Brad Montgomery’s Laugh-O-Nomics: Meeting Planner Sabotages Keynote Speaker
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I got my gear set, was all-systems-go with the AV team, and had chatted with the big boss (who by the way had hired me two times in the past.)Â So far, everything is easy and fun.
But here is where it gets hinky. I was about to grab a box lunch… I was starving and was needed calories before I spoke for an hour and a half … when I casually asked the meeting planner if I could have a sandwich. I asked her knowing it was a formality. Of course she would feed her speaker.  I nearly didn’t ask.
I was wrong. She said, “Oh no, those are for the participants.â€Â I thought she was joking. “You’re kidding, right?â€Â   I honestly thought she was joking about not feeding me.
BBC: Cat turns up on weatherman’s set
A cat wandered onto the set of a live weather forecast by Germany’s leading meteorologist Joerg Kachelmann. Kachelmann had just started his two-minute forecast when the cat appeared – but he scooped it up and finished his forecast. (Video. Would you be able to handle a distraction like this with this much aplomb or would you be completely derailed?)
Pro Humorist: Public Speaking Advice: Reading Audiences
I noticed one of the audience members in the front row falling asleep. I’m not normally known for being the sort of soporific speaker to send someone into a slumber. My mind immediately began racing through my potential options whilst my mouth carried on on auto-pilot. Here were the choices as I saw them:
1) I could draw attention to sleeping beauty
2) I could let sleeping dogs lie.
IttyBiz: 7 Lessons From A Big Launch
This Christmas, I bought Jamie the full series of The West Wing on DVD and we’ve been watching a few episodes each night. What never ceases to amaze me is how many colossal fuck ups take place. They have an in-house staff of hundreds and TENS OF THOUSANDS off-site. Their staff are among the most highly trained people in the world, and shit still goes horribly wrong. They do their best to predict, but there’s only so much they can do.
They have thousands of people employed to predict and prevent disaster. You have you. Cut yourself some slack.
FailBlog: Pen Trick Fail (Video. You need to watch to the end.)
CNET: Steal the slide show with Victorinox Presentation Pro
At this year’s CES, Victorinox announced the newest member of its team, the Presentation Pro. This convenient business tool is small enough to slip into your pocket or onto your keychain, but don’t be fooled by its mini size–this thing has every gadget you’ll need to give a business slide show presentation.