You put a lot of effort into your presentation or even hired a presentation agency and had a professional presentation created. You have memorized all the PowerPoint slides and practiced your presentation sufficiently. But on stage, things suddenly go wrong. Something is not working properly. You are in front of your audience and somehow you have to save the situation. We’ll tell you a few tricks to help you deal with glitches.
You’ve probably heard of “Murphy’s Law.” It says that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Presumably, we have all had experiences of bankruptcies, misfortunes and breakdowns at one time or another, and have pondered whether there is not a piece of truth in this law. Particularly with complex processes such as a presentation, problems can arise at many points. This can be the speaker himself, who comes too late, forgets his text or his laptop. Just as well, technical difficulties may arise or the presenter may not get a “grip” on his audience. Some glitches are more or less annoying, other problems can seriously jeopardize the success of the presentation. We would now like to take a look at some of the disturbances and sources of interference and provide suggestions on how to deal with them correctly.
THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP: STAY CalM AND DON’T LOSE YOUR HEAD in the event of a malfunction.
Of crucial importance is how the speaker copes emotionally with a disturbance. I know it’s easy to say, but if you panic, you have little chance of saving your presentation. If you have prepared really well, if you have put all the necessary energy into your presentation, then you are probably not personally to blame for the difficulties. Problems occur to everyone once in a while, and now they’re hitting you. Try to fix the problem as best you can. Most of the time, prudent action can avoid greater difficulties.
WHAT TO DO WHEN TECHNICAL FAILURES OccUR DURING PRESENTATION?
What do you do if suddenly the microphone fails, the beamer is defective, or the stick with your slides does not work? Technical faults can theoretically always occur. Therefore, you should eliminate as many sources of error as possible before the presentation. Check your own technical equipment conscientiously and equip yourself with spare parts such as suitable electric cables, a spare battery, etc. If no technical equipment is available at the location of your presentation, you will have to provide a projector, speakers, etc. yourself anyway. Try all devices and connections at home. If you are presenting in a location that provides the necessary technical equipment, ask if someone from the building services department will be available during your presentation. Get the cell phone number of the building technician.
If this is not the case, make sure that you will at least be briefed or that there will be a person in the event room who is familiar with the technical system of the house. When you arrive, plan a time buffer to check the technology before your performance. If a technical malfunction nevertheless occurs, try to remain calm. When the microphone fails, you can speak louder if you are not presenting in a large banquet hall. If the beamer fails, you will have to do without your PowerPoint slides that you created with a lot of diligence. This is very annoying, but still try to convey your key messages convincingly even without slides. If possible, use the chance to convince the audience with your arguments despite the limitations. You should resolve the following questions as soon as possible:
– What exactly is not working?
– Can the defect be repaired in the short term?
– If the malfunctions cannot be remedied: how much will I be restricted by this?
– Can I still give my presentation with these limitations or do I have to stop?
HOW DO I DEAL WITH DISRUPTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE DURING A PRESENTATION?
How do you properly deal with unrest? Disturbances caused by other participants or the audience can have a wide variety of causes. People arrive late and look for their place while you are already presenting. Somewhere cell phones are ringing or people are whispering with their neighbors. Perhaps participants will ask you a question or you may even get spontaneous heckling if you touch a “hot potato” in your presentation. Here, too, the basic rule is to remain calm. If recognizable parts of the audience have not yet arrived, or if an event participant with whom a greeting or brief introduction has been arranged is not yet here, you must make a clear decision.
Avoid statements like “actually we wanted to start now” or “actually Professor Meier should say something now”. Decide whether to start on time or wait a few more minutes. Communicate your decision to the audience so they can adjust: “Not all participants have arrived yet. We’ll wait another ten minutes, then I’ll start the presentation.”, or “Professor Meier wanted to welcome you this evening. Since he is running late, I will now begin my presentation. He will speak to you later.” In this way, you remain the actor in the eyes of the audience and do not become a victim of circumstances. Ask that all cell phones be muted or turned off, as the ringing disturbs the other participants as well as you. If there is a general murmur among the audience, this is of course not a good sign. Then the suspicion is that your presentation is either incomprehensible or boring. But they may still be able to counteract it if you learn the reason for the whispering. Take courage and ask your audience if your explanations are understandable or if there are any questions. With any luck, you’ll get some constructive feedback and be able to make some adjustments to your presentation.
WHEN SHOULD INTERPOSED QUESTIONS BE
ARE QUESTIONS ALLOWED DURING A PRESENTATION?
Intermediate questions from the audience suggest that your presentation is generating interest. Mostly, these are further questions, comprehension questions or supplementary comments. If you’re not easily rattled, you can answer questions right during the presentation. However, it is also perfectly legitimate to allow a Q&A session only after the presentation has ended. In that case, let your audience know that you will answer all questions after the presentation. There are situations where you should expect heckling. Imagine you have to explain the restructuring of a company with significant job cuts. Then emotional outbursts can quickly occur in the audience.
Try to ignore the heckling at first. If there are one or more hecklers who do not stop interrupting, address them calmly and ask them to restate their request in a way that is understandable to everyone present. Show understanding, but also make it clear that there is nothing you can do about the situation now and that the rest of the audience has the right to listen to the presentation until the end. In the vast majority of cases, tempers then calm down again. If a heckler continues anyway, ask what he gets out of sabotaging the event and ask him to leave if he doesn’t stop.
How do I react to strong emotional tension during the presentation?tion?
Keep in mind: Even internationally recognized speakers or great actors can have a “hang-up” once in a while. It is not honorable and certainly not the end of the world. Don’t try to hide your problem, but be offensive about the breakdown: “I’m pretty nervous today, because I’ve never spoken in front of such a big audience.”. Everyone in the room will be able to understand this and sympathize with your situation. Even if you get confused about a word, it’s not tragic if you don’t make a tragedy out of it: “I seem to have a problem with this word today. So I’ll repeat it again slowly now…” Of course, this also applies if you forget the text. Say it and ask for a moment’s patience.
How do I respond to health issues during the presentation?
The date for the presentation was known for a long time, they were prepared and a few days ago they gave the organizer another binding promise that you will be there. But today, on the day of your performance, you don’t feel well. Now you have to make a decision. Can you deliver the presentation with clenched teeth, or do you feel it will be beyond your strength? Can you get an appointment with a doctor on short notice and would medication help in the short term? If you have strong doubts that you will make it through the event, nothing will help. If no colleague can fill in at short notice, you will have to cancel the presentation.
For example, should you present with high fever acute diarrhea, you are not doing yourself or the audience any favors. If your well-being is limited but a performance in front of an audience is still possible, then inaugurate the auditorium at the beginning of the presentation. Don’t let viewers guess if you’re not feeling well, or maybe you’re always in such a funny mood. Better get offensive and explain the situation for example like this: “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry, but I’ve got a bit of a cold, so I can’t speak quite as loudly as I’d like. However, I’ll do my best to make sure you understand me well.” This way, your audience knows what’s going on and understands when your voice sounds stricken.
If you handle mishaps with aplomb, and inform the audience of the situation, it is highly likely that your presentation will not be damaged.
Your presentation should achieve the best possible success. You are well prepared and have put a lot of energy into perfect PowerPoint slides. You may have even used professional assistance and hired a presentation agency to create the presentation. But
while you are standing in front of your audience, something
suddenly something goes wrong.
You should respond to the disruption quickly and professionally. In
our
second part is about further
disruptive factors and how you can deal with them.
When you give a presentation, you naturally want to get the best possible result for your audience. So it is all the more annoying when, despite good preparation, disturbances disrupt the flow of the presentation and the impact of your messages. But how do you respond appropriately to breakdowns and interruptions? Today, our tips focus on disturbances from the audience and the speaker himself.
How do I deal with disruptions from the audience during a presentation?
How do you properly deal with unrest? Disturbances caused by other participants or the audience can have a wide variety of causes. People arrive late and look for their place while you are already presenting. Somewhere cell phones are ringing or people are whispering with their neighbors. Perhaps participants will ask you a question or you may even get spontaneous heckling if you touch a “hot potato” in your presentation. Here, too, the basic rule is to remain calm. If recognizable parts of the audience have not yet arrived, or if an event participant with whom a greeting or brief introduction has been arranged is not yet here, you must make a clear decision.
Avoid statements like “actually we wanted to start now” or “actually Professor Meier should say something now”. Decide whether to start on time or wait a few more minutes. Communicate your decision to the audience so they can adjust: “Not all participants have arrived yet. We’ll wait another ten minutes, then I’ll start the presentation.”, or “Professor Meier wanted to welcome you this evening. Since he is running late, I will now begin my presentation. He will speak to you later.” In this way, you remain the actor in the eyes of the audience and do not become a victim of circumstances. Ask that all cell phones be muted or turned off, as the ringing disturbs the other participants as well as you. If there is a general murmur among the audience, this is of course not a good sign. Then you may suspect that your presentation is either incomprehensible or boring. But they may still be able to counteract it if you learn the reason for the whispering. Take courage and ask your audience if your explanations are understandable or if there are any questions. With any luck, you’ll get some constructive feedback and be able to make some adjustments to your presentation.
When should interposed questions be allowed during a presentation?
Intermediate questions from the audience suggest that your presentation is generating interest. Mostly, these are further questions, comprehension questions or supplementary comments. If you’re not easily rattled, you can answer questions right during the presentation. However, it is also perfectly legitimate to allow a Q&A session only after the presentation has ended. In that case, let your audience know that you will answer all questions after the presentation. There are situations where you should expect heckling. Imagine you have to explain the restructuring of a company with significant job cuts. Then emotional outbursts can quickly occur in the audience. Try to ignore the heckling at first. If there are one or more hecklers who do not stop interrupting, address them calmly and ask them to restate their request in a way that is understandable to everyone present. Show understanding, but also make it clear that there is nothing you can do about the situation now and that the rest of the audience has the right to listen to the presentation until the end. In the vast majority of cases, tempers then calm down again. If a heckler continues anyway, ask what he gets out of sabotaging the event and ask him to leave if he doesn’t stop.
