“I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” - Oprah Winfrey

Imagine this. You’ve worked for several weeks to prepare a 30 minute presentation. You’re feeling pretty good about it. You hope it will be enough to make an impression on your board, senior team or client.

You walk into the room and they say, ”Listen, sorry, we’re really behind, uh...can you cover this in two minutes?”

Freeze. Smile. Nod.

OH MY GOD.

If this has NEVER happened to you, then please call me next time you’re going out to buy a lottery ticket. I’ll come along. You’re one lucky person. Most business people have heard those words more than once. Like jury duty - a few people luck out, the rest of us get called from time to time.

So back to your freeze frame moment. What do you do when they decide to use YOUR time to catch up after falling behind?

First, count your lucky stars. That’s right. This is your day. You have just been presented with an opportunity to wow your audience.

There is nothing more impressive than a business person who knows how to be brief. What every single meeting attendee is wishing for is a presentation that takes LESS time. You feel them exhale when you promise, “Sure, let me just summarize,” and then, you actually do.

Just the other day one of our senior coaches, Craig Bentley, was preparing his client for a board meeting. In the last half hour of their meeting Craig said, “Listen, why don’t we outline your two minute version. Just in case.”

“Really?” the client said. “This is pretty important. I’ve been told I’ll have 30 to 45 minutes.”

“Well, let’s just be safe,” said Craig.

You know what happened. His client called right after the presentation. “You won’t believe what just happened.”

Yes, I would.

So here’s the drill. Right before you put the presentation to bed, take a half hour to prepare a two-minute outline.

• Big Idea - 25 words or less
• Three supporting statements, facts or observations
• Call to action or recommendation

I wouldn’t consider yourself ready until you have done this. Even if you get your full time, you might end up on the elevator with the CEO who turns to you and says, “So, what are you working on?” Nice to have that 25 word big idea in your back pocket. If you have 40 floors, or 40 seconds, you want to nail it, right?

You may be really good on your feet, but, don’t leave it to chance. Think it through, imagine those two minutes, and figure out how you would shine. If it happens, you’re going to feel so good when you finish and people are sitting up and paying attention.

I first learned this lesson during my years as a television news anchor, hosting talk segments. I would always ask the author, “So tell me about your book,” or “Why did you write your book,” and there were two ways it would go. There were the authors who got those big saucer eyes, and stammered something like, “Well, you know I’ve worked on this for half my career...but I guess...” Then there were the authors that sat on the edge of their chairs just waiting for that question because they knew exactly what they wanted to say. They owned the TV moment. Note to publishers - why not give every author a little media training?

Anyway, back to your two minutes of fame.

Prepare to astound your audience. When you walk out the door, they’ll want to applaud. They won’t forget. They’ll think of you as the best presenter of the day.

Two minutes? Not a problem!

In fact, what an opportunity.