I have a dreadful recurring nightmare:
I’m giving an important presentation...
There are about 50 high-ranking and highly influential people in the room...
And we're due to kick off at 10 o’clock.
The time is 9.45.
A fair few people have arrived.
But the presentation isn’t working.
The videos I want to show aren’t playing…
The audio can’t even be heard…
It’s now 9.50.
More people are in the room, quite a crowd in fact.
We managed to get the videos playing…
But there still isn’t any audio…
And now the presentation is resolutely failing to work.
The time has ticked on to just before 10.
The room is full, everyone is here…
And they're all watching an embarrassed me, and a flustered organiser, trying to make the presentation, audio, and videos work…
With no success.
None. At. All.
At that point, mercifully, I generally wake up.
Albeit with pounding heart and sweat-soaked sheets.
I’m reminded of my nightmare because I’ve just spent a couple of days teaching some brilliant NHS frontline staff about public speaking and presentations.
Don’t worry, kind reader, all went well.
But! All was good partly because I've learnt an important lesson from many an IT issue.
I made sure to arrive soon after nine for a 10 o’clock start.
And it did indeed take us around 25 minutes to make sure everything was working well with the presentation.
I didn’t have a complicated set up.
It’s just that every venue I have ever been to is always different in terms of the way the equipment works…
And it can take a while to sort.
The upshot was I had a splendid time with some inspiring health service professionals.
And they were kind enough to say that my teaching was very helpful for their critical work.
But part of the reason I was able to feel relaxed, and perform at my peak…
Was that I was all set up and ready to go with half an hour to spare before we began.
Which also had the added advantage that I could set up the room according to my exacting tastes.
(You know the kind of thing: primadonna me, lilies around the windows, orange M and Ms only, et cetera.)
Or just a seating plan, ventilation, and lighting, to be more accurate.
But little things make a difference in important moments.
Not least having the time to get yourself a cup of tea or coffee, and a fortifying breath of air, before the session begins.
If you’ve got an important moment coming up, whether it’s a presentation, talk, pitch for investment, or whatever…
Always, always, always get in early.
The investment in time is well worth the reward in terms of making sure you're in the ideal frame of mind to perform at your very best.
