Technical Problems Don't Ruin Your Credibility. How You Handle Them Can.

You're five minutes into an important presentation when your screen freezes. The slides disappear. Someone says they can't hear you. The link you planned to share won't open.

Now what?

Technical problems happen. Your listeners know that. What affects your credibility isn't always the problem itself. It's whether you prepared for it and how you respond when something goes wrong.

Technology doesn't have to work perfectly for you to communicate credibly. You need to prepare well enough that a technical problem doesn't become the focus of the entire interaction.

That distinction matters.

Preparation Is Part of Communication

Imagine joining an important client meeting and spending the first seven minutes looking for the presentation. You're clicking through folders, apologizing and asking everyone to wait while you figure out why your screen won't share.

Compare that with a leader who joins early, has the presentation open, knows how the platform works and has a backup copy ready.

Before either person says anything important, the listener has already experienced something different.

Preparation communicates.

That's especially important in virtual and hybrid environments, where technology can affect how easily people participate. Microsoft's research on hybrid work has documented the challenges organizations face as employees navigate different locations, meeting experiences and digital environments.

You can't control every technical problem.

You can control how prepared you are for the predictable ones.

Test What Matters Before the Meeting

You don't need a complicated checklist before every conversation. Match your preparation to the importance of the interaction.

If you're delivering a keynote, leading a major client presentation or speaking with senior leadership, test the setup before people arrive. Confirm your audio, camera, slides and internet connection. Know how you're going to share your screen. Close the applications and notifications you don't need.

If you're presenting from an unfamiliar location, give yourself additional time.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has also advised users of video-conferencing technology to become familiar with platform settings and plan how meetings will be conducted rather than treating the technology as an afterthought.

Preparation doesn't guarantee nothing will go wrong.

It means you're less likely to create the problem yourself.

Have a Backup Before You Need It

What happens if your slides disappear?

Could you continue the conversation without them?

What if your internet connection fails?

Do you know how you'll reconnect?

What if the video won't play?

Can you explain the point without it?

A backup plan doesn't have to be complicated. Keep a copy of your presentation somewhere you can reach it quickly. If someone else is involved in the meeting, make sure they can access the materials too. Have important links ready before the meeting begins rather than searching for them while everyone watches.

Most importantly, know your message well enough that technology supports you rather than carries you.

Your slides aren't the presentation.

You are.

When Technology Fails, Stay With Your Listener

This may be the most important part.

Something goes wrong and suddenly all your attention moves to the problem. You start talking to yourself while clicking buttons. Your face shows frustration. You apologize five times. Maybe you blame the platform, the Wi-Fi or the person who set up the meeting.

Meanwhile, your listeners are waiting.

Acknowledge the problem once and tell them what you're doing.

“My screen share isn't cooperating. Give me 30 seconds to reconnect it.”

Or, “The video isn't loading. I'll send it after the meeting and explain the point now.”

Then move forward.

Your listener doesn't need to experience every detail of your frustration.

Calm is part of the message.

Don't Let Your Slides Become the Meeting

Technology can work perfectly and still weaken your communication.

If you're reading every word on the screen, watching your own slides instead of your listeners or relying on the deck to explain the message, the technology has become a barrier rather than a tool.

As I explain in Say More. Speak Less., your listeners shouldn't have to dig through information to discover what matters.

Use technology to support the point.

Don't make it the point.

Your Credibility Shows Up When Things Don't Go as Planned

Anyone can look prepared when everything works.

Your listeners learn something different about you when it doesn't.

Did you prepare? Can you adapt? Can you continue communicating without becoming distracted by the problem? Can you protect your listeners' time and attention?

Technical problems will happen again. The goal isn't perfection.

The goal is to make sure a temporary technical problem doesn't become a communication problem.

If your leaders need to communicate with greater confidence when the stakes are high—whether they're in the room, on camera or presenting to a large audience—bring Stacey Hanke to your next leadership event. Stacey gives leaders practical communication behaviors they can use when everything goes according to plan and, more importantly, when it doesn't.