261. Catch curveballs with confidence

What do you do when things don’t go to plan on stage? A tech glitch, a wardrobe mishap, a tiny audience when you expected a full house?

This week, I’m fresh from 4 speaking gigs in 4 days — and let’s just say, the curveballs came flying!

In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes to share 5 real-life moments that didn’t go as expected and exactly how I handled them.

You’ll hear:
💡 How to adapt when your audience isn’t what you expected
💡 Why a wardrobe “malfunction” can actually work in your favour
💡 The best way to hold your presence through tech issues
💡 What to do when you miss a cue or forget a part of your talk
💡 How to turn a chaotic speaking environment into deep connection

Transcript

Oh my gosh, what a week.

I am recording this after doing 4 speaking gigs in 4 days.

Now did everything go as planned … not exactly. There were a few curveballs.

But as I always say, NO speaking engagement will ever go as you expect.

Which is why we prepare in the masculine and deliver in the feminine.

Meaning we can and should prepare our content, have good briefing calls with the organisers and practise.

But when we’re up there we flow like water, roll with the punches, catch those curveballs and feel into the energy of the moment – not only is that how you deal with unexpected surprises, that’s the only way you can stay smack bang in the present moment and really connect with your audience.

As a former speech and drama, musical theatre kid, I heard this phrase so much growing up – THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

And in practise that happens when you have unwavering confidence in your voice and in your message.

And when you have that every curveball becomes something that either means nothing, or ADDS to the presentation.

Curveballs do not hit you and knock you off course. They give you the opportunity to catch a vibe and be in the moment.

Now this is all good in theory so after my big speaking week, I thought it was a good chance to give you practical real life examples of what it looks like to get thrown a curveball and catch it with confidence.

I’ve got 5 for you.  5 things that broke an expectation, didn’t go to “plan”, hurled me a curveball.

Starting with my first gig of the week which was in Brisbane for the Melanoma Institute, helping year 8 and 9 students with their presentation confidence, so they could present their sun safety pitch at the end of the day.

So this curveball was a BROKEN AUDIENCE EXPECTATION.

So I was expecting to present to hundred or so people – and unfortunately there were only 12 kids that attended. Really disappointing, especially when several schools simply didn’t show up on the day.

I’d planned for a big audience who were terrified of speaking and I got a small audience who all seemed pretty confident.

This might happen to you – a broken audience expectation.

Now this doesn’t negate the need for a briefing call. I couldn’t turn up expecting to speak to adults and then learn it’s teenagers. You need to have the call with the organiser to get clear on the audience.

Even so, I’ve had clients who were told it was all women, and they’ve turned up and it’s half men. Or I’ve been told it’s a group of leaders and turn up and find most don’t even have anyone reporting to them… so it happens.

So on the fly, I was able to adjust the content, I came closer to the students, I used lots of audience interaction that may have derailed the presentation had it been a huge group. I didn’t use a microphone, I used names. A large audience presentation, became a small group workshop and that’s fine. Students told me at the end they found it so engaging – now to be fair I was one of the only presenters who stepped away from the lectern, it is amazing the rapport you can get by stepping away from that barrier.

Do you have the skills to adapt and adjust if there’s a broken audience expectation?

Alright curveball 2 was a wardrobe malfunction.

I spoke at Tash Corbin’s Heart-Centred business conference at Noosa, gosh it was great.

Now just as I was acting out the big U shape that Patrick and I made on the front page of the Hobart Mercury…. My beautiful gold necklace came undone and fell into my hand.

Now when it came undone it made a big u shape so it was one of those curveballs that invited UTILISATION which is where you use what ever happens IN your presentation. And it actually added to the comedy.

So on stage you can put the FUN in wardrobe malfunction.

Then curveball 3 in the same presentation was a tech issue with the slides.

Now I don’t actually know what happened. While I shared one story I had just a black slide. I like to do this when I want the attention on me and my voice and want people to reflect inward without a big glaring slide. So I don’t know whether it timed out, or whether the tech guy thought there was an issue because nothing was on the screen.

Anyway, it caused a bit of distraction behind me.

So I slowed right down.

Big pauses.

I didn’t ignore it – as you might think is the best thing to do, the show must go on.

If I had’ve continued as normal, I would’ve had to compete with the distraction of the tech.

So I needed to acknowledge it. Not in this context by saying something. Because I was in the depths of a serious story. But I had to pause to keep that audience with me.

So if you do have a tech issue. Sure a joke about canva gremlins or something can be great but if you are in a big part of the presentation don’t carry on and don’t just drop out, you can vocally hold the energy through the glitch.

Now do you have the skills and confidence to do that?

People who have coaches and are in Soul Speakers for example can, because these are skills you learn.

Ok curveball number 4 – in that same speak up for your business presentation I used my bright pink retro phone as a prop – you may have seen it. It’s the Voiceprint confession phone… you’ll be seeing more of it … it’ll be at the book launch on Dec 7th in Brisbane.

If you have not pre ordered voiceprint, and you’re listening to this right now and getting any semblance of value from it …. Then that hurts my soul.. so please go and pre-order. If you’ve written a book you get it, if you haven’t then please just know as an author these pre sales are so important for us. If we don’t get enough pre sales the book goes the grave before it’s released. So please pre order voiceprint and come to the launch party, reach out if you need the link to buy tickets.

So this pink phone was supposed to come in well before I picked it up. I forgot. I was in the moment, missed the cue. And just improvised to bring it in.

Now it may have looked a bit odd, like why did she used the phone for that tiny bit? But ah well it brings a bit of interest and is subconsciously planting an associated of me and the pink phone, I was in my pink jacket and yes the cover of Voiceprint is pink… so I’d say success.

If you miss a cue, forget a part, have a mindblank… honestly no one knows. To you it might feel like a curveball because it’s gone against your expectation, what if instead, it became exactly what was called to be presented in that moment. That part you forgot? Probably not needed? That random bit you added? Needed.

And never I repeat never say to people afterwards who are complimenting your speech that oh you forgot a part, or missed a chunk or went off on a tangent. That’s just you having a biff with your own expectations, so celebrate what IS and what WAS, rather than what you HOPED. Because what you DID was likely better than what you HOPED.

Ok amazing then back in Brisbane the next day I spoke at a high tea for women in logistics up at the café at Mt Coot-tha. Brisians will know. It’s a beautiful lookout – and I’d done my due diligence briefing call about a week early where I learned – ok,  no powerpoint and probably a handheld mic.

I’d made some assumptions. I assumed we’d be indoors, that there’d be at least somewhere to plop by drink of water and back up notes and maybe a stage type thing.

No No no. It was outdoors, there was other events going on, members of the public nearby, there was nowhere to put my notes, and actually no where to stand where everyone could see me. It was like high tables and low tables. Outdoors, lots of noise.

Now, this is where my vast experience came into play. I was like game on. I grabbed the mic. No notes, a distracted audience and I moved and I projected and I dramatized my story and I stopped while waiters were coming to take champagne orders with comments like ‘you’ll need a drink for the next part’ I even had audience members take the mic at one stage. I shortened the ending, and I am so proud. I had that audience engaged in possibly the most challenging of speaking environments.

It was not a setting where you could effectively use notes, You couldn’t really stay in one spot. People were eating and drinking and all of that.

And I have never had so many people approach me after speaking saying I stirred something within them and when can they read the book.

So that curveball of the setting, I was able to turn into a recipe for connection.

Now with all these curveballs, especially that last one, if you are starting out in speaking, it’s enough to knock you off your perch, and possible not recover.

So this is why speaking and communication training is absolutely essential if you’re going to find yourself on stages with a microphone. That’s how you develop the curveball fitness. It’s where you learn curveball confidence. Places like Soul Speakers.

Because it’s not WILL something go ‘wrong’ it’s reframing it to nothing can go ‘wrong’ but yes it will go ‘different’ YES YES YES something will always go not to plan. We prepare in the masculine and develop the voice and speaking skills to deliver in the feminine like an unbothered queen, who catches curveballs with confidence.