The two Colorado Democrats running for president are about to get their chance to stand out in a crowd of White House hopefuls.

After months of making their cases for the nomination in televised town halls, at meet-and-greets in early primary states and online, former Gov. John Hickenlooper and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet will be standing shoulder to shoulder for two hours with about half of the Democrats running to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020.

Hickenlooper and Bennet are set to appear on stage along with eight other presidential contenders on June 27, the second night of the Democrats’ two-night debate-a-palooza in Miami. The night before, on June 26, another 10 presidential wannabes will get their turn.

For the 10 minutes or so that each Coloradan will get the microphone, they’ll have the attention of millions of Americans, including a hefty share who haven’t yet paid much attention to the gaggle of aspiring commanders-in-chief – 23 at last count, though only 20 of them made the cut for the Democratic National Committee’s first round of sanctioned debates.

Hickenlooper and Bennet won the right to wrangle it out in front of a national audience – the debates will air 7-9 p.m. Mountain Time on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo – by navigating a complicated set of qualifying rules involving polling and grassroots fundraising benchmarks set by the DNC.

The two Coloradans both qualified by scoring at least 1% in three separate, approved polls, but missed the fundraising mark, which was to raise money from at least 65,000 individual donors spread out over a geographic range.

In total, 14 of this week’s debaters met both requirements, while six got there on polling results alone – a wrinkle that could come into play when the stage is set for a pair of July debates in Detroit, which will likewise be limited to 10 candidates on each night. If more than 20 meet the threshold, then an arcane set of tie-breakers will come into play, the DNC has said, potentially bumping candidates who made the first round from their next match-up.

The requirements tighten considerably for the third debate in September, possibly drastically winnowing the field that will get to spend some time talking together in the nation’s living rooms.

The stakes for next week’s inaugural debate couldn’t be higher.

Candidates who have languished in the back of the pack – including Hickenlooper and Bennet, though there are at least a handful even further back – have a chance to emerge and break through, maybe even land themselves in an upper tier of contestants.

If anyone on the Colorado political scene these days knows how to prepare for a high-stakes turn in the spotlight, it’s Andrew Markoff, who is managing Democrat John Walsh’s 2020 campaign for one of Colorado’s U.S. Senate seats.

The two-time national college debate champion co-founded Speech Labs, a company devoted to training all manner of clients – from Department of Defense employees to TED Talks presenters, professional athletes and venture capitalists – in public speaking.

In addition to his work coaching speakers, Markoff has carved out a reputation as something of an expert in helping politicians prepare for debates, and he agreed to share some observations and advice for Hickenlooper and Bennet ahead of their big show.

Markoff stresses the fundamentals, which he’s condensed into five tips: Know your opponent, practice your speech, roll with the punches, play the crowd and say all your points.

In addition, he adds, don’t gaffe – and don’t disappear.

“I think in this particular situation, ‘don’t disappear’ may be more important,” he said in an interview. “You’ve really got only a few opportunities with this viewership to distinguish yourself. They’re going to have to try to make the most of every second.”

He said he hopes Trump’s performance in the 2016 Republican primary debates – when the longshot reality television veteran commandeered the camera and wound up stealing the show – doesn’t change the presidential primary debate landscape going forward.

“I hope that our candidates aren’t taking their cues from him and the way that he gathered attention, because I think it was in many ways a sham and an act,” Markoff said. “But I do think these debates have always been theater to a certain extent. You have to understand, people aren’t expecting a policy download – they’re expecting to be informed and to be entertained.”

He continued: “You have a bunch of candidates largely introducing themselves to voters for the first time. Being on the debate stage and having the ability to speak to the camera for a couple minutes provides a degree of intimacy they won’t get with voters again. It’s important they lay out who they are, what their personalities are, not just what they plan to do.”

Markoff said Hickenlooper’s and Bennet’s “really compelling stories and compelling personalities” should shine through if they’re prepared and relaxed.

As for planning to stage a big moment – the zinger that will generate a million retweets – Markoff cautioned against it.

“You should never go into a situation like that and have that be part of your game plan,” he said. “That’s a recipe for forcing it. If you’re just genuine to yourself, if you go with the flow, if you stick to your authentic self and you don’t seek moments, you don’t seek controversy – you let the moment come to you – then you will be more successful.”

Still, it’s essential to be clear going in what points you want to make.

“If you have a good plan, it enables you to roll with the punches more. If someone takes you off your game, if someone challenges you, you know where you want to go. If you’re well-prepared and your message is thought out, you can win the exchange. But if your goal is just to fight, then you’re probably going to lose,” Markoff said.

Part of the plan, he said, is to be yourself.

“We saw in 2016 on the Republican side when folks like Jeb Bush thought in order to bounce back they would have to take it to Trump, that either backfired or misfired because that’s not who they were. Everyone could tell that Jeb Bush being the tough guy was fake.”

As for preparation, Markoff said it’s important to study your opponents and watch tapes of yourself speaking, but perhaps it’s most important to get accustomed to how this particular debate will play out, including practicing on a stage with nine stand-ins for the other candidates.

“That’s how I would do it so my boss is comfortable,” he said. “You put in your homework and you drill what they’re going to say. There’s nothing more valuable than the live simulation – that, to me, is the key tactic. Because your candidate has so little time, that’s how I would prepare them.”

Hickenlooper and Bennet — who have been assigned spots near the far left and right extremes of the debate stage — can use their brief turns in the spotlight to persuade millions of voters they belong on stage with the front-runners, Markoff said.

“Someone who is on the far ends of the stages now could move toward the center in future debates,” he said. “This debate is for the folks who made it, this is the chance to prove that theory. It’ll be incumbent upon them to show the voters and donors there really is something unique about them that should be heard again when the threshold goes up.”

Markoff added that if he were in the wings giving a final pep talk to one of the candidates before the debate starts, he would make sure to pass on one tip.

“The last thing I always say to people – I swear this is the best advice – is to slow down,” he said. “People who run for office are usually pretty smart, and they think fast, and there’s nothing more valuable to keep your focus than to take it step by step and slow down.”