In film…

Bloopers are humorous mistakes captured on outtakes, which are not used in the final cut.

I wish that were the case for me! The first take is the final take… witnessed by the audience.

The road to speaker experience is bumpy. Laugh at my awkward moments and learn how to avoid these roadblocks!

😬  Blooper #6  Computer gets stolen

What happened: I’m seated next to my session host eating lunch. We’re in-between my morning and afternoon presentations at the Dallas Convention Center.

What’s wrong with this picture? Nothing, you say. Ha!

Both presentations are located in a large room adjacent to this speaker hospitality suite. I leave all of my equipment plugged in, ready to go for the afternoon. My session host is babysitting the room while I grab a bite. Except he is now sitting next to me eating!!

I have a bad feeling… I run next door… my computer is gone… cords are dangling off the lectern… the screen is what we call “the blue screen of death.”

The fix: I had a thumb drive backup which we plugged into a computer provided by the convention center.

Your learning lesson: Have a backup plan. Bring your visuals on a physical hard drive with connecting dongles. Also – put your info on the cloud. I use Dropbox.

2^nd learning lesson: Don’t blame others for your stupidity!! This was my fault. NEVER leave your equipment unattended.

😬  Blooper #5  Audience disappears

What happened: It’s time for my break-out session to begin at the MPI (Meeting Professionals International) Annual Conference in the Royal York Fairmont Hotel in Montreal. The room is empty! (Note – this is a group of professionals that organize and plan conventions! They show up and they show up on time!)

The fix: I leave the room and try to find out what the problems are. I find one lone person who says, “The Dalai Lama is arriving at this hotel in a few minutes! Everyone is on the mezzanine level jockeying for space to watch him enter the building.”

Well, Hello Dalai! I joined them and we started the session late.

Your learning lesson: Stuff happens. To do a great job you have to be ready to go with the flow, whether that means shaving 20% of your message or dealing with a fire alarm drill.

😬  Blooper #4  CEO looks different than his online pic

What happened: You might think that the discrepancy between the CEO’s pic and his actual presence doesn’t matter. It does.

It’s 25-minutes into my half-day workshop at the company’s headquarters in New Jersey. A guy ambles in late, walks right in front of me, and is about to find a chair. I stop him and say, “Hey, how about we switch places! Stay standing and tell me your name and what you’d like to gain from this workshop.” (Note – I had already done this exercise with the others.)

He says his name and I’m silently gasping for air. Yep, it’s the CEO in casual and older mode.

The fix: I say, “Tom, thanks for starting this global company in your garage 30 years ago. I’m so pleased you’re attending today.”

Your learning lesson:  Know who your stakeholders are. Know their names and what they do. Try to get a current pic of them from your internet sleuthing so you don’t make my mistake!

The countdown continues.

Stay tuned for more bloopers/lessons. I have many to choose from!

© 2024 Karen Cortell Reisman, Speak For Yourself® CEO. All rights reserved.