True story…
The moment I walked on stage for a recent big speech, my microphone died. No sound. Yikes.
How can you over-deliver for your client if the audience can’t hear the speech you flew 2,000 miles to deliver?
Always have Plan B ready, to keep your listeners engaged. That way, you won't get flustered, and they won't get bored.
In this case I said:
“Don’t worry, I’ve been trained in MIME… and I’ll be delivering the entire speech in interpretive dance.”
By the time the laughter died down, my new mic was ready to go, and the speech went on to a standing ovation!
Sometimes the situation doesn’t go according to plan. Here are 7 ways to create a solid plan B.
Innovation: Improv is where you thrive. Start off with a witty joke.
Trust: You’ve probably encountered problems before. Think back to the best methods you used to solve them.
Prestige: Think of past success stories. If you can't access your presentation, be sure to know the highlights.
Passion: Get your audience comfortable with a friendly back-and-forth. Take some questions from the crowd.
Mystique: Don't give away that anything is amiss. Confront the situation calmly and deliberately.
Alert: Take preventative measures such as doing a dry run before the presentation.
Power: Take command of the situation. Have go-to opinions of authority to captivate and lead the group.
What are the ways you’ve salvaged a plan gone wrong? Let us know in the comments.
My record label website has been hacked by someone selling boots made in China. I have gotten great response to my use of wordplay humor on Facebook. Your article says not to let on that anything is wrong, but I wonder if revealing the hack will make people sympathetic or scared to do business with me. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.
I had a situation once where computer controlled lighting in the room kept shutting off and on during my talk. I told everyone they were part of a secret psychological study.
I was doing a presentation in front of a major city police force about how to increase communication. Normally, I actually remove the battery from my phone and pile the pieces on the table, (my signature move). This is their time. However, this time I had my phone in my pocket and of course it rings very loudly. It is my mother who is 90. It is possible there could be something wrong, and I,(against all normal thinking) take the call and very loudly say "HI MOM, IS ANYTHING WRONG?". Of course she says no, at which case I tell the audience, to say hello to my mother. They all yelled, "HI MOM" and I said good bye, hung up the phone and very dramatically and quickly removed the back, battery, SIM chip and memory card and piled it all on the desk. I won the bid.
As the Rockstar, I use also rebellion/passion approach. I love doing something unexpected to make people laugh, it totally helps to break the ice and puts them at ease even if things aren't going as planned. I think it helps to get folks on my team too. You're awesome Sally! Cecilia Ox
I guess this shows how right my primary trigger is - my first instinct, when reading this story, was, "I'd probably make a wry joke." Rebellion, there it is.
I love love love the story at the start of this blog post - made me laugh out loud! That's the best way to get the audience warmed up too - you have them in a positive, receptive mood from the start! Amazing - you're so inspirational! As I've been doing my Happyologist talks for a year now, I've also learned to use humour when things go wrong. And by knowing your talk inside out (frontwards & backwards), not much can phase you. And as I'm talking about things I truly believe in, it's easy to keep the fire going even if there's a bump on the way 🙂
Bring your truth to the stage. Easy to remember, fun to share, and engaging to audience members. When we start to get fancy, try to sound smart, get away from who we are and what we bring, it is harder to recover when something goes wrong.
I've used a bit of rebellion & passion when things have gone wrong in a presentation. I'll joke a bit about the problem and while it's being fixed start a little Q & A with the potential customer. Works every time:)
"Don't give away that anything is amiss." Yes, I fascinate through mystique and yes, I have used this technique many times over the years. I have worked with camps for years. When you rely on being outdoors for most of your work there is no guarantee that things will go according to plan. Plan B is just a fact of life, and yes, rarely does anyone know that something is amiss.
Have a five question poll that you can work through with the audience - something that relates to the presentation and gets them thinking along the right lines so they are more receptive to the talk