Rolling with Mistakes and Improvising:: February 2008

By Andrew Burnham - February 22, 2008

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Awareness

The way we process mistakes can cause us trouble. Being in the moment when mistakes happen allow us to recover easily and quickly, see opportunities for humour and ensure that the laughter does not occur at our expense.

Up in Front of Others

You’re up there in front of others, maybe a dozen or even thousands. Maybe you’re leading an internet seminar, a team meeting or having a difficult conversation with one person. Then the mistake happens, the blunder, the stumble. You lose your composure, your cool. You’ve become flustered.

Mistakes are not the Problem

You’re bound to make mistakes as everyone does so you’re nothing special. And mistakes in themselves are not the problem when you are up in front of others. What happens is what happens and you cannot change that. What you can change (if you are present and in the moment) is how you process the mistake and what you do next.

Being Aware: Stop Spiraling

If you are not aware of how you process your error or the unexpected you could make the mistake into a problem. You run the danger of spiraling into embarrassment. You may struggle to get back on track, find your place, and regain your composure. So you made a mistake? Stay in the now – what’s next?

Take a Moment

People know when you are losing composure so be composed. The first way to do this is to just take a moment. Don’t rush to plug in the power cord, find the right cheat note, or get the right figures. Rushing about is a clear sign to others that you’re loosing control. You don’t have to rush to recover.