Picture this. I’m in the middle of giving a presentation to a virtual crowd when suddenly every single person on my screen freezes.
What did I do?
At first, I wanted to laugh as a few people were frozen in some interesting moments.
One looked like they were mid-nose pick. Another appeared to be taking a tiny nap. And one person looked like this 😱
But since no one said anything, I just kept talking. I advanced my slides, carried on with the agenda, and delivered the entire presentation to a screen full of statues.
What else could I do? I was leading the meeting and the agenda was packed. Restarting my computer felt like a last resort.
But I couldn’t resist giggling at the person who appeared to be in the middle of a nose pick.
When technology fails
Luckily, I was able to keep going and pretend nothing was wrong. But tech failures don’t always give us that luxury.
Sometimes the internet drops, you get kicked out of the meeting, and you’re scrambling to message the team that you’ll be right back.
Other times you have no choice but to reboot, while everyone on the call has an awkward conversation about the weather.
Or as I shared in a previous article, even a simple glitch, like the day I overloaded my computer after an update and spent hours battling slowness, can send project planning straight into what I called dissonant harmony.
Respond with grace
Moments like these remind us that technology will trip us up, but how we respond is what people remember. Sometimes all you can do is laugh and trust that everyone on the other side of the screen understands.
After all, we have all been frozen at least once, and I know it never manages to catch me in a flattering moment.
I hope your screen stays unfrozen this week.
With 20+ years project management experience, Barbara Kephart has led projects across industries like medical software, clinical trials, and cybersecurity. With experience teaching technical project management and stakeholder engagement, Barbara is dedicated to helping companies pivot, prioritize, and complete projects with Chief Project Officer-level expertise, project professionals, practical training, and hands-on management—without the executive-level price tag.