At CES this year, Michael Bay (the famed director/producer who brought us blockbusters like Transformers, Armageddon and the like) lived through what most people dread even more than death – a highly visible brain freeze on stage, causing him to abandon ship and walk off stage.  It became such a “moment” that even Tina Fey weaved it into the Golden Globes joke lineup.

A friend of mine contacted me recently to help him gear up for a keynote he was giving at a big industry conference.  He was in search of “inspiration” or to use his words, “somethin’ to believe in.” (This friend is quite fond of quoting Poison, which is why we are friends).  Because he is naturally a VERY talented presenter, he didn’t immediately open an old deck and “save as.”  He knew how precious the audience’s time was, and wanted to use it well.

Maybe it’s the holiday rush or maybe I just didn’t get my usual coffee doses today, but I’m annoyed by some minor league antics I’m seeing on the conference circuit this Fall/Winter.

I have seen many presentations at various events since September (some streaming, some in person), and continue to be shocked by the idiotic public speaking mistakes we continue to make – even at the highest levels of leadership. Even by the people who should know better.