What to do when your presentation slides fail

As a speaker, you have to be prepared for ANYTHING to happen – including technical difficulties! It can still be a nerve-wracking experience though when things do go wrong. And presentation slides not working is one of those situations I’ve seen happen more than once unfortunately. Check out my six top tips for how to handle this with ease:

1. Stay calm! Remember YOU are the star, your slides are the backup dancers. Without you, the show cannot go on. It CAN go on without the slides. Rely on your expertise and knowledge to push through this obstacle.

2. Acknowledge the issue with the audience. They’ll appreciate your honesty, and are likely to give you even more grace. After all, there are many people who still have a fear of public speaking and do NOT want to be in your shoes, speaking to an audience. So they do admire the person who can do it! You can even bring some levity to the situation by making a joke: “I guess I wasn’t paying my slides enough to help me, since they’ve decided to bail.”

3. Make sure you have your notes to reference your material. Keep your index cards on standby! They are your BEST safety net. You can put them on the lectern or a table that’s off to the side of the stage.

4. Be flexible and improvise. Prepare to adapt your presentation on the fly for the smoothest delivery possible in your allotted time. You may find there is some material you need to skip or summarize, or audience activities that may need to be modified.

5. If possible, provide handouts or digital copies of your slides to the audience that they can access later. A woman who I know recently told me she created a QR code that audience members could scan to get her presentation slides. You can easily create this code in Canva.

6. It may be helpful (and a nice touch) to ask the audience members to submit any questions to you that you can answer in a recorded Q&A session or you can create a document they can review with your answers. This way, they can gain more clarity on any points you discussed. The event organizers will be impressed too.

Remember to maintain your confidence throughout this challenge! Your demeanor is very important when it comes to influencing how the audience perceives this situation. If you’re composed, they’ll be at ease. If you’re fretting, they’ll be on edge and may lose attention. You got this.

Are you a kingdom man or woman of God who is sick and tired of avoiding public speaking situations or being passed over at work? If so, schedule a complimentary discovery call with me today and let’s discuss the options available to transform your skills.