There are two ways to garner more applause and attention for a presentation: Either you actually deliver a brilliant speech. That's the more strenuous way. Or you try to follow a weak speaker as much as possible.

Admittedly, you can't always know this in advance, and at some conferences or events, the influence on the timing of your presentation is marginal at best. But wherever possible, you should try to get your turn after a rather weak introduction or a boring topic. Not only because the audience will be incredibly grateful for the welcome wake-up call from their stupor, but also because of a powerful psychological effect that experts call the "fish pond effect" or "big fish, little pond effect."

What is the fishpond effect?

Imagine a small pond: A large fish will stand out more in it than in an ocean. And surrounded by many small fish, the large fish appears even more impressive in the small pond.

And this effect can be used to advantage in all sorts of situations in life.

Example: School. Putting your child in a class full of gifted students is most likely not doing them any favors, but instead exposing them to enormous pressure to perform. "From a psychological perspective, classes for gifted students are a huge burden," said Berlin psychology professor Ralf Schwarzer in a 'Zeit' article. The students can then no longer "bask in the reflected glory of their performance."

Conversely, children in a class with lower-achieving classmates develop higher learning motivation because their talents are more noticeable and better assessed, which only motivates them further. Some education experts therefore strongly advise parents against the "grammar school at all costs" principle – especially for students whose self-confidence is not very strong.

This effect naturally extends to professional life: US bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell has just written a new book on the subject – "David and Goliath." In it, he advises both recent graduates and experienced professionals not to necessarily study at elite schools or to only work for a prestigious top company later on. At least not at the beginning, before they have established a strong reputation. Because among all the other elite graduates and top talents, it's difficult to stand out.

Therefore, it's much smarter to first find a "smaller pool," make a name for yourself there, and then climb the ladder much faster thanks to your pre-existing reputation. While you might not necessarily be able to boast a prestigious former employer when changing jobs later, the visible successes you've achieved so far thanks to this strategy will shine all the brighter in your resume and application .

A little speech trick to conclude

And you can use this same effect in presentations. If the correct order and presentation structure still don't work, there's another (nasty) trick to at least somewhat dim a potentially even more brilliant speaker who follows:

Start a countdown!
Let's say you're giving a 30-minute presentation: Then, every 10 minutes, you charmingly remind your audience of your successor, motto:

• "By the way, there are still 20 minutes until the lecture by..."
• "By the way, there are 10 more minutes until the lecture by..."
• "Now look forward to the lecture by..."

When inserted correctly, the countdown doesn't just seem modest and like a nice gesture towards the speaker after you. In fact, you're building up such high expectations for an even more magnificent speech that hardly any presenter will be able to live up to them. Figuratively speaking, you're making their pond bigger and bigger... The result: The poor pike can only drown in it – and you, as the charming anchor, appear all the more convincing.

Certainly a nasty trap. But incredibly helpful in some meetings...

About the author

Jochen Mai is an author, social media manager, and has been one of the most influential figures in the social web for years. His portal Karrierebibel.de is now one of Germany's top blogs with more than 40,000 readers a day. Mai is a lecturer at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences for social media marketing and a regular columnist as well as a sought-after keynote speaker on the topics of social media, media, online reputation, and employer branding.