Why do people (most notably co-workers and room proctors) feel compelled to approach your computer moments before you go live with a presentation?

Guard your computer at all times, especially before you “go live.”

One of my earliest memories presenting software to a large audience was early 2001. Back then, software virtualization was rudimentary. Demo environments, built on external hard drives, were swapped for the internal hard drive. Boot time spanned approximately 20-30 minutes and you needed to provide the machine with ample time to “warm up”. The conference, comprised of manufacturers and accountants, I was paired with a sales rep on our team who was known for his theatrical antics. Moments before we are set to begin, unbeknownst to me, he decides to make a few changes to the PowerPoint. Not a good idea. My laptop shuts down and now we have 20 minutes to fill with his standup routine.

With less than one week before I present at our annual conference, I recall last year at the same event where I narrowly escaped a similar plight when a room proctor decided my resolution settings weren’t optimal. Apparently he was distraught with the three inches of black space around the edges of the 60 x 60 screen. Fortunately for both of us, his face was untouched and so was my laptop.

Be on your guard at all times. Control your destiny and don’t allow others to impact the great presentation you planned.