It is very hard to write and to think when all I want to do is to crawl into bed and sleep. I want to ignore my alarm and stay firmly held between blankets and mattress. I Want to pretend the day is not existing and no one needs me for anything. I want to make-believe.
But instead, I am at work. I left my bed. I rode a train for an hour. I got to work. Work is happening.
Slowly.
As the Internet is down for everyone. The cafeteria is unusually busy. The water cooler chatter is high. The paper-thin walls surrounding my office are even more annoying than usual because all I can hear is the office next door socializing, laughing and carrying on. All I can hear is people having fun.
A workday holiday. However temporary it may be.
Meanwhile I field calls about this afternoon’s event. With questions I can’t answer because I simply do not know. How will this work over a tethered connection? I don’t know. I laid out the options given the setting for the event. It’s what we have to work with. Will we be back up by then? I do not know. No one knows.
If we are, great. If we are not, prepare yourselves for a Plan B experience.
These things happen. They are not ideal but I’ve found in my professional career things are rarely ideal. The best we can do is to come up with a workable plan. What is the most important part of the session today?
The audio. You want people to be able to hear what is going on in the National Office. You want the voices heard and the questions answered. The slides are a nicety. The video is a bonus.
The point of this event is to answer questions from your staff and to share the directions of the agency. That can be done, in its simplest form through text.
Email. Web page. Nothing fancy.
When unexpected things happen, focus on what the point of the session is and build up from there. Don’t get hung up on what you planned to do. Focus on how to get your message and information out to your staff. The rest is just windows dressing.