Planners spend lots of time searching for, negotiating with, and contracting the right speakers and presenters for their events. But because even the best topic experts are at the mercy of production technology that must work perfectly at the right moment, planners should also spend time working with each presenter and the production team to have alternate ways of proceeding if something goes wrong on stage.
In this article from SmartBrief, veteran presentation coach Stephanie Scotti provides advice for speakers who encounter any possible technology snafus. The workarounds she suggests require upfront coordination between the speaker and the production team, but can minimize any negative effect that a technological glitch might have on an important presentation. If a speaker has a "Plan B" ready to go, then attendees will still get exactly what they came for. Scotti shares a few interesting examples of high-profile conferences and events where the speakers—including Steve Jobs—handled production problems seamlessly.
