I Have Plans A, B and C

And, if I think about it long enough, I have plans D, E and F! So, there I was, leading my first international seminar. I had been invited by the Alberta Association of Architects to teach 75 people about business development, marketing and proposals. I had three hours to deliver the curriculum, which included a 15-minute break at the hour and forty-five minute mark. My students were experienced firm owners, architect / principals and partners who, at 8:30am, were not yet in the talkative mode for which I had structured the seminar.

Thirty minutes into my presentation, which included a PowerPoint and flip charts, it happened: The blue screen of death. My laptop froze. Without missing a beat, I heeded some of my own advice that I dispense freely in a course on presentations. I briefly apologized for the failed PowerPoint, and kept the presentation moving by switching to my flip charts. I was without electronic media for an hour.

In the back of my head, I kept thinking, "This is bad. My first international audience, and I have failed." I had to block out my thoughts, however, and continue to lecture on roles, responsibilities, competition and value propositioning.

At the break, I rebooted my laptop. The moderator told me to "just wiggle” the mouse, to keep it from timing out. The course resumed at 10:15am and concluded promptly, as scheduled, at 11:45. Despite my dread of poor reviews, I received amazing praise: "You've clearly done this a few times!" to "You rock!" to "You never missed a beat."

I tell my clients all the time: We rely too much on our media to sell or deliver, whether it's a new project, a meet and greet or even a course. The smarter strategy is to rely on ourselves, to know our subject area and to have a backup plan. Technology fails every day, but you don't have to fail with it. The backup plan only helps you. For the record, I've been invited back to Alberta to lecture next year. See you in 2014, Alberta!

Karen Compton, CPSM. Karen Compton is principal of A3K Consulting (Glendale, CA), a business development and strategic planning firm specializing in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. Ms. Compton is also the founder of Industry Speaks™, a web-based business-to-business portal that connects AEC firms with experienced consultants, provides peer reviews of consultants, reports on key industry trends, and publishes expert reviews of professional courses and books. Contact her at kcompton@a3kconsulting.com.