3/27/2026
Editors: Rebecca Morgan & Ken Braly
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From the Editors
It is with a heavy heart we share that John B Molidor passed away. He was a long-time SNN supporter and webinar guest expert. He was an amazing man, leader, and a dear friend of Rebecca’s. He will be greatly missed by a great number of people. No word yet on memorial arrangements or how to send cards, but you can write something on his Facebook page for his family.
Miscellaneous Tips
Speaker agency view of keynote speakers — Makana Risser Chai
Have you ever wondered how the world’s top event planners research keynote speakers? This interview with David Lavin gives insight into the process. CEO of the Lavin Agency, he has spent over 35 years in the speaking industry and helped to program tens of thousands of successful events. He’s the only speaking agent who’s been invited to speak about the industry at TED — twice!
The value of redundancy and pre-prepared responses to hiccups — Dave Zach
The AV (temporarily) blinked out in two recent talks. I have printed slide backups on my phone with the necessary dongle, and on a thumb drive. I give a printed copy of the deck to the AV people and the client so they know where I am should be in the talk if something go amiss.
Redundancy provides a sense of calm, graciousness, and, if you can, humor. That moment calls for a playful response. Things are going to go wrong from time to time. The audience isn’t going to worry about that. They’re watching your reaction. You are giving them an example of how to handle the unpredictable.
If you keep your cool and show your sense of humor, they’re often in a bit of awe. My standard response is: “I know what you’re thinking..., he calls himself a futurist, so how come he didn’t see that coming?” I’ll break the 4th wall and share my thinking about how to recover from such incidents. I’ll take a moment to explain why my slides are designed the way they are. There’s a very brief outline on each slide, so the slides will make sense without narration.
It helps to connect with the AV people beforehand and discuss what might go wrong and how we’ll handle it. I learn the name of the person who’s likely to come up on stage to check connections, etc. Regardless of whether things get fixed (sometimes they don’t), praise their cooperation and support. If it works and the slides suddenly reappear, I’ll ask them to take a bow with the audience breaking into laughter and applause. Everyone at that point is actually happy that things went wrong because suddenly things went so right.
I apply what I learned from an improv course, using the idea of “Yes, and...!” in response to anything that goes wrong. Improv — and life — taught me to look forward to things going wrong. It brings out the humanity in us.
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Get inspired and learn expert tips to greatly improve your slides in the “Scintillating Slides: Create Visuals as Fabulous as You Are” webshop with Rebecca Morgan, CSP, CMC, CVP, VMP. Register for half price before 4/10, and special 2-for-1 deal! |
Travel Tips
US travel tip — Christine Cashen
If you have TSA PreCheck, here’s a little upgrade most people don’t know about, and it’s FREE! It’s called “Touchless TSA” and is available at select airports on United, Alaska, Delta, American, and Southwest Airlines (must do this one on their app). (It’s good for 365 days.)
Here’s how to turn it on:
- Log in to your airline account
- Go to your profile or account settings
- Add your passport details and Known Traveler Number
- Find “TSA PreCheck Touchless ID”
- Check the opt-in box and save
That’s it.
Next time you travel, look/ask for the “touchless precheck line” and walk right through like you know people. Now you do. You’re welcome.
Expandable towel — Rebecca Morgan
I found this interesting travel tool. It starts about the size of a thick nickel that expands with water to an 8" x 8" towel. You can reuse it, but it won’t go back to the nickel size. I throw a few in my purse for when I need something sturdier than a wet wipe to clean up something, or a makeshift placemat.
Topic of the Month (TOTM) — Your Input Wanted
Our TOTM is: What redundant items (back-ups) do you bring when traveling — especially for long trips?
Send your brief, pithy responses *that are different from those previously mentioned* to editor@SpeakerNetNews.com. Please put “Topic of the Month” or “TOTM” in the subject line.
I always travel with:
- individual coffee packets (thank you, Starbucks) so I can stay fueled
- printed copies of my slides (4 up) and a screenshot of light table view (so I can know when I’m on track)
- the Big Clock app on my phone (in case there’s no clock in the conference meeting room)
- printed itinerary and boarding pass (yes, iPhones can go dead)
- a backup cell phone. Years ago, my phone died in JFK right after I went through security. If I hadn’t printed my boarding pass and itinerary, I would have been stuck. I got a low-tech backup phone that can access my email and call home to let everyone know I’m ok, just without my usual cell phone. A business expense, I think it is vital.
Absolutely, every time: print out of my slides for non-keynote presentations. I can recall at least three times in the last ten years when having printed slides came in handy as power interruptions or other tech matters arose.
About SpeakerNet News and the Editors/Publishers
- Publishers — Rebecca L. Morgan, CSP, CMC, CVP, VMP, and Ken Braly
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