As a professional speaker for three decades, I’ve had to deal with my fair share of surprises that could have completely derailed my presentation. Like what?
Like speaking during two separate blackouts without lights, AV, or functional toilets. Like facilitating a two-day training session where, in the middle of the first day, all participants got an email letting them know that layoffs were imminent. Like presenting in a glass-enclosed conference room inside the Congo exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, where a gorilla pounded the windows every time I advanced a slide. (I turned off the projector pretty quickly and proceeded anyway.)
One of the most common unpleasant surprises that you’ve likely faced as a public speaker is getting your time cut short. You go into the meeting with a plan for what you’re going to cover based on the allotted time you’ve been given. And then, the technology doesn’t work until 15 minutes into the meeting. Or the decision-maker shows up late, and you’ve waited to start until they arrive. Or someone (and maybe everyone) in the group runs a few minutes over, and by the time it’s your turn, those few minutes have compounded and you’re left rushing to finish.
