By EDGE Women Speaker Allie Pleiter
When a crisis hits, it’s hard not to freeze up. In my time coaching creative productivity, I’ve learned a few powerful tactics anyone can use to get out of a deer-in-headlights panic mode and into the action mode that will move you toward a solution when crisis hits.
And let’s face it: for event planners right now, trouble feels like it’s hitting left and right.
How do you un-freeze fast? It can be simpler than you think. When you’re in the cross-hairs of an event problem, ask yourself these four questions:
Question #1. What’s still possible now?
When crisis hits, your brain kicks into totalitarian thinking, cataloging everything wrong about your situation and blinding you to current possibilities. Give yourself a few minutes to react—shock, anger, annoyance, frustration are all natural and can’t be avoided—and then deliberately force a shift of thinking toward what IS possible. Can you shift the breakout session to another room? Can the speech be given without AV? A true speaking professional will be ready and able to adapt, so don’t hesitate to bring them into your solution process. Perhaps you can find a place to work—or nap—when your flight is delayed several hours. The more you practice this shift, the easier it becomes. While it can be genuinely hard to drag your brain off the negative, even the tiniest possibilities make coping much more possible.
Question #2. What’s not possible now?
Many of us get into trouble precisely because we refuse to recognize the true limitations of a given crisis. If your keynote speaker is stuck in Omaha or your print materials shipped to the wrong location, own it now. Get to work on Plan B rather than clinging to the hope that Plan A might still come through. If your plane likely isn’t getting out of Dallas tonight, go find a hotel room, make use of the evening, and start fresh in the morning rather than fuming in the airport until midnight. It’s not easy, and it often feels like surrender, but it’s far better than stewing in your misfortune or wasting time in denial.
Question #3. What do I need right now?
The “right now” is the crucial part here. At the start of a given crisis, you may need simply to get calm. Or at least calmer. You may need someone who understands the problem better than you do at the moment (especially true in technical or medical situations). Don’t let your brain gallop off in a dozen long-term directions, churning today’s problems into tomorrow’s catastrophes. Yes, the larger picture is important to consider. If you can train your brain to focus on the next solvable step, however, survival comes more easily.
Question #4. What do I want right now?
We often think of crises as “survival mode”—only needs get to matter, not wants. It’s not necessarily true. You may need to call an ambulance in a medical emergency, but you might also want someone to help you talk through what’s happened if it’s upsetting you. Resist the urge to cast aside what might feel like “luxuries” until life calms down. Your attendees will take their cue from your attitude. Like my friend who ditches her heels in favor of fuzzy slippers when things go south, making use of “non-essentials” can bolster your endurance or clarity at a time when you need it most. If it makes you calmer, more comfortable, or a bit more cheerful when the chips are down, it’s not selfish. It’s a wise form of self-care.
These four questions can offer you the foothold you may need to get through the first hours or days of any crisis. I find these questions work for any size dilemma—from missed flight to a pandemic to a ripped dress. If you can shift your thinking from the knee-jerk of “EMERGENCY! PANIC!” to “What’s still possible now? What’s not possible now? What do I need right now? What do I want right now?”, you will discover your coping abilities can be far stronger.
And it goes without saying that such crises are the reason to work with seasoned, professional speakers. Elite speakers can roll with the punches without drama, will brainstorm solutions, and won’t hesitate to go the extra mile to help you. In this current uncertain event landscape, selecting a professional can be one of your best resources to ensure that both you and your attendees come away with the best experience possible.
No matter what happens.
Give your next event a dynamic EDGE. Team up with professional speakers, such as EDGE Women Speakers.
#Empowering #Result-oriented #Forward-thinking #Collaborative #Knowledgeable #Problem-solving #Visionary