You can minimize the odds of things going wrong in your presentations—or at least be ready to recover from snafus with grace and humor—by following a few practical steps. This ebook offers several suggestions that will help you glitch-proof your delivery and make sure it’s a success.

From the ebook:

Know the equipment and location
When using your own equipment, this is easy. If not, take the time well before the presentation to verify that everything you need is available and working as expected. Also, familiarize yourself with the site’s layout. Is the location easy to find and accessible to the public and handicapped? Where are the electrical outlets and switches?

Ask for the Wi-Fi password and have that ready to go beforehand. What will you do if they don’t have Wi-Fi? (I can’t even imagine.) Are you depending on a projector and screen or a smart TV? You might want to pack an extension cord, a power strip, and a roll of duct tape (seriously). If the room is big, do you need a way to amplify your voice or any sound files in your presentation? Pack a bottle or two of water.

Be sure to charge your wireless mouse and clicker (or pack spare batteries, if necessary). If you’re using PowerPoint and the worst happens, you can replace your clicker with the laser pointer. Simply hold down the Ctrl key and click the left mouse key to enable it. This will be a bit more work than a clicker, but it’s better than nothing. Knowing simple details like this can save the day.

Make sure any live response slides will work
Live response systems allow you to interact with your audience by soliciting their thoughts in real time. Usually, the site will provide individual clickers or members of your audience may use their own mobile devices to respond to your questions and then view the compiled results in your presentation—live, as it’s happening.