Could the Michael Bay meltdown have been avoided?

Michael Bay(courtesy IMDB)

Speaking in public is one of the greatest fears that we humans have. So although it was awkward to watch when Michael Bay walked off the stage at the start of his presentation at the Samsung press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas today, many of us also had empathy for how he must have felt.

If you listen closely to Bay’s voice in this video, you can hear the start of some trembling, showing his nervousness. And then apparently the teleprompter got off timing with where Bay was in his talk, and Bay lost his composure.

What would you have done? 

This is a good example of how important media training is before an event. You see, it doesn’t matter how much public speaking you have done, how many years of broadcasting you’ve had, or how many meetings you have led - when it comes to an event, you need to be trained in how to handle it. Because situations like what happened at CES are always a possibility. Both Bay and the host should have had training.

If Bay had been properly trained, he would have been able to pick up with his most important points and take it from there, despite the teleprompter malfunction. He would have learned how to focus on the host and speak to him, thus relieving some of his anxiety about speaking in front of an audience. He would have known what was the most important point he wanted to make, and he would have found the words to make it.

But this disaster could have been averted if the HOST had had media training prior to the event.

What should the host have done? 

The host should have known what Bay was going to say (the script was available to the teleprompter operator, so it could have just as easily gone to the host). He could have then verbally prompted Bay by leading him into the comments that Bay was expected to make. He could also have made Bay feel

more comfortable by engaging him in a one-on-one fashion, so that Bay would eventually tune out the audience.

Granted, the guy who was up on the stage with Bay was not a public speaker either.  He was Joe Stinziano, senior VP for Samsung Electronics America. And I'm betting he knows Samsung products inside and out.  But that knowledge didn't help avert the Bay disaster.

It’s really the host’s job to make sure the guest doesn’t fail. And it’s up to the marketing people to make sure everyone is properly trained.

So instead of this press conference being a highlight of the convention because of the curved Ultra HDTV, the press goes to Bay and his awkward skedaddle from the stage. Definitely not what Samsung had hoped for.

Could this meltdown have been avoided? 

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With media training, and a more experienced host, I think the press conference would have gone a different way. Bay would have felt more comfortable and confident, and the host could have picked up the ball and pitched it right to Bay's sweet spot.

So when you are putting together the next event for your company, consider getting media training for all the people who will be facing the public. It may save you from a PR disaster.

(BTW, The new Samsung curved Ultra HDTVs are pretty cool!)