7 Ways to Overcome Failure

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!

SPBT Photos

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. 

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About the author

Sally Hogshead

Sally skyrocketed to the top of the advertising world in her early 20s, fascinating millions of consumers for clients such as MINI Cooper and Coca-Cola. Since then, she’s published two New York Times bestsellers on the science of fascination, and is one of only 172 living members in the Speaker Hall of Fame. Over a million professionals have taken the Fascination Advantage® personality test to discover how others perceive their communication.

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