Everything was going great. You were in flow and having a wonderful day. Plenty of quick wins, fast replies, and media “yeses” dropping into your inbox. It was a great feeling with nothing quite like it.
And then one day, it was not happening like that at all. In fact, just the opposite.
We’ve all had those days. Tech fails. The dog barks just as you go live. The host asks the one question you weren’t expecting, and in an instant, the floor shifts beneath your feet, your breathing changes, and maybe you’re feeling a little warm. Surprise!
But here’s the thing. As much as we would all love to be able to control everything around us, that’s exactly what media is. It’s unpredictable, immediate, messy, and filled with surprises.
If you’re waiting to feel perfectly polished before stepping into the spotlight, if you’re hoping that everything that is not under your control will behave, well, you’ll be waiting a long time. Media doesn’t arrive when everything’s flawless. It arrives when it arrives. And more often than not, it brings a nice surprise along with it. Not always, but often.
So what do you do?
I’ll never forget the time a TV producer whispered in my ear seconds before going live that the segment had been cut in half. Just like that, I had half the time I’d prepared for. My stomach flipped, I confess, but I simply smiled and nodded, adjusted, and we did it. That’s the dance.
And moments like that have taught me something important: the real pros aren’t the ones who never stumble. They’re the ones who keep dancing when the music changes. They’re not the ones that always look polished and under control in every moment. They’re flexible. They know how to “go with the flow” and deal with whatever comes at them. And they don’t look all flustered and out of sorts when doing so.
And here’s the other truth: grace in the glitches doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from preparation. The authors who shine are the ones who know their key messages so well that even when the unexpected happens, they can stay centered and keep going. That kind of presence is what real media training builds.
And isn’t that what people connect to most? Not the polished veneer, but the grace in the glitches. Media isn’t about perfection. It’s about connection. And you can do this.
So the next time life tosses you a curveball, or a host does, keep this in mind: the audience isn’t rooting for perfection. They’re rooting for you, and so am I.
To your success!
Joanne
P.S. If I can help, reach out to me here. Meanwhile, when things go sideways, you can always sing along to this.
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