A few years ago, I was doing a presentation about the importance of food safety. Unfortunately, while I was presenting, I was not fully connected to the presentation or my audience. I was just ready to get it over with so I could go home. While in the middle of a very serious story, my mind began to wander. I started thinking of a very funny and embarrassing incident that happened to me the previous day and began laughing hysterically in the middle of the story. The audience was puzzled because they had no idea what I was laughing at. The looks on their faces made me laugh more. Soon I was laughing so hard that I was in tears and could not catch my breath. I finally calmed myself down, but each time I began speaking, I would start laughing again uncontrollably. After 5 minutes of making a complete fool of myself, I still could not get back on track. My coworker intervened and told the audience that we would break for a few minutes. Finally, I regained my composure and finally finished my presentation. Needless to say, I was so embarrassed. Because what I was laughing at was personal I could not share it with the audience. It was clear by their lack of participation and snide comments that they did not appreciate my disruption and my inability to share what I was laughing at.
Lorenza Nash Shaw
Manager of Training & Development – Continental Airlines
