Technical glitches are disrupting your presentation flow. Can you keep the audience engaged and informed?

When technical glitches disrupt your presentation flow, maintaining audience engagement and information dissemination hinges on staying calm and composed. Promptly acknowledge the issue with reassurance, such as, "We're experiencing a technical glitch with the slides. Please bear with us while we resolve this." Use the opportunity to verbally engage the audience with relevant anecdotes or thought-provoking questions. By staying composed and continuing to interact despite the disruption, you demonstrate professionalism and ensure the audience remains attentive and informed until the issue is resolved.

Technical glitches do happen for real, The way I have coped with it include : 1. Firstly tell them that I did not plan this break. 2. I tell them that let's put this time to good use and ask them for their question about the subject and answer them. 3. I include them in my conversation so much that they forget that we had a tech glitch in the first place. I am in front of them because they want to listen to me , when there is a glitch, I involve them so much that they simply love the in person connect and talk. Every one of us can do it, try it.

If technical glitches disrupt the flow of your presentation staying calm is key. Acknowledge the issue with a brief, light-hearted comment to reduce tension, then move to speaking from memory by using any available backup materials. As a public speaking coach I always suggest keeping cue cards at hands with key pointers. The aim should always be to practice your presentation without technical aids as well so that you can totally internalise your material in the case of a glitch. Maintain eye contact and continue to convey your key messages clearly and confidently. Engage the audience with questions or anecdotes related to your topic, turning the disruption into an interactive opportunity.

I clearly remember the situation when I turned to the next slide, and it wasn’t the one I expected to see. The organizers did not have the latest version of my presentation. It took me a second to recover and turn to the audience to engage them by bringing up the topic that should have been on the slide. Recovery is your greatest skill once on the stage. One of the best ways to recover is to turn to your audience and engage with them!

In the event of a glitch, dialogue helps. I have asked my audience to ask me their questions and I answer them and also open the floor for others to also provide their perspective for some questions. Make every one involved, they love it and they will love this way of interaction.

There was once that the sound system failed when I was speaking to an audience of 80+. I got off the stage and went amidst them and asked if I could speak from there, they were happy and said yes, I loved the attention , I moved around and spoke and interacted. It was possibly one of the best talks I gave and I remember it so well.

If you have practiced it enough, you know your presentation by heart. Trust me, you don't need the slides or printouts. Just adapt to the environment, engage your audience in a conversation and have fun.

You can use the break t recap what you spoke about. Summarise them and speak for a few minutes about it. Audience loves the recap, they also like that you care about them and used this time to recap, it helps to keep the audience feel wanted.

Improv is a leadership skill! You’ll face a lot of unknowns on the stage regardless of how many times you have practiced. Improvisation means adapting your content on the fly to make sure you’re responding to what’s needed in the moment. This ability to think quickly and adjust your approach is crucial in maintaining the flow and effectiveness of your presentation. Whether you encounter unexpected questions, technical issues, or a shift in audience mood, your capacity to improvise allows you to remain composed and in control. By honing your improvisation skills, you enhance your leadership qualities, demonstrating flexibility, quick thinking, and the ability to engage and connect with your audience under any circumstances.

During a technical glitch, I asked the audience if they needed a bio break, I did ask them to do a show of hands, when i saw more than 60% raised their hands, I announced a break for 15 mins and guess what they were back on time. It helps to do something that helps the audience like an unscheduled break.