I don’t know about you, but personally I want to live to 100. After that, I can tap out. It is what it is. But up until then, I have to navigate life, be careful, make the right decisions.. and ONLY HOPE that I can make it anywhere near that age. Time wait’s on no one and anything can happen to derail me off the path to my goal. So I must move correctly and hope for the best. As a Public Speaker, anything can throw your train of thought off. Anything… big or small. So you must prepare correctly and hope for the best. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t expect the worse to happen. Just like in life, there are many things that can mess up your plans for a successful or error free presentation. And that’s why you shouldn’t be oblivious to possible interruptions or distractions.

Maybe it’s a phone ringing and buzzing because a person didn’t listen when the event organizer asked everyone to “quiet their phones”. It’s literally ringing for what seems like forever because that special person hasn’t quite figured out that it’s their phone yet. Everyone is giving that awkward and puzzled look trying to figure out who is guilty. It could be the person who doesn’t even want to be there, so they are busy on their laptop and they have their earphones in. But they don’t even realize that their bluetooth didn’t connect and the video they thought they were watching “silently” is now blasting throughout the auditorium. What about the person who, at no fault of their own, may have a child or even a toddler with them who was once sleep, but is now up and a little cranky. The parent is doing their best to exit quietly, but the little one won’t leave without being remembered. I can literally run through numerous scenarios that are bound to happen when you are on stage and for the most part, may seem out of your control.  Practically anything that you didn’t rehearse can throw your thought process off. But it doesn’t matter if I reveal them or not, because you have to be ready for whatever. It’s almost like you should assume the best and expect the worse. As horrible as that sounds, it’s reality.

As a speaker, you have to have a stone-cold laser focus. If you aren’t, it can cause your audience to lose interest and it can also cause your message to be derailed. Many of the distractions I’ve named so far are external… mostly things that fall beyond your control. But you also must be prepared for those internal distractions as well. They can consists of the other things you have to deal with in your life… maybe it’s a sick family member.. a stressful day at work.. or even the fact that after you get off the stage you have to race home and prepare dinner for the kids. Like I said earlier, the list can go on and on. When it comes to those personal distractions, what I’m about to say can be easier said than done, but do your best to put those distractions to the side for that moment.

So this all great, but what should you do if you feel like you’ve prepared for whatever and you STILL get thrown off by something. Welp, remember what I once said in a previous tip.. you are human. First of all, realize that it’s going to be ok. Next up, you need to realize that some distractions are inevitable and when those do occur, you must do your best to get back on track. In Tip #12, I talked about knowing when is the right time to apologize. Well, if there is a noticeable distraction that throws you off, then that would be the right occasion in which you apologize. Also, If the distraction is real big, you can direct everybody’s attention to it and talk about it.. maybe even incorporate it into your talk right then and there. The possibilities are endless and distractions will be waiting on you, so all I’m really saying is do your best to stay ready.

Make your next presentation, your best presentation!

Sincerely,

Julian A. Leonard
(Founder of The JLeonard Group LLC)

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