How to Stay Calm When Everything Needs Attention at Once
When I’m producing a virtual event, several things can need attention at once. A presenter is having trouble with their microphone. The next video is cued. Someone in the chat has a question that needs an answer before the program moves on. Meanwhile, the clock keeps moving.
It would be strange to call that a relaxed moment. Yet it may be exactly the moment when someone tells me later, “You were so calm.”I appreciate the compliment, but I sometimes wonder what people mean by calm. It can sound as though I didn’t feel the immediacy. I did. I was paying close attention to it.
For me, calm is the ability to decide what needs to happen next while the pressure is still present.
Live radio has demonstrated to me something similar. When I open the microphone, the words have to come out now. If a story changes, a pronunciation catches me off guard, or I make a mistake, I can’t ask the listener to wait while I regain my composure privately. I have to take the next breath, give them the next useful sentence, and keep the program moving.
This requires a particular kind of attention. You know the clock matters, but you cannot spend all your attention worrying about the clock. You listen to what is happening, decide which piece is yours to handle, and act.
That is also why I make time for the meeting before the meeting. I want to know who can reach the presenter, who has the video, what we will do if the connection drops, and which parts of the program can move while we solve a problem. A run of show does not predict every surprise. It gives the people in the room a way to respond together.
One of the most useful questions I ask when something goes wrong is, “What does the audience need right now?”
Sometimes they need a brief explanation. Sometimes they need a pause while we restore the sound. Sometimes the best answer is to move to the next segment and return later. That question pulls me out of the frantic search for a perfect fix and back toward the purpose of the event.
Calm is visible in small choices. A clear sentence to a presenter. An instruction to the producer who can solve the problem. A decision to let ten seconds of silence do its work instead of filling it with an anxious explanation. None of those choices makes the situation less urgent. They make the immediacy easier to work with.
I think this matters beyond a broadcast or a virtual stage. If you lead a meeting, facilitate a discussion, or speak when others look to you for direction, people may take their cue from how you respond when the plan changes. They do not need a performance of perfect composure. They need to know what happens next.
The next time an interruption arrives, try asking: What needs attention first? Who needs to know? What can wait for sixty seconds?
You can move quickly and still give people a clear place to stand.
Feel free to share this newsletter with a friend struggling with virtual events.
My company is Calm, Clear, Media. I produce purpose-driven virtual events for nonprofits and member organizations. I don’t just manage Zoom calls; I create experiences that reflect your mission and engage your audience. My job is to make sure everything runs smoothly so my clients can focus on impact.
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