Interruptions

One of the challenges associated with presenting to your colleagues, clients or even at a conference is the interruption of late arrivals.

For some it may be a matter of course or culture, ie everyone is always late to meetings, it could be they went to the wrong venue, lost track of time or were caught in traffic.

It’s safe to assume in almost all instances it has NOTHING to do with you.

When people are late to my programs, I am always welcoming and if there is any participation coming up, I use that time to check in that all is OK.  It allows them to know that I understand things happen and allow them the physical and mental “space” to prepare.  In some instances, if it causes a significant disruption and requires me to do something with them, I usually have a task or two I can get audiences to undertake.

What do you do when someone comes in late or interrupts your presentations?  Are you thrown off track, do you have a “toolkit” of ideas to make the transitions easier or do you just continue to go on.

What you do can depend on the circumstances and the size of the group, but you should always have a plan and be able to easily “snap” back to where you were before they came in.

So do you have a plan for your next team or client presentation if you are interrupted?

If not, perhaps you should?

Find out how Donna helps teams use technology get more productive. Visit www.donnahanson.com.au