It truly is painful to watch. But the real shocker is that it happened to a Hollywood power broker; a man who makes a handsome living communicating to the public through his films. If you haven’t see it, check out Director/Producer Michael Bay’s epic speech meltdown at CES. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4rMy1iA268

I admit upfront I have absolutely no inside information but you can rub the proverbial crystal ball on this one and take a very logical guess how this went down-a last minute commitment, an assistant or agent wrote his speech, he wanted to practice it but ran out of time to prep and was told don’t worry, it will all be on teleprompter. I may be off on some of this but I know I am not wrong about the teleprompter part. Good old teleprompters. Whether old school or digitally delivered, at times they fail and you need to plan accordingly. Clearly, that didn’t happen and this Hollywood Producer/Director panicked.

So, what can you do to avoid a Michael Bay meltdown at your next speech or presentation?

-Prepare. A teleprompter is a tool, a guide only. You must take the time to be able to deliver your speech on your own. Take an index card with some bullet points with you to keep you on track.

-Don’t panic. This was surprising, considering Bay had someone with him conducting an on-stage live interview. Generally, people are understanding and they know mistakes will happen. Acknowledge the problem and do your best to deliver your message points.

-Have a sense of humor. It’s okay to make fun of yourself and the problem. Everyone will laugh and you get to push the reset button.