MANIACTIVE

My host told me to go ahead and fill up at the wet burrito bar a half hour before I was scheduled to talk to a large audience. I politely declined.

I can’t eat just ANYTHING before a major presentation. I don’t want to subject the audience to a fit of, em, gastronomic distress during a presentation. I know better than to digest a large, spicy, bean-filled meal  minutes before having a microphone clipped near my face.

And yet, I need to eat. I expend energy during a presentation. I’m not the kind of person who can go without food.

So what can I eat before a presentation? I got into the habit of packing a peanut butter sandwich. On whole grain bread. And drinking water. That’s it. That’s been my go-to for a pre-presentation meal for an awfully long time. It gives me energy. It sticks to my ribs. No blood sugar crashing — and no burping. It also packs easily. I can put a few peanut butter sandwiches in a zip lock bag, and they can survive a mean day of travel. Pair it with a banana or other piece of fruit, and it works for me.

Of course, I veer from this pre-performance diet from time to time. Out of circumstance and politeness, I’ll often eat whatever my host will present to me. As long as it’s not stinky, sugary, or burpy, I’ll probably eat it. And sometimes, event coordinators serve meals that are great for performance energy, but they’re delicious, too. 

But as much as I’d like to tell you that my peanut-butter presentation diet is a sensible solution to keeping my energy high while avoiding discourteous gastronomical side effects, I have my suspicions. It seems that performers and presenters are a superstitious lot — we get into habits that have nothing to do with reason. I’m the sort that usually has a peanut butter sandwich on my person while travelling.

But is that good nutrition…or weird superstition?

Many actors say “break a leg” instead of “good luck” before a performance. Whistling behind the stage or uttering the name of a certain Shakespeare play? This is also supposed to bring bad luck. And let’s not forget all the good luck superstitions: athletes and actors are famous for carrying good luck talismans or undergoing quirky little rituals before performing.

Is my peanut butter sandwich + water pre-presentation diet practical and sensible — or have I veered off into the land of the supernatural? Could my peanut butter sandwich simply be a good-luck charm? Am I nutritious or superstitious?

What’s your presentation diet plan? What foods do you avoid — or are absolute must-haves on the day of a performance?

Even if it’s not food-related — what’s the oddest ritual or habit you’ve heard of someone routinely undertaking before a performance?

In grad school, a marketing professor insisted on an oral report. One student in class did not speak English as her first language.

When she gave her report, she began talking about “The Most Important Elephants of International Marketing”. We all thought, of course, that she mispronounced “elements”. After the first time, most audience members, including myself, merely smiled.

But after a few minutes, it became clear that she was going to repeat the word “elephants” — multiple times — for the remainder of her presentation! So our professor interrupted the speaker.

“Excuse me,” he said kindly. “I hate to interrupt you. Your speech content, so far, is very good. But one small thing is unclear.”

He explained that an elephant was a huge animal with a trunk, tusks, and floppy ears. The speaker looked bewildered.

So the professor pantomimed the trunk and made a strange elephant noise. The professor suggested that perhaps the word she wanted was “element”.

photo credit: Mara 1

The speaker looked embarrassed. She blushed and stammered. Trying to recover, she asked the laughing audience:

“So elephants are very big, powerful animals, yes?”

Of course, we all agreed with her.

“My ideas are big, powerful ideas. Just like elephants. So please continue to think of my elements as elephants.”

For the remainder of her report, she would say the word “elephant”, then excuse herself and carefully say “element”.

It became clear to me that she had rehearsed her report, and used the word “elephant” in rehearsal . For her speech, the wrong word was ingrained in her brain. It wasn’t going away any time soon! Nonetheless, she recovered nicely. She delivered a wonderful presentation, elephants and all!

I learned four unintended lessons from her talk:

1. Practice doesn’t make perfect. If you’re rehearsing incorrectly, you can count on faulty delivery. Rehearsing alone is fine – but not forever. Get feedback.
2. Mistakes can be endearing. No one thought the speaker was an idiot for making a mistake. The audience empathized with her, and found her mistake charming.
3. Preparation pays. Even though the speaker bobbled one word, it was clear she knew her material. She recovered, and delivered a report that likely earned her an “A”.
4. The unexpected can rivet attention. Because of one mispronounced word, I remember a 15 minute speech — 20 years later. Why not use a homophone — or other unexpected technique! — to make your next presentation more memorable?

What’s your most important elephant when you deliver a presentation? Or rather, what unexpected technique do you like to employ to make your presentation content stick?

🙂