Your recurrent nightmares?
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 07:04AM 
If you're not 10 minutes early, you're late. My dad
I have a similar nightmare at least once a month. No, it is not Mr. Bean's head on Pamela Anderson's body. It's even worse.
Invariably in my dream I am scheduled to do a presentation and I am either late, far from the presentation site, can't find the right equipment, or am supposed to speak on a topic of which I know nothing. And what makes it particularly nightmarish is that I willfully seem to do everything possible to make the situation worse - usually wandering around and getting lost or doing absolutely trivial things.
Yesterday, for the first time in 15 years of doing professional presentations, my nightmare actually came true. I got the wrong date on my speaking calendar. I was in my office in Minnesota when I should have been five hours away in Madison, WI. Actually I got the date right, but it was changed to a day earlier and I somehow missed recording that change.
I keep a semi-accurate list of organizations for which I've worked. I count now well over 200 days of doing talks or workshops - or probably a low ball estimate of 600 individual talks or workshops. I've driven all night because of cancelled flights to makes some of these. I've never "called in sick." Even equipment failures have been blessedly rare (knock wood). So you might say missing only one out of 200 ain't bad.
Well, it's bad to that one who counted on you.
I feel terrible about it. And I am genuinely sorry.
I'm adopting a new procedure to verify all information at least a week in advance - including the date I am speaking. Just the first of a series of compensations for an aging brain?
Reader Comments (5)
I can sympathize. I thought all this electronic calendaring stuff was supposed to make this kind of thing never happen. Good luck with the new system. However, truly 1 time about 200 is an excellent record.
So sorry this happened to you. I try to email the coordinator to confirm the date and time of my presentation the week before and worried if I sounded too anxious or overeager by doing that. Now after reading your post, I feel better and will continue.
Thanks for the sympathy. I confirmed everything BUT the date this time. Hard lesson learned.
Yeah, what about those electronic calendars!
All the best,
Doug
As someone on the opposite end, i schedule presenters to speak at workshops and conferences. Having had a keynote presenter unable to make it to our location for a conference, I can tell you that it is truly a bad experience on both ends...in my circumstance bad weather delayed flights, but i could not help feel a sense of "what else could i have done on my end...?" For people who do what I do for a living, you learn to put into place the same precautions that you are taking...only now i worry that i'm bothering presenters to death when i confirm arrangements. Now that this has happened to you, maybe you can tell me as a presenter, are those of us who plan conferences and confirm every little last detail just a thorn in your side or are we actually being helpful? What can we do to make every speaking engagement a success? I'd certainly appreciate your input!
Things happen...and in this example it has happened to me more than once...we live and learn!
Hi Lindsey,
I have some travel tips here about how I work to ensure travel delays are as small a possibility as I can.
Personally, I like contact from the host. A few emails show care and concern and well worth the time it takes to answer them.
I'm guessing you do a bang-up job. It's always much more rewarding working for someone who is organized and has clear goals.
All the best,
Doug