proceed, precede

Proceed or proceed means to go on with or to continue--
Sorry to interrupt. Please proceed with what you were doing.
When you  have finished checking your sources, you  may proceed with writing the article.

Precede or precede to go before in time--
A speech by the president will precede the ceremony.
Dizziness and shortness of breath usually precede one of his attacks.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Let's proceed with our discussion of financing before we decide which speaker will precede the main program."

Note--"proceeds" may be the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of proceed--
He needs to tidy up before he proceeds with the project.
"Proceeds" also means the profits or "take" of a business or financial venture--
The treasurer went straight to the bank with the proceeds of the raffle.
Note # 2--"proceeding" may be the present participle of "proceed"--
They are proceeding with the meeting. We had better get back to the conference room.
Not to be confused with "proceedings", a noun ( thing or idea ), meaning a legal case or a meeting --
The judge warned the spectators not to interrupt the proceedings.