When a Cameraman Fainted During My Google Keynote

Welcome to the 140th edition of “In Touch”. As always, I would love to continue the conversation so please hit reply and let me know what you think.

Story of the Week: “When a Cameraman Fainted During My Google Keynote”

It was 8 March 2019. Just before I stepped onto the stage at Google to deliver my keynote address, my assistant asked me, “Are you ready?” I smiled and replied that, after nearly 20 years of speaking around the world, I had seen it all – microphones had stopped working mid-presentation, slides had frozen, lights had failed and, once, even my trousers had ripped shortly before I took the stage. At that point, I genuinely believed there was nothing that could surprise me anymore.

Little did I know! Halfway through my keynote, the cameraman in the middle of the room suddenly fainted and fell to the floor.

Everything stopped instantly. Attention in the room shifted exactly to where it needed to be – to the cameraman’s wellbeing. Thankfully, he was OK and quickly recovered but I still remember standing there and being reminded once more how unpredictable live events can be.

One of the hardest aspects of public speaking is momentum. It takes time to build trust, attention and connection with an audience and, once that rhythm is interrupted, it is difficult to pick up exactly where you left off. You do your best to regain that momentum but, in truth, you never fully return to exact the same moment.

In business and in life, we sometimes become so focused on performance and outcomes that we forget something far more important: there is a human element behind every moment. The keynote was important, of course, but when it was interrupted nothing mattered more than someone else’s health and wellbeing.

I recently read a line by John Spence about public speaking nerves in which he said that audiences do not want you to fail. In fact, they want you to succeed. I believe the same is true in life. People may forget the exact words we used but they rarely forget how we responded when things did not go according to plan.

Over the years, I have learned that professionalism is not measured by how perfectly we perform when everything runs smoothly. What counts is how we react when the unexpected happens and whether we remain calm, humane and grounded enough to remember that people will always matter more than any presentation.

Words of Wisdom

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Mike Tyson

A Question to Ponder, dear friend.

When was the last time something unexpected interrupted your plans, and what helped you regain your momentum?

Michael R. Virardi helps leaders communicate with clarity, lead with presence and remain human in an AI-driven world.