You’re all set to give a crucial presentation. Your gear is carefully laid out and connected. Your laptop booted up uneventfully, and your PowerPoint file is sitting there on the desktop waiting to be shown. A few minutes before showtime, you press the power button on the projector as you’ve done so many times before. Nothing. Maybe you didn’t press it firmly enough. You press it again. Harder. Even harder still. You check the AC cable and try a different outlet. You’re due up any second now, and you suddenly realize that your projector has somehow died. What should you do?

 

Of course, the best way to handle a serious equipment meltdown is to avoid it altogether. Yes, the technology gods can be ruthless when an important presentation is on the line, but they seem to be kindest to those who respect them. Keep in mind that your equipment will fail eventually. The smart presenter is always prepared.
 

According to manufacturers, a typical projector lamp will last an average of 2,000 hours. That’s the equivalent of a two-hour presentation every business day for four years. But that number is merely an average; half will fail before that. In other words, there’s a reason most lamps are under warranty for only 90 days. Personally, I’ve had two projector lamps fail on me, one that died sometime around the predicted 2,000-hour mark as expected, and the second at far less than 100. A well-cushioned replacement lamp (ranging from $300 to $450) is not the only thing you need. Also bring spare batteries for your remote control, an extra AC extension cord, and a screwdriver to replace the lamp.

 

How many presenters does it take to replace a projector lamp? The process is harder than you might think, and certainly more difficult than it should be. Several small screws may have to be carefully removed and replaced. Also, the old lamp could be dangerously hot, and you must be careful not to touch certain parts of the new lamp. And if the above weren’t daunting enough, keep in mind that replacing a lamp in front of a large, increasingly impatient audience won’t make things any easier. Get a head start by doing a dry-run lamp replacement in the privacy of your office, so you’ll have a better idea of what’s involved.

 

Usually there is no warning when a lamp fails, but there may be a clue. Most projectors have an odometer of sorts--a log of how many hours its lamp has been operating. Check this semiannually, such as whenever you change the clocks, so that you have some idea of when the lamp may expire. (We also suggest keeping track of your warranty, as electronic devices seem to have an uncanny tendency to fail just after that agreement expires.)

To keep their super-bright lamps cool, projectors must circulate large quantities of air, which can produce large quantities of dust. Every LCD projector employs a small filter to keep dust from getting inside the unit. These filters must be cleaned, and eventually replaced, on a regular basis. Even if your projector doesn’t have a filter, be sure that the air-intake ports are clean and unobstructed. Don’t leave any papers near the projector that could block the air inlets.

There’s no such thing as a ruggedized projector. Indeed, with their large glass lenses, projectors may be one of the most delicate pieces of equipment used in business. When traveling with a projector--even around town--be sure that it’s adequately protected. Note that many of the carrying cases now bundled with projectors are too flimsy for regular use.

Presenters should always plan for problems. What if your laptop, projector, cables, or remote control fails? If possible, bring two of everything. Also, bring some markers for a whiteboard or flipchart, and get some practice using them. A good handout becomes even more important during an equipment failure. Some audiences are so tired of PowerPoint slideshows that they may even like your talk better without one.

That worst-case scenario can happen. If it does, here’s what to do.

Maybe it just seems to be a meltdown. During the nervous preparations before a presentation, it’s quite easy to plug a cable into the wrong connector, or to press the wrong button. Did you hit the right function key combination to activate the laptop’s external video connector? And, of course, there’s always that lens cap that wasn’t removed. Calm down and check everything; in most cases there really isn’t a problem.

At some point, you may have to admit that there really is a problem. The question now becomes whether it is easier to fix the issue or work around it with one of your backup plans. Will your audience patiently wait the 10 to 30 minutes required to fix or replace the projector?

The most important thing about a meltdown is that you yourself don’t have one. When something fails, simply fix it, replace it, or work around it coolly and calmly, almost as if you had planned the failure. Watch Apple’s Steve Jobs in one of his demos. When something fails, he hardly mentions it and instead launches into one of his anecdotes about the early days of Apple while his staff fixes the problem. The presentation actually becomes more entertaining than it would have been had everything worked perfectly.

In some ways, a projector meltdown can actually be a good thing. Well, not the meltdown itself, but the preparation for it can be valuable even if nothing at all goes wrong. Your backup plans may force you to try different audio-visual media and thus lessen your dependence on tired PowerPoint templates. And simply knowing that you’re ready for anything should help calm you down. After all, the most crucial component of your presentation isn’t your laptop, your projector, or even your slideshow. It’s you.