Deconstructing with Della: Public speaking nightmares
October 16, 2017 |
| Theresa May uses Twitter to poke fun at coughing fit during speech. |
Theresa May, Prime Minister of Britain recently had one of those public speaking nightmares most people dread. She had a cough that would not quit and was interrupted by an audience member giving her the British equivalent of a pink slip. To add to the nightmare, letters in the background signage popped off the wall in the middle of her speech.
Typically
politicians face more adversity than us regular folk but anyone can get
interrupted by a naysayer or sidetracked by a drippy nose or stray eyelash.
The trick
is how you deal with it in the moment and recover after the fact. Anyone who
has experienced a case of extreme nerves or a podium mishap can attest to the
desire to disappear into thin air. Walking away can be much worse as you will
see in this clip of Michael Bay walking off the stage during Samsung's press conference:
Obviously, he could not “wing it” as he proclaimed. However, leaving in the midst of speech made it legendary in his circles. Better to stay and at least get recognition for not giving up. Prime Minister May carried on and did her best to struggle through. She took a fair amount of heat from her opposition and had little empathy from her constituents. But almost every report acknowledged her perseverance.
Obviously, he could not “wing it” as he proclaimed. However, leaving in the midst of speech made it legendary in his circles. Better to stay and at least get recognition for not giving up. Prime Minister May carried on and did her best to struggle through. She took a fair amount of heat from her opposition and had little empathy from her constituents. But almost every report acknowledged her perseverance.
While
there is a different expectation of those in political life, we can all
experience a curve ball when communicating – even in the most benign of circumstances. Holding court with friends at dinner and a hot chili goes down
your windpipe or making a toast and your friend heckles about your blushing
neck – anyone can be thrown off guard. In most cases, you will have a
sympathetic audience. Unlike rough and tumble situations with political types, people generally want
to help a speaker in trouble.
As we say
in our presentation training sessions, preparation is essential. While you
cannot predict every sporadic mishap, you can plan ahead. You already know the
things that set you off so you can work around those – don’t hold a piece of
paper if your hands shake, memorize your first line if you get stage fright and
so on. Adrenaline can make your heart pound and your saliva evaporate. If you
get dry mouth or have a cough, eat a throat lozenge before you speak or drink
orange juice – both relieve that side effect. It is too late when you are
already at the front of the room.
There is
much to learn about effective presentations but sure as there is blue sky,
interruptions and physical reactions are bound to happen at some point. I have
had my share. Don’t remind me about the time I presented at a local pub to the sound of flushing toilets and cheering
dart players.
To deconstruct: There are many ways to avoid disaster when speaking to a group. Preplanned ad libs for a loud noise or cellphone ring, acknowledging an interrupter politely but firmly and much, much more. If you are going to present, make sure your content rocks but also make sure you know how to roll with the punches. Anyone out there willing to share a presentation mess up and how they recovered?
To deconstruct: There are many ways to avoid disaster when speaking to a group. Preplanned ad libs for a loud noise or cellphone ring, acknowledging an interrupter politely but firmly and much, much more. If you are going to present, make sure your content rocks but also make sure you know how to roll with the punches. Anyone out there willing to share a presentation mess up and how they recovered?
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