Murphy's Law was in full effect. My associate and I conducted a live teleseminar together.
We rehearsed the night before using the conference service. She did a live recording of a different class the day before and it went off without a hitch. So we knew the service was reliable.
The day of our teleseminar we hit a glitch. As soon as we started the recording feature several people were kicked off the call. A flurry of emails warned us that they couldn't get back on. While my colleague furiously contacted tech support I carried on with my part of the seminar.
What should you do when you've prepared your presentation and you still get derailed?
Take a lesson from champion ice skaters. When they fall on the ice they get up and keep going. Immediately after the call, we recorded the same content without any listeners on the line. We then sent the link to everybody who registered. We offered them the recorded call, an offer to call us with any questions, and a refund if they were not satisfied. Only one person asked for a refund. (We sent her the link anyway).
What's the lesson here?
1. Always anticipate what could go wrong and have a back-up plan.
2. Choose reliable technology. (Higher priced plans provide better service).
3. Rehearse using the technology and know that it can work well one day and not the next.
4. Keep going. Continue your presentation with the people who can hear you.
5. Do the right thing. Your reputation and integrity are more important than any profits. Your reputation is your profit center. If requested, we would have refunded every participant. Your content is only part of the message. Customer service is the REAL message.
3 comments:
And no matter how prepared you are, things WILL go wrong sooner or later!
The more prepared you are, the better you can handle it.
I agree it's crucial to be prepared for what might go wrong. Unfortunately, sometime you don't even know that it's possible for a particular glitch to happen. Thank goodness for experience, even if it's painful sometimes.
I like your analogy to ice-skating: when things go wrong, it is important to keep it light.
I have a 5 step process that I personally use.
When things go awry or appear to be going badly, remember to practice these 5 steps:
1. Awareness
2. Become still and silent
3. Breathe
4. Focus on the task at hand
5. Speak / Act
In more detail, what do I mean and how do these steps help?
1) Awareness
First, you need to become aware that something has gone awry or simply differently than as planned. You may become acutely aware that panic threatens to take over and impede your ability to function.
2) Become still and silent
Generally, we will telegraph our inner state to our audiences through some verbal or non-verbal comment. A sigh, a frown, an apology – an overwhelming impulse to ask permission, “Can I start over?” DON’T INDULGE THE IMPULSE! Simply, become still and silent.
3) Breathe
It seems so simple but often in moments of anxiety we tend to forget to take a deep breath. Breathing will lower your heart-rate and blood pressure. It will bathe your brain in fresh oxygen, allowing you to think more lucidly. You will make better decisions when you remember to breathe deeply.
We want our mind to be focused – to become still and settled so that we can make better choices. The metaphor that I recently discovered is this: It’s a bit like enjoying the stillness of a beautiful pond. Suddenly, a large stone drops into the pond, ruining the stillness of the water’s surface. That large stone is the thought in our mind that says, “This is bad!” So, in response to this, in our panic and frustration, we throw a handful of pebbles into the pond by indulging our thoughts about the ‘mistake’, shouting, “Hey, you stupid pond! Settle down!”
The Chinese character for ‘crisis’ also means ‘opportunity’. Instead, ask the question, “Is this really a crisis? Is there some way I can I turn this into an opportunity?” I have seen some memorable moments flow from what could be easily branded as ‘mistakes’.
5) Speak / Act
Once you have completed the process above, you will be ready to speak or take some action without having indulged in your fear (thereby giving it power over you) or signaling to your audience that you have struggled through a tough moment.
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