Speakers, Always Expect Tech to Fail (a.k.a Have a Back Up Plan): Ep. 116

This episode is a cautionary tale about what can happen when technology fails during a speaking engagement. Heather recounts her experience speaking at the first PodConf, a podcasting conference located in Portland, Oregon (organized by Pat Cheung).

Heather shares her SNAFUs and emphasizes the importance of being prepared for tech failures and having a backup plan. She also discusses how we should listen to the universe, her propensity for leaving smears on flat surfaces, and shares a mishap involving a pane of glass.

SHOW MENTIONS:
PodConf: Website
Podinbox Software: Website
Podcast Growth Hacks: Podcast

Contact Heather: Instagram - LinkedIn - Email: [e-mail]
Get Radical With Your Business: Facebook - Website
Book a Discovery Call (via Zoom) - Schedule
Zeitzwolfe Accounting: Website - Facebook

Episode Transcript

Heather Zeitzwolfe (00:00):
Hey folks, this is Heather's And you are
listening to get radical withyour business.
And today we're talking aboutwhen technology fails.

(00:24):
I want to share with you acautionary tale.
I had the pleasure of speakingat pod comp that's with an F pod
com.
P O D C O N F pat from pod inboxand the podcast podcast growth
hacks started a new conferencein Portland, Oregon.

(00:47):
I had the pleasure of being onone of the round table groups,
where I got to present and havean interactive discussion with
audience members.
I was thrilled.
We had several meetings beforethe actually event on zoom.
And I came up with the, I'mgoing to say brilliant in air

(01:10):
quotes.
Idea.
That all the speakers could haveQR codes.
For the attendees to downloadtheir.
Workbooks guidebooks, whateverthey were presenting.
I worked on my guidebook.
I was so excited about sharingit.
I set it up in Squarespace sothat you could fill out a little

(01:31):
form so I could capture theiremail address.
And then the guide book wouldappear once they click the
button.
Well, I tested that thing out.
And it worked on my computer.
And even in the morning before Iwent to the event, I was like,
I'm just going to test it again.
And I tested again and itworked.

(01:51):
But I've forgot the fact thatmost people wouldn't have
laptops at this event.
People would be downloading thison their phone.
Did I test it on a phone?
No, I did not.
Mistake number one.
Then I was in a rush to get tothe event in the morning.
I had to catch my bus and I waslike, ah, I should've grabbed my

(02:13):
laptop.
I'm like, I don't need it.
I can just use my phone.
Um, mistake number two.
On a side note when I wasgetting ready in the morning to
go to this event, I was thinkinglike, Ooh, it's time to pick out
a good outfit.
Because I was speaking about thefinancial part of podcasting and

(02:35):
monetization.
I was like, Ooh, this is a goodexcuse to bring out my leggings
that have money all over them.
So I put those on, and I hadthis giant money.
Necklace is very hip hop, kindof looking, and I could not find
my giant dollar sign.
And I'm like, I got to catch abus.
And so I'm like scrambling.

(02:55):
And then I find my little minione that I got in Las Vegas.
One time that's like a plasticone.
So I put that around my neck andthen I had green hair.
So it was kind of like top tobottom on like the money girl.
That was my saving grace becausepeople remembered me because of
that outfit.
always make a good impressionwhen you can.

(03:17):
So people remember you and ifyou can tie your ensemble.
To, uh, your talk.
And branding yourself thatreally helps.
Tech fails.
Could be one thing, but, uh,having a great outfit.
You know, people are going toremember that.
Because I was spending so muchtime on my outfit.

(03:39):
Didn't spend so much timethinking about the fact I could
have printed out the QR code.
I Instead.
I had it on my phone.
People had to.
Take a picture from my phone.
Uh, okay.
That was a mistake.
Um, you know, sometimes myenvironmental ism goes a little
far and I'm like, oh, I don'twant to print out paper.

(04:00):
I can just use technology.
Sometimes we got to destroy sometrees for our speaking
engagements.
Remember, not everybody is goingto have technology either.
Maybe people like paper.
Maybe they want to be able totake notes.
Didn't really think about that.
Um, yeah.

(04:22):
So I get to the event and it wasa wonderful event.
pat did an awesome job puttingon an event.
I met all kinds of people.
They were really great speakersThere were a lot of local people
from Portland people that camefrom out of town,.
Right before I was to present.
I decided maybe I should check,the phone.
I want to download my PDF so Ican just kind of look through

(04:44):
and make sure that I have all mytalking points.
And I'm starting to panicbecause it's not working.
I touch the button and the PDFdoesn't appear.
There's a speaker up and I feelbad because I'm on my phone
because I, as a speaker.
Appreciate it, when people giveme their full attention and I
felt really horrible being on myphone, but I was really

(05:04):
panicking in the back of theroom.
So I'm trying over again overagain, over again, and, It's not
working, obviously.
And so I'm like, Uh, setting inmy phone.
Is it the Y.
Well, like, what is it?
And then I'm like, oh my God, Ijust have to calm down because
I'm just going to have to rollwith it.
That there.
Is not going to be.

(05:26):
Any technology in mypresentation.
what did this mean?
Well, one, I wasn't able tocapture people's email
addresses, which was my wholeintention.
Two.
the people wouldn't be able to,read along and be able to ask me
questions as I went through theguidebook.
Three, they had nothing to takeaway.

(05:46):
And I had all my contactinformation in that guidebook.
Mistake number three was I hadnothing analog.
I had no paper.
I did have a notebook, but did Ithink to have people write down
their name and their emailaddress in it?
No.
I was too panicked to thinkabout that.

(06:07):
Part of me was thinking like,oh, I'm going to be talking
about like the financialmonetization or podcasting.
I think I did be like threepeople in the room, you know,
there was other talks going on.
I thought, ah, no, one's willingto show up to mine., lo and
behold, the room was packed.
The point is technology.
Can't be relied upon when youare presenting.

(06:30):
Granted people said that I didwell, that they got a lot of
great information from me.
But I would have liked a littlebit of a smoother ride.
I felt a little nervous.
And my nerves would have beencalm if I had some, paper in
front of me and some notes orsomething.
As a speaker.
Don't rely on technology.

(06:50):
As solo preneurs, small timeentrepreneurs.
We don't have fancy.
Rigging and affects like, if youwent to Cirque de Solei or like
a Katy Perry show or something,I mean, God.
I would love to make an entrancewhen I'm speaking, from the
ceiling riding on a unicorn.
Wouldn't that be awesome.

(07:10):
And then like confetti comingdown from the ceiling, I would
love that kind of stuff, thetechnology that I get to use
PowerPoint and PDFs, right.
I mean, that's where we're at.
Don't rely on technology, beprepared tech is always going to
fail and just have a backupplan.
I failed to have a backup plan.
I had to kind of wing it, whichis not my favorite thing to do.

(07:32):
I'm not really a fan of wingingit.
Sometimes in life, we do have towing it.
And it wasn't a full wing.
Because I knew what I wanted totalk about.
It wasn't totally improv, but beprepared to, one wing it to have
some notes, three, remembertechnology always fails.
Here's the other lesson that Ilearned that day.

(07:53):
I think the universe sends ussigns.
That certainly was one sign.
The other sign was.
My husband the night before.
He was telling me I put myfingerprints on everything and
like glass and windows and,that's just how I am.
Like, I don't think about it.
I just like grab stuff and myfingerprints get on things.

(08:15):
And he's like, you got smearseverywhere, you know?
In the morning, I looked at mymirror and it had like a coffee,
In a big stain is running downbecause I'm very clumsy.
One time I walked into or bumpedmy mirror and the, like the like
coffee and my coffee cup, justsprayed all over the mirror and
it just kind of ran down and.
It's lower than where I'mlooking.

(08:36):
So I never cleaned it up.
I'm admitting this.
It's all my mirror right there.
Anyway, I'm at this event, I'mabout to leave it's in this
hotel in downtown Portland.
And I see some of the peoplethat were in my talk in The
lobby of this hotel and I'mlike, Hey, you had a nice
meeting, you guys, then I'mgoing to leave.

(08:56):
And I think it's an open door.
But it's a pane of glass and Iwalk boom right into it.
And it kind of did that.
Like, You know, made the noiseat vibrated.
Smooth move Heather.
Right.
And, Then I stepped back.
And my glasses are all a skewand my hair, I realized later it

(09:17):
was like all funky and funkierthan normal.
I look at the glass and there isan imprint of me all over this
glass.
Like my husband's worstnightmare of what I would do to
a pane of glass.
Like you can see like some of mylipstick, my cheeks.
Uh, the imprints over myglasses, my shoulders, like the
whole shebang.

(09:38):
And the people were like, oh myGod, are you okay?
Cause I mean, it was the loudnoise.
And I was like, yeah, yeah, I'mfine.
And, uh, But I made a quick exitbecause I really was going to my
bus and I did not want to missmy bus.
So what did I learn?
Two things.
The universe tells you things.
Listen.
I need to clean up some glass, Iguess.

(10:00):
And then go out there Speak.
because that is a great way togenerate leads in your business.
But never rely on the technologyto work.
All right, folks.
See you next time.