in the other’s beliefs. Again, when carried off in a sophisticated way, no competitor can beat your duet speaking.
As I see it, here’s the greatest benefit of duet speaking. If done right, duet speaking makes presenters just seem more likable. People want to associate with those they like. The back and forth discussion can make both speakers appear more at ease, more fluid mentally, and more in tune with others, in short more likable. That impression leads directly to getting the job, achieving acceptance of your position, delighting your podcast listeners, and a host of other desirable outcomes.
Thus, in accord with the old aphorism, through duet speaking the performance whole can be greater than the sum of the two performance parts. You can truly leverage “the power of two” to improve your communications.