Advice Needed: Speaking when Injured

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Permalink Reply by Debbie Elicksen on June 15, 2009 at 5:15pm

Are you on crutches? When I went through my ACL reconstructive surgery (I feel your pain -- it's a l-o-n-g rehab), even though it was uncomfortable as hell and I knew I'd have to ice until the cows came home afterward, I used my crutch as a pointer and incorporated them into the presentation. I can't sit either, so it was the best option and the audience got a charge out of it. But there is no getting around the discomfort. As long as you religiously heed the advice of your therapist, then ice like it's a new religion after, you should be fine. But do get someone else to do the heavy lifting and grunt work of getting your stuff to the event. You could incorporate that helper into the presentation to do whatever it is you spray the first three rows with.

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Permalink Reply by Aila Accad, RN, MSN on August 20, 2009 at 3:41pm

Hi Bob,

Humor! This can actually connect you even more
effectively with your audience if you play with it
and weave it into your topic.

Depending on your topic and audience, you can
play with age, life stresses, change and the
challenge of having to change your style of
presentation. It is all grist for the mill .....

As a stress-buster coach, people think nothing
ever goes wrong in my life. That's just because
I have learned how to handle it. Stuff happens to
all of us. When I reveal that vulnerability in my
stories, my audience gets closer and warmer
to my message. Because I share their reality
I gain credibility with them and the message
becomes more relevant.

Hope this is helpful~

Best of Success with your Presentation!

Warm :))
Aila
"Your Stress-Busters Coach"
Author of the Amazon Best-Seller
"34 Instant Stress-Busters, Quick
tips to de-stress fast with no extra
time or money"
www.stressbustersbook.com

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Permalink Reply by Harry Freedman on September 5, 2009 at 3:39am

I went up once in a cast and crutches after a badly sprained ankle. I made jousting jokes and got everyone laughing. my advice, acknowledge it, make fun of it, and then move on the and the audience will accept it. in fact, they usually have empathy.

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Permalink Reply by Bob VandePol on October 14, 2009 at 8:54pm

Thanks Team,
It worked our really well. I was speaking about resilience after tragedy and was able to turn the injury into an in vivo demonstration. It ended up being a strength rather than deficit!

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