Public speaking can be terrifying. Even for people who have been doing it for a very long time. We’ve all had our fair share of awkward moments—forgotten lines, tech fails, the occasional audience member snoring in the front row. But I swear I’ve lived through the mother of all presentation nightmares.
It started off like a dream. I was hired to do presentation training for a government agency—about a hundred people in a hotel ballroom. The session went great. People were laughing, learning, everyone was having a great time. I walked out of there feeling like Mick Jagger.
Fast forward a month. The same agency calls back and asks if I can do another session. My office says yes—no questions asked. Easy win, right?
Wrong.
I arrive at the venue and immediately sense something’s off. The room is a greenhouse of glass—picture windows everywhere, no blinds, and the sun blazing in like it’s auditioning for a role in a disaster movie. The room divider is stuck, so 100 people are crammed into a space built for maybe 60. Everyone’s just had lunch (I believe it was pasta). Everybody is hot and sleepy.
Then the organizer gets up and says, “We had Richard do some training for us a couple of months ago… and now, here he is… to pick up where he left off!”
The blood immediately drained from my face.
I look around and realize: it’s the same group. The exact same people I trained eight weeks ago. And I’m holding the exact same program. For two hours.
I try to pivot. I try to improvise. But then the microphone starts feeding back—ear-piercing, glass-shattering feedback. The tech team rushes in to fix it, and in their enthusiasm, they knock over the podium. My notes go flying like confetti at a very sad parade.
And that’s how it started.
It didn’t get better. I managed to get through the session, drenched in sweat and existential dread. I left convinced I’d never hear from them again.
But here’s the twist: they kept bringing me back. Different groups, thankfully. Apparently, it wasn’t as catastrophic as it felt.
So, if you’ve ever bombed with a presentation, just remember: it’s always worse in our own heads, sometimes the worst moments make for good stories—and occasionally, they even get you invited back.
