How to Deal with the Unpredictable

You’ve practiced for days. You’ve been preparing for weeks. You’ve poured much of your soul into this presentation, and you couldn’t sleep the night before because you’re so nervous. This is just such a Big Deal. During that fitful night’s sleep, you thought over everything that could possibly go wrong. And in the morning, with a third cup of coffee in your hand, you make sure everything is in its right place so that those nightmares won’t come to fruition. More than likely, if you’ve done your work and you’ve practiced accordingly, those bad things, those glitches won’t happen. But sometimes things go wrong despite our best efforts and for no particular reason. Here’s how to deal with the unpredictable during a presentation.

Tolerate Interruptions

We are right to expect a certain level of attention and respect from our audience, and usually that is what we receive: a group of people sitting silently, passively taking in our information. If you want your audience to wait until the end of your presentation to ask questions, it’s useful to specify that at the beginning. Usually the audience will make a mental note of that and simply jot down questions that arise to ask later. However, sometimes you’ll have the rare audience member who simply disregards your request, and interrupts you while you’re presenting. The most important thing to remember in this situation is to remain calm and unfazed. It’s obviously not ideal to be interrupted, especially after you’ve practiced uninterrupted so often, but take the question in stride. Give an answer that lends itself to an easy transition to the upcoming slide. Be at your fullest attention while you present; don’t be passive and simply go through the motions. Be alert and aware of impending questions or interruptions that you may have to address during your presentation.

Expect Unusual Questions

Finally! You’ve finished your presentation, and you feel an onslaught of relief. But then comes the Q&A section, and one bothersome audience member asks you something to which you don’t quite know the answer. In this case, it’s helpful to have already brainstormed various questions that could be asked, specifically ones that might throw you off or have you on your toes. However, if you’re asked something completely random, take the question in stride and answer it as best as you can. The worst thing you can do is appear obviously flustered and fidgety. Answer the question with whatever knowledge you have, and don’t be afraid to admit to not knowing the answer. Mention a few secondary sources the audience member could reference to find the answer he’s looking for, or explain to the person that that particular question wasn’t something you covered in your research. Regardless of how you tackle the unforeseen question, remember to remain confident and collected.

Surprise! Time’s Up!

One of the worst situations you can find yourself in when giving a presentation is if your time is dramatically shortened because of some unexpected reason. This should be a rare occurrence, but it’s a good idea to consider how you will react if the situation presents itself. Make sure you cover the most essential information in your presentation, and try to follow the presentation’s original structure. If you face a significant time loss, cut out the least important section of your presentation. Awful and infuriating, yes, but it’s better to deliver some of the presentation in full than all of it halfway. You can also offer to send a copy of the full presentation to the audience members so they can look at the parts you had to leave out.

 

Above all, stay calm, cool and collected in the face of a problem during your presentation. You will retain your audience’s respect if you deal with a problem in a rational, relaxed way. Don’t lose your head. Bad stuff happens. Your reaction to those unexpected occurrences is what truly matters, and your reaction reveals a lot about who you are.  





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