I try to add a touch of humor and spontaneity to handle the situation. I believe that showing vulnerability—acknowledging any glitches, whether they’re technical issues or even our own mistakes—keeps the presentation light and actually builds credibility and trust. It helps the audience connect with you, turning the interruption into an opportunity to engage authentically.

Use a gentle approach like humor to regain attention and then steer the group back to the task at hand. If necessary, take a quick break and be clear on exactly when the presentation will resume.

Lors d'une présentation, en cas d'interruption inattendue, je garde mon calme et reste souriant pour ne pas perturber le public. J’écoute attentivement l’interruption pour évaluer si elle mérite une réponse immédiate ou peut attendre la fin. Ensuite, je recentre l’attention avec une phrase de transition pour reprendre le fil. Si l’interruption est technique, je m’assure d’avoir des notes pour poursuivre sans perdre le fil. Cette approche me permet de rester professionnel tout en montrant mon adaptabilité face aux imprévus.

When an interruption occurs, the most important thing is to understand whether it can help you with the topics of your presentation, if it will help you, controlling the time is very important to understand how many minutes you will be able to speak in sequence, keeping in mind the most important and relevant points of the presentation to return, because depending on your audience, a loss of attention can be fatal (Managers and C-Level)