The second in the list of “Stating the obvious“… or “Stuff you’ll kick yourself for if you don’t sort out”
Some times it’s so obvious it shouldn’t need to be a tip… But the obvious isn’t always obvious, so here goes.
Have a checklist.
Seriously: have it all written down.
By ‘it’ I mean all the things you need to sort out before you go on stage. My checklist has two parts to it. The first tells me all the things I need to make sure I take with me from the office (laptop, projector, backups etc.) and the second tells me all the things I need to have got sorted out before I “go on”. This would be things such as
- finding my focus
- straightening my tie
- checking my flies are done up!
The thing is, no matter how much experience you have, one day you’ll slip up and this little piece of paper will be your lifesaver at that point. An in case you’re wondering, yes, this is the voice of experience.
Let’s face it, if it’s good enough for airline pilots before take-off, it’s good enough for us!
By the way, it’s worth thinking about making something special out of your list – make the format and layout attractive; print it on card; even laminate it…. anything you like, so long as it makes it special.
I’m going to be updating my checklists soon – and I’d love to include anyone else’s suggestions of what to check, too – help me out here!
