‘Always have a plan B’ is a good strategy. A much better strategy is to have plans B to Z. For any kind of presentation, you should have a plan to deal with unexpected events such as these:
- Tech failure
- Memory failure
- Latecomers
- Loud noise from outside the room
- Running short on time
- Having more time than anticipated
- Awkward questions
Test It, Break It
Here’s the secret: prepare correctly! Once you’ve written your masterpiece, get a trusted colleague to help you:
- Do a dry-run in front of them, and ask them to BRUTALLY TEAR IT TO SHREDS. Far better that you understand every weakness in a safe environment, where you can then come up with solutions.
- Collaborate on the very worst questions that you could be asked, and come up with some answers. Even if they’re just deflections, having them rehearsed means they’ll come out confidently.
- Get your trusted colleague (if you’re still talking to them by this point) to mess with you by switching off the projector, making noises, and deliberately putting you off. These unpleasant possibilities destroy most presenters, but you? You’ll be ready.
Pivot, You Divot
Think of your presentation as a journey with different possible routes. Most people prepare for one series of events, one route, meaning that if they come up against an obstacle, they’re stuck and the presentation fails.
The canny presenter can switch to an alternative route, bypassing the problem with an alternative course of action, one of their plans B to Z. The tech fails? Abandon it. Forgotten your next line? Look at your printed cues. Latecomers? Incorporate them and make them feel welcome.
All this will put the audience at ease and make you look like a confident, quick-witted problem-solver (and that’s a damn good impression to give an audience). The really clever bit is that you’re not really a genius, you just prepared correctly.
“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” – Zig Ziglar
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