How to Manage a Public Speaking Disaster

No matter what way you slice it, any number of things can go wrong during a presentation. Sometimes it’s because you’re having an off day, sometimes it’s due to an unruly audience, and other times it’s just our weird and unpredictable universe wreaking havoc. The point is, disaster has a way of striking, even if you’re well-prepared.

Now, this isn’t said to scare you, but rather to prepare you. A presentation disaster doesn’t also have to be a personal or professional disaster as long as you manage it with grace and consideration. In fact, a well-managed disaster can even work in your favor and propel you forward in your career—you just need to know how to play it.

Take a Short Time to Recover
No matter how or why your presentation bombed, take some time to recover and soothe your sorrows with your favorite indulgence. Maybe that’s a night in of watching trash television. Maybe it’s blowing off some steam with friends and a few drinks. Regardless of what you do, spending time doing what makes you happy and comfortable helps to put things in perspective. But take care not to take too much time. A day or two to feel sorry for yourself is fine, but then it’s time to pick yourself up and move forward.

Assess What Happened
Once you’ve taken some time for yourself to recover, it’s time to take a close and honest look at what happened. If the disaster was a result of a less than stellar audience, then examine what you can do to better familiarize yourself with future audience demographics. If it’s something you said or did, then consider what you could’ve done to prepare yourself better. One of the great things about a presentation disaster is that it’s an awesome opportunity for you to learn from your mistakes and give a better presentation next time.

Solicit Feedback From Trusted Sources
In addition to your own assessment, you’ll also want to get feedback on what happened from those you trust. An outsider’s perspective will give you valuable insight on the outside perceptions of your presentation and provide you with areas to work on that you might not have identified otherwise. Just be sure that the feedback you take is from people you trust. Don’t read any wild comment sections or accept criticism from people with questionable motives.

Remember That This Happens to the Best of ‘Em
After a bad presentation, your mind is going to try to trick you into thinking you’re a bad presenter—don’t let it. Even the best presenters in the world have a few horrible talks under their belt. The key is to remember that just because you had a rough go of it, doesn’t mean you won’t kick some serious ass the next time, especially if you’re honest about what happened and how to improve it going forward.

Speak Again as Soon as You Can
Get back on the presentation horse as soon as you can. When we mess up, it’s incredibly easy to avoid the thing that embarrassed us. But the more time that goes by between a bad presentation and your next one, the harder and more stressful it’ll be to get on stage again. Therefore, you need to make a concerted effort to present again as soon as you can, even if that means presenting to a Toastmaster’s group instead of delivering a professional presentation. The sooner you’re back on the horse, the sooner your bad presentation will be nothing more than a distant memory.

Want more ways to elevate your presentation game? Check out Ethos3’s Catapult Training.

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