Presentation Disasters: What to Do When Things Go Wrong
The Public Speaker gives practical tips for 4 common public speaking disasters. Read about how to recover and move on.
Lisa B. Marshall
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Presentation Disasters: What to Do When Things Go Wrong
Sometimes when giving a speech or presentation, we feel nervous and exposed, especially when we stumble, or when things don’t go as planned. It can be nerve wracking – unless you’re well prepared. Today, I’ll cover disaster recovery tips for 4 common presentation snafus to make you look like a pro, no matter what happens. .
Here’s how to recover from 4 common presentation disasters:
Presentation Disaster #1: You’ve Lost Your Train of Thought
Imagine, you’re rolling right along in your presentation, then suddenly, you forget where you were going with your point. You just draw a blank. This can be very unnerving. But don’t worry, it happens to the most seasoned speakers. Try not to panic because you have a few tricks in your arsenal to help you recover. So what do you do?
- Don’t freeze. Instead, simply ask, “Where was I?” This is perfectly okay! From experience, I have found that someone in the audience is happy to help out. And the bonus for you will be a good recovery as well as interaction with your listeners.
- Remain calm and move on. There is no need to draw attention to the fact that you lost your bearings for a moment. Just start your sentence over again or move on to the next point.
- Use this pause for a sip of water. Everyone will think you meant to stop for a drink, and you can gather your thoughts. No need to bring more attention to it by saying, “Gosh, I totally forgot what I was going to say!”
Presentation Disaster #2: You’ve Run Out of Time
Hopefully you researched and confirmed the amount of time you are allowed for your talk in advance. But even then, something else could change that – the previous speaker went over his or her time limit, a blizzard is just beginning and dismissal will be earlier, etc. These are good examples of why it is wise for you to prepare ahead of time a few ways to shorten your presentation while still hitting the main points:
- Practice, or have ready, a 40-minute version of your talk, a 35-minute version, a 25-minute version, a 15-minute version, and even a 10-minute version. For this to happen, you don’t need to change your slides, only the verbiage that accompanies them. This is also a good reminder not to read your slides to the audience word for word.
- Know the main take-away is you want your audience to get from your speech. Beforehand, identify the must-knows, the should-knows, and the nice-to-knows. Highlight these main points so that you can quickly wrap up your talk without sounding like you’ve abruptly stopped your presentation.
- Familiarize yourself thoroughly with the software you are using for your presentation. For example, if you are using Power Point, learn how to hide some slides on the spot so that you can skip over them quickly.
Presentation Disaster #3: Your Equipment or Computer Crashes
Given how much technology we use these days, this may be an inevitable (and very unpleasant) experience. Here’s what to do to minimize the impact of your computer crashing during your presentation:
- Before you arrive, print out a copy of your slides. This way, if the computer refuses to cooperate, you can have them at the ready to refer to and continue your presentation almost seamlessly.
- Ask for help! Keep going on with your talk, but don’t try fiddling with the technology while you’re speaking. Attempting to fix it yourself is the quickest way to lose your audience. Even if you know how to get things back on track, let someone else do it for you.
- Use your body. Hey, all eyes are on you since the computer failed, so why not? You may as well use your arms and gestures to indicate graphs, charts, or whatever else is in your presentation.
Presentation Disaster #4: You’re Having a Bad Day
You know those days when from the moment you get out of bed, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Your alarm didn’t go off. You forgot your materials/laptop at home. There is an accident on the freeway, and the clock is ticking. Murphy’s Law is in full force and you’re feeling aggravated and tense before you even arrive at your presentation.
The best way to avoid full-on panic is to email slides to your office or to someone else the night before so that your presentation can be forwarded at a moment’s notice. Also, give yourself extra time for commuting snafus. This can be enormously helpful in reducing stress. Arriving on time is the first step to a successful presentation.
Finally, remember to stay calm, and to keep your sense of humor. We are all human and mistakes happen. Whether these mistakes are your fault or beyond your control, allow yourself a little grace and relax. With experience you will be able to handle any situation. A disaster doesn’t have to be something you can’t recover from.
Do you struggle with difficult conversations? Do you procrastinate when it comes to delivering feedback? Do you know how to effectively persuade and influence others? Learn this and more in my new book Smart Talk. Get your personally signed copy today!
This is Lisa B. Marshall, helping you maximize sales, manage perceptions, and enhance leadership through keynotes, workshops, books, and online courses. Passionate about communication; your success is my business.
Woman at podium and woman at computer images courtesy of Shutterstock.
About the Author
Lisa B. Marshall Lisa holds masters with duel degrees in interpersonal/intercultural communication and organizational communication. She’s the author of Smart Talk: The Public Speaker’s Guide to Success in Every Situation, as well as Ace Your Interview, Powerful Presenter, and Expert Presenter. Her work has been featured in CBS Money Watch, Ragan.com, Woman’s Day, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and many others. Her institutional clients include Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard University, NY Academy of Science, University of Pennsylvania, Genentech, and Roche.