Oh No! During a Meeting with High Level Execs, I Fell Out of my Chair. Now What?

During a meeting with some high level executives around a conference table, I fell out of my chair and landed flat on my back. (Yes, really!) Here's what happened.

I was invited to Stockholm by one of the world's largest beverage companies to deliver a full day workshop to a group of its international leaders. My travel itinerary was to take an early flight from Denver to Chicago, then to Frankfurt, and then to Stockholm. However, when I arrived in Chicago, there was a problem with the next plane and I had to be rerouted. My new itinerary became Chicago to Munich, then to Zurich, and then to Stockholm with a total additional travel time of 27 hours. Due to the changes, the only seats available were in economy, and for me, that meant no sleep. My original plan was to arrive in Stockholm at 7 AM local time which would have given me an entire day to regain my bearings before the workshop the following day. As it turned out, I arrived in Stockholm around 5 PM, and with no luggage. Apparently, it was stuck in Munich. I explained to the airline representative that I desperately needed my suitcase so that I could change out of the clothes I had been wearing for the past 35 hours. She assured me that my luggage would be delivered to my hotel later that evening. I found it difficult to sleep while waiting for my suitcase which finally arrived around 3 AM.

I set an alarm for 5:30 AM to allow enough time to clean up, put on a nice suit, and get to the client’s offices. When I arrived at the conference room, my adrenaline kicked in and I managed to do quite well throughout the day. (By the way, never, ever, tell your audience at the beginning of your presentation that you’re tired, not feeling well, etc. They expect and deserve your best no matter what the circumstances.)

The workshop concluded around 4:30 PM that afternoon. By then, I had been awake for more than 58 hours! When I attempted to head back to my hotel for some rest before my early return flight the next morning, the leader of the group suggested that we share taxis back to the hotel and then head out for dinner. But first there was to be a brief final presenter via conference call. I agreed to wait and took a seat at the conference table. The call came in and the presenter droned on about himself for at least 20 minutes.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor! I had passed out from extreme exhaustion. Once I realized what had happened, I immediately placed myself back into my chair. Everyone witnessed my fall and showed some concern (and some chuckles) except for the boring virtual presenter who continued to talk about himself for another 10 minutes before the group leader told him we were out of time.

As we climbed into our taxis, someone told me to “buckle in.” There was a good laugh. When we arrived at our hotel, the group leader said, “Okay, freshen up and meet back in the lobby in 15 minutes so we can head out to dinner.” I explained that I would have to pass so I could get some much needed sleep before my early morning return flight.

As soon as I got to my room, I realized that I had to follow my own advice. I could not let my “Oh No’ moment be their last impression of me. So I removed my coat and tie and headed back to the lobby. We walked to a nearby restaurant and sat on stools at a large high-top table in the bar (actually, I chose to stand) as we waited some time for a dinner table. Drinks were ordered and we all chatted informally about our personal perspectives on various topics. After a while, I said goodbye with a hand shake, eye contact, and a friendly smile to each person..

Did I land on my feet (literally and metaphorically)? I believe so. And, I got a great story out of the whole ordeal!

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but rising each time we fall.” – Confucius


(See my new book, Presentations A to Z: The Handbook for Presenters, Second Edition available at Amazon.com)