Expect the Unexpected
There comes a time when you have put your heart and soul into preparing your presentation. You have spent hours, if not days, making sure you have reviewed all your notes, visual aids, and gestures and verified that the room in which you will be giving your presentation is reserved. However, when you arrive at the location, you find that something is wrong with the room, the equipment, or both.
Preparing for the unexpected, such as your slides falling in a puddle or drawing a complete blank just as you step up to the lectern, is the focus of this chapter. I will provide you with tips and ad libs to use when you find yourself in deep trouble. Furthermore, I will share secrets that professional speakers, trainers, and entertainers use to get themselves out of a jam.
These ideas and suggestions will work only if you plan for them beforehand and practice how to handle them. The more you anticipate problems ahead of time, the better prepared you are if they should happen. And believe me, there will come a time when something will creep up on you before or during your presentation.
Worrying about these situations leads to speaking anxiety, nervousness, and a lack of self-confidence; however, if you accept the fact that problems happen, you can better prepare yourself for the unexpected.
Novice public speakers believe that their presentation needs to be perfect or the audience will not respect them. This belief couldn’t be further from the truth. Audiences, by nature, want you to succeed and are willing to help make it happen.
Let’s look at some classic problems that many speakers (including myself) have experienced, such as problems with microphones, PA systems, overhead projectors, slide projectors, or the dais itself. In addition, I will discuss real-life situations that have occurred for many professional speakers and offer solutions to prevent, or at least minimize, these problems.
Today speakers use several different types of microphones, and each takes practice to learn how to use properly. For instance, holding a microphone in your hand while speaking is different from speaking into a microphone attached to the lectern.
• Problem number 1. The microphone goes dead in the middle of your presentation.
Solution. In the event your microphone goes dead in the middle of your presentation, and you don’t have a spare, turn off the microphone. Apologize to the audience. Then walk out to where the audience is sitting so they can hear you and make sure you project your voice to the back of the room. When you reach a breaking point in your speech, stop and see if you can locate another microphone.
• Problem number 2. Distortion problems. This includes problems such as popping noises—sounds caused by your mouth when you say words that begin with the letter p.
Solution. Move your mouth farther away from the microphone and turn your head away slightly. If you are using a wireless microphone, adjust it by moving it to another location near you.
The more audiovisual equipment you use in your presentation, the more likely it is that something will go wrong. It is very important that you take the time to set up your equipment properly and make sure it is working.
• Problem number 1. You accidentally drop your note cards and they get out of order.
Solution. Make sure your note cards are numbered. In the event you drop them, you can quickly place them in their correct order. Try to do this without bringing attention to the notes. Also, do not have too many notes, so you don’t have too many cards to shuffle.
• Problem number 2. Your equipment stops working altogether.
Solution. If you cannot quickly determine and correct the problem, continue your presentation without the visual aids. Don’t make your audience wait while you fix the problem. If you absolutely need the visual aids, take a short break to correct the malfunction.
• Problem number 3. Your slide carousel jams.
Solution. Turn off the slide projector before you attempt to unjam the slide. Usually a slide gets stuck if it’s not properly in line with the slide carousel. Use a pair of tweezers to remove the slide.
• Problem number 4. The overhead projector bulb burns out. This is probably the most common overhead projector problem.
Solution. Always have a spare bulb. Some of the better overhead projectors have a spare bulb built into the projector, and all you have to do is slide the bulb selection lever over for the new bulb. This works if (and only if) the spare bulb works and did not burn out when the last person used it. This has happened many times! Make sure you have a spare bulb, the correct spare bulb, and know how to change the bulb.
Note: Keep in mind that the bulb currently in the projector may still be hot and you will burn yourself if you touch it.
Unplug the projector and, using a towel or cloth, remove the old bulb and replace it with a new one. Since this can take a few minutes, I would suggest you call a break to give yourself time to do this without the entire room watching you fumble with the projector. Spend time during your initial setup learning how to change the bulb. You will be glad you did. Each projector is unique, and the procedure to change the bulb is different with each. If you do end up using the spare bulb, remember to have the hotel replace it so the next person does not get a surprise.
Many times it will be necessary to raise or lower the lighting in the room you are speaking in. Knowing where the lighting controls are and how to adjust the lighting is critical.
• Problem number 1. The sconces (lighting fixtures on the wall) don’t appear to have any switches to control them, and they cast a bright light.
Solution. I have run across this problem a lot and usually end up having to loosen the light bulbs to turn them off. It may be that only one or two lights are causing the problem, but check out this detail during your setup.
Sometimes it is necessary to speak from a raised platform or stage. Since most platforms are temporary and set up just for an event, it is important for your own safety to make sure the platform is properly supported.
• Problem number 1. The platform is unstable.
Solution. Walk the entire platform to check its sturdiness. Also, see how noisy the platform is when you walk across it. Check to make sure there are sturdy steps to walk up to the raised platform and that they are properly supported.
Seldom is an icebreaker used when a keynote speech is given; however, most of you have probably attended a training session or seminar where you participated in an icebreaker game before the program started. Most of these icebreakers are intended to encourage participants to interact with one another. This is especially important if it’s an all-day or multiday program.
An icebreaker is used to stress a particular point or just to have fun. Here are some of my favorite icebreakers.
Objective: To have first-time participants attending a training session get acquainted with one another and to help build a climate of friendliness among guests.
Materials required: Blank stick-on tags.
Approximate time required: Flexible, depending on the group size. Maximum time is fifteen minutes.
Procedure: Give each person a blank name tag and ask each guest to write his or her first name or nickname on it. Have each guest list five words or brief phrases that describe something about him or her and can be used as conversation starters (residence, hobbies, children, and so on). Let’s take a look at how my name tag would read.
Name: Lenny
1. Connecticut resident
2. Professional speaker
3. Semiprofessional musician
4. Married 25 years
5. Two children
After giving the group about five minutes to complete the task, have them separate into clusters of two and three. Every few minutes tell the group to “change partners” in order to encourage everyone to meet as many people as possible.
Here’s a list of questions to ask attendees once they have gotten to know one another.
1. Was this exercise helpful to you in getting to know some other people in the training session?
2. What kind of information had the greatest impact on you?
3. How do you now feel about your involvement in this group?
It’s okay to have your workshop participants meet one another more than once.
Objective: To allow participants to become better acquainted through a structured exercise.
Material required: Blank name tags.
Approximate time required: Between fifteen and twenty minutes depending on the size of the group.
Procedure: At the opening session of a group meeting, give each individual a blank name tag. Have each person complete the following items with five- or 10-word responses.
1. My name is _____.
2. I have a question about _____.
3. I can answer questions about _____.
After a few minutes encourage attendees to seek out other attendees who can answer or be asked a question. Let the group mingle for ten to fifteen minutes.
Here is an icebreaker to use at a large conference when you did not have the opportunity to do an audience questionnaire beforehand. It will allow attendees to bow out gracefully, if they realize they are in the wrong room.
Objective: To ensure at a large conference that attendees select the right session and to allow an opportunity to quickly become acquainted with the attendees.
Materials required: None.
Approximate time required: Five minutes.
Procedure: At large conferences the program description for individual sessions does not always accurately describe what the speaker or content will cover. Once the session starts, the attendees may discover the session is not what they originally thought but are reluctant to leave. This icebreaker takes care of that situation.
At the start of the session, paraphrase the session description in the program book, include objectives, and briefly indicate precisely what the session covers. Say to your attendees, “There may be some people in the room who now realize this session may not cover what they thought it would. Since it may be awkward or uncomfortable to get up and leave, let’s all stand now, meet a few new people, and those of you who want to excuse yourselves can do so easily.” Then have the group make three or four new acquaintances for two to three minutes.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of icebreakers and games you can include in your seminars. The best source for ideas is a series of books by Edward E. Scannell:
• Games Trainers Play (McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1989)
• Still More Games Trainers Play (McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1991)
• More Games Trainers Play (McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1993)
• Even Still More Games Trainers Play (McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994)
Spontaneity is fundamental to the success of your presentation and plays an important role in your credibility. You lose a chance to connect with your audience by not taking advantage of a spontaneous opportunity. Tony Jeary, author of Inspire Any Audience, says a joke by an audience member, a piece of timely news, even a mistake you make, are all spontaneous moments you can use to win the respect of your audience and strengthen your credibility.
The irony in spontaneity is that to be spontaneous, you have to be prepared. Mark Twain once said, “It takes about six weeks to prepare a good ad-lib comment.” The truth is that you can plan spontaneity. Leave space for responding to the unexpected in your presentation. For example, don’t be afraid to detour from your presentation to go in a promising direction opened up by a question from the audience.
One example where I took advantage of a spontaneous moment was a speaking engagement in Poughkeepsie, New York, near the airport. I was talking about external noises and how they can be distracting. Just as I was discussing the various types of distractions, a jumbo jet flew over the hotel, making its usual loud noise. It got so loud, in fact, that I had to stop speaking. After the jet passed, I turned to the audience and said, “Do you know how much I paid that pilot to do that? I love it when people follow their cues on time.” The audience was hysterical, and that moment really drove my point home.
In previous chapters I discussed the different methods you can use when delivering a speech and the importance of preparing properly. Despite completing both these objectives, you may one day find that your mind goes blank, you forget to bring a prop, or you encounter some other problem during your presentation. Here are examples and stories of real events gleaned from my membership in the National Speakers Association and how these professionals handled the situations.
There are three main reasons you may get sidetracked:
• You don’t have clear objectives.
• You’re not well prepared.
• You get irrelevant questions.
Your objectives are crystal clear if you
• firmly establish your exact mission.
• develop a theme to support your mission.
• simplify your presentation to three or four main points to support the mission.
• make the “track” easy to follow, to help your audience follow your message.
• rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
Here are responses from successful speakers when they are asked irrelevant questions from the audience.
1. Answer the question briefly with respect and compassion for your audience. Remember, your audience is your customer. Treat the attendees with care.
2. Quickly tie the seemingly irrelevant question back into your topic.
When you find yourself getting sidetracked, check how much time you have left in your presentation. If there’s a scheduled break, use the time to go over the presentation and decide what to cut or skip the break or create a really short break to compose yourself and ultimately save time.
(Tip provided by Lilly Walters, author of Secrets of Successful Speakers, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1993.)
For example, I had the opportunity to attend a presentation Jeff Dewar was giving to Lockheed Corporation at its Los Angeles headquarters when he was presenting his famous statistics speech, “What Does 99.9 Percent Quality Mean to You?” He introduced several themed scenarios—how often we drink contaminated water, how efficiently the normal heart operates, and so on—then went on to say that if any of those scenarios were to function at a 99.9 percent level of quality, it would mean, for example, “you would be drinking unsafe water for one hour each month,” “your heart would fail to beat thirty-two thousand times a year,” “some twenty-two thousand checks would be deducted from the wrong bank account each day,” and so forth. Usually this part of his talk is a big hit, but at Lockheed that day it fell flat.
One of the attendees told Jeff afterward, “Sure seems like everybody is quoting from those 99.9 percent statistics.”
Swelling with pride, Jeff said, “Really? And where did you hear them before?”
“Oh, the speaker this morning. He said he came up with them.”
Not fun.
• Watch and feel the audience. If you see people looking slyly at one another, chances are something is wrong.
• Casually stop, keep the mood you are trying to create in your tone of voice and mannerisms, and ask, “Have you heard this before?”
• Let the audience tell you. Turn it into a group sharing moment. Encourage your audience to tell you what an earlier speaker said, then have them relate what they learned.
• Do not say anything about the other presenter using your material, unless you deliver it as a compliment!
Even though you think you’re walking with care, your mind might be on your presentation, and you trip.
Before you stand up to walk to the lectern:
• Take a deep breath.
• Stand up and walk.
• Go slowly. Adrenaline is pumping through your system. Although you feel as if you’re crawling to the lectern, your audience is seeing you scurry along at a good clip.
First of all, know that the audience doesn’t care that you tripped. However, they care if you get hurt, and they care if you make a scene about it.
• Make a lighthearted remark about your stumble, and it will more than likely set the stage for a great presentation. An audience likes you better when you demonstrate that you have faults—especially if you are able to laugh at your own shortcomings or flub-ups.
Here is a list of one-liners that can help you gloss over an embarrassing moment.
• I also do magic tricks.
• It took years of finishing school to learn to do that.
• I’m the only speaker who can fall up a set of steps.
• Is there a doctor in the house?
• All that money I spent at Arthur Murray’s was a waste.
• I used to be too humble to stumble.
• Give me an inch and I’ll take a fall.
(From One-Liners for Disasters, by Tom Antion, Anchor Publishing, 1993.)
A ceremonial speech, also called a “testimonial speech,” is given to honor a person or organization for something he or she has accomplished. For example, I gave the following speech, “Saying Good-Bye,” during a snowstorm four years ago. I was honoring a fellow colleague who was retiring.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to honor a distinguished colleague of ours for his dedicated years of service to this company. Tom has been not only a colleague of mine, but also a friend. Tom and I go way back. In fact, we go so far back, they had to use old-fashioned dating techniques to verify Tom’s age. (Ha, ha.)
Tom has been with us for more than twenty years and has finally decided to retire. We are going to miss him dearly. Tom is only retiring from work, not from life. Tom is only beginning a new phase of life. I am so glad to see all of you who weathered the winter storm out there just to touch base with Tom before he moves on to better, bigger, and more exciting things.
This speech was effective because I added humor and touched upon Tom’s accomplishments and what he meant to the company.
One of the most important rules to follow on the day of your speech is to not radically change your normal schedule. Get plenty of rest the night before. When you wake up the next day, have a nutritious, well-balanced breakfast. A healthy breakfast gives you the physical and mental energy you need for the speaking engagement. More than likely you are nervous, and nervousness requires energy. Your body needs food to give you energy. The best food to eat is whole-grain cereals, fruit, toast, and bagels with a glass of juice. Do not eat a heavy meal like eggs and bacon.
In Day 8 I will discuss special techniques to help you polish your speaking skills.