The Last Laugh – By Tim Sosbe
Laugh and the world laughs with you
I’m sure you have stories about a time when training went wrong or something unintentionally hilarious happened in a class.
The point is, sometimes things go other than as planned. That can be a good thing or that can be a bad thing – it’s situational.
It gets worse when there’s more people in the room.
Last month was the LTEN Annual Conference, and I’m happy (some might say relieved) to report all went well. But I’ve been to other conferences that no doubt ended with someone rethinking career choices.
Have a story to share for The Last Laugh? Reach out to us at lastlaugh@LTEN.org and we’ll help you lighten up someone’s day.
Making mistakes might not be funny, but surviving them sure is.
- This one’s from years and years ago from another industry … you don’t forget the teachable moments. A notable learning leader was invited to join a conference panel discussion, but never responded. Other panelists prepared the content and prepared to deliver live.
Then, on the morning of the panel, at the large event, the unresponsive learning leader suddenly appears, ready — even eager — to join the panel.
Try to act surprised. - Another one from another industry … the tale of the keynote gone wrong. Here at LTEN prior to the conference, we meet with speakers. We help them plan content that’s appropriate for the audience, rehearse with them and review their presentations.
Not so where I was then. A learning leader from a major computer maker agreed to keynote, and she flew to the event … where she told conference planners she was still working on her presentation slides. They’ll be there soon. Coming. Just an hour. Definitely in the morning.
The slides came in last minute, she took the stage … and proceeded to launch into a speech about the new computer line coming out, and what they do. Not a word about training … just a pure sales pitch. The audience was literally grumbling loudly — not as loudly as the conference planners — and a noticeable number got up and walked out.
“I thought that went well,” she said afterward.
Really?
The Last Laugh
Once again, we’ve reached the end. We’ll see you again in September – it’s not too late to share a fun story or a cautionary example.
In the meantime, since we’re talking about conferences, I can’t help but remember the speaker who turned to a spouse for a little pre-show support. The advice was solid:
“Don’t try to be too charming, too witty or too intellectual,” the spouse said. “Just be yourself.”
Tim Sosbe is editorial director for LTEN. Email Tim at tsosbe@L-TEN.org or connect through LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/timsosbe.
