You’re in for a treat. I’m going to tell you about the unhinged company meeting that still haunts me — and how I survived to (mostly) love all-hands meetings again.
The scene: 2020 (shocking, I know). Virtual all-company meeting. Professional audio-visual (AV) support handled the tech while I focused on content.
The plot twist: Ten minutes before showtime, my AV superstar lost power and Wi-Fi. “This is fine,” I told myself. (Narrator: It was not fine!)
I hit “Start Meeting” with false confidence.
The chaos unleashed:
- People flooding in unmuted
- Me, frantically muting one-by-one while admitting folks
- Advancing slides with my remaining brain cells
Then Carl — everyone’s “favorite” colleague — started drawing on my slides. I didn’t even know that was possible.
While Googling “how to disable Zoom annotations,” I muttered, “What am I even doing right now?!”
My work bestie’s Teams message popped up instantly: “Sis, you are not on mute.”
Soul = departed. I almost walked across the street for a 9 a.m. margarita.
But I stayed. We regrouped. Created backup plans for our backup plans and became virtual meeting ninjas.
The aftermath: This experience left me spiraling before every all-hands meeting. Because let’s be real — they’re stressful even when nothing explodes. You’re juggling missed exec deadlines, endless “Can we squeeze this in?” requests, meh content, logistics, follow-ups … It’s a lot.
The redemption: These days, I love our PPL SYNCs (Simpplr’s version). Why? The content actually works. It’s engaging and fun, and people genuinely want to show up.
I’ve learned some tricks. I’m sharing them today — plus extra goodies to elevate your employee engagement game.
Go on now — get to scrolling!
