In my experience, I have never allowed a presentation to hinder my performance. My guiding principle is that the presentation should complement my expertise, rather than the other way around. As presenters, our role is to serve as the primary source of knowledge, not the presentation itself. In case the projector fails, this is what I would do: 1. Engage the audience directly: Shift the focus to establishing a more interactive and conversational environment. 2. Illustrate with stories and Examples: Share compelling narratives, real-life scenarios, or case studies to make the points memorable and maintain audience engagement without the use of visuals. 3. Rely on my expertise: verbally deliver insights and data.

First, understand what you are doing. Are you teaching? Are you sharing information? Are you leading a discussion? Or, are you entertaining? If you are teaching or sharing information, you move quickly from the slides/videos. You are now basing everything on your notes. You supplement them with your experience and knowledge. This is where stories become vital. Involving questions also become key - how do you get the audience involved? The key is delivering what the audience wants.

Attitude is everything! I would add humour to the situation, it is a normal thing. Irrespective of the number of dry runs - whatever has to happen would happen. The time would be to go back to basics and use the simple human connect - 'make it coversational'. Ask questions, explain, tell the brand story, use real life examples, connect the pain points, if a flip chart or handouts are handy, amazing or you can sail through anyway.

When tech fails, adaptability is key! I’d pivot to storytelling, use real-life examples, and engage the audience with questions. If possible, I'd share handouts or digital resources to keep things flowing smoothly.