Episode #79: Presenter Survival Tips For A Tech Meltdown

What do you do when the projector dies, the laptop won’t connect, or the audio cuts out — and everyone is staring at you?
In business presentations, technology failures are common, but losing your composure is optional. Your reputation is built in moments like these, so preparation and flexibility matter more than perfect equipment.

Mini-summary: Tech problems aren’t rare; the real risk is how you respond. Prepare so you stay in control no matter what happens.

Because the venue is an “alien environment.” You didn’t set up the machines, you don’t know their age or quality, and the staff are not presenters. If tech collapses mid-talk, the audience blames the speaker — not the host.

Arriving early lets you:

• test the projector, screen, sound, and connections

• identify missing adapters or incompatible files

• fix issues before the audience arrives

• reduce stress by eliminating surprises

Mini-summary: Early arrival shifts you from helpless to prepared. The audience expects you to manage the room, not the venue.

Never rely on someone else’s setup when your credibility is on the line. A simple backup kit prevents most disasters:

• your own laptop (familiar, updated, controlled)

• backup USB with slides in multiple formats (PowerPoint + PDF)

• hardcopy slide deck you can reference if screens go dark

This preparation protects your flow and your confidence.

Mini-summary: Bring your own tools and redundancies. The fewer unknowns, the calmer you’ll be on stage.

How do you stay calm if the presentation order goes wrong?

Only you know your intended structure. If you jump from point three to point six by mistake, the audience doesn’t know it was a mistake unless you tell them.

So don’t announce problems they don’t need to hear. Keep moving as if it were planned. Confidence covers small errors; apologies spotlight them.

Mini-summary: The audience follows your certainty. Don’t highlight stumbles you can simply step over.

Why is reading a speech word-for-word a problem in business?

Seeing senior executives read line-by-line is damaging because it signals:

• lack of ownership

• weak mastery of the topic

• low engagement with the audience

In business, most talks are not technically impossible to memorize. Leaders should know their industry, strategy, and company well enough to speak naturally.

Mini-summary: Reading scripts erodes credibility. Business audiences expect leaders to lead, not recite.

If the content is extremely technical — the kind no human can hold in memory — then reading can be justified.
But in typical corporate settings, presentations focus on markets, strategy, performance, and goals. These are talkable, not unreadable.

Mini-summary: Reading is for rare, deeply technical cases. Most business talks should be delivered from understanding, not paper.

You can still deliver a powerful talk using prompt words.

A Harvard Business School professor once spoke for three hours with “no notes.” The secret?
A sheet of paper on the back wall contained ten cue words. He spoke to each one in order.

If your tech fails, do the same:

1. Write 6–10 prompt words on paper

2. Follow them as your structure

3. Elaborate with examples, stories, and explanations

4. Describe graphs or trends verbally (“word pictures”)

You lose the visuals, but you keep the message.

Mini-summary: Slides help, but they’re not the presentation — you are. Prompt words let you deliver value even without tech.

Build flexibility into your preparation:

• rehearse enough to know your flow without looking

• prepare a short list of cue words as a hidden backup

• assume something will go wrong and plan your response

• arrive early every time, without exception

If you can present without tech, you’ll never fear it.

Mini-summary: Plan for breakdowns in advance. Confidence comes from knowing you can deliver either way.

• Arrive early and test everything — tech failures are predictable.

• Bring backups (laptop, USB, hardcopy slides) to reduce risk.

• Never flag mistakes the audience can’t see — keep your confidence forward.

• You don’t need slides to succeed — prompt words and stories can carry the talk.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.