When Tech Fails, Breathe!
Yesterday was a marathon of virtual facilitation for me: two long learning sessions, one in the morning, one in the afternoon.
The first?
Smooth.
Three and a half hours, two screens, headset, camera, notes, breakout groups – all went to plan.
A half-hour break in the middle, time to reset, and then back in.
Job done.
The second session, though, had other ideas.
Fifteen minutes in, everything glitched.
My second screen went dark.
MS Teams collapsed into chaos – slides, chat, 16 participants, all crammed onto one screen.
Grrrrrrr!
The breakout room function refused to cooperate.
I was juggling too much in too small a space, and it was just a mess…
Then I took a breath.
I apologised to the group.
I told them I needed to step out of the whole session and reset.
I closed everything down, rebooted, and then, just like that – things came back online.
The rest of the session?
It went really well, in fact one of the best ever as a strong bond developed with everyone as we discussed challenges that we all face at times.
Have you had one of those moments?
Whether it’s tech, pressure, or just being human, we hit the wall.
And in those moments, the best thing we can do isn’t to scramble, it’s to slow down.
Breathe – own the pause – reset.
Too often we think fast means strong.
That control means composure.
But sometimes, the strongest thing you can do is admit your off track, take a moment, and begin again – deliberately.
In your toughest moments — do you panic, or do you pause?
