Bumps & Bruises
The Meeting Room from Hell
by Steve Kaye, PhD

I had done everything to prepare for this. I even made a special trip to the office to check out the room for my workshop. And as usual, I arrived an hour early to set up my projector and screen, load a tape in my boom box, and distribute workshop materials.

Then, five minutes before starting, the crowd walks in and announces, "We have to use a different room."

They picked everything up and carried it down the hall to a large unfinished shell of an office space the size of a basketball court. Wires hung from missing tiles in the ceiling and stacks of lumber were heaped against the walls. But the real challenge came from what the room lacked: there was no electricity or air conditioning (summer in Orange County). Although some light came in through windows about 30 feet from where we set up camp, I was unable to use my pretty overheads.

The group moved chairs into a semicircle and I conducted my workshop in the semi-dark. When they needed to see an overhead to participate in a project, I walked around holding it out at arm’s length.

I survived. They liked the program. And the next thing that I bought was a 100 ft. extension cord.

Lesson: Be prepared to deliver your programs without props, overheads, or light. And own a long extension cord.