Speaking with a Hangover

Brett Tabke has been running the PubCon/Webmaster world conferences for as long as I remember and posts a great piece on how to give a great presentation. Since the main PubCon is always in Vegas, he also rounds it out with some sage advice on how to prepare ahead of time in anticipation of having to give your talk after a night of drinking.

• Lay out your speaking attire the night before going out to a fun PubCon bash. Put your PowerPoint on a USB stick and put it in the pants pocket. Make sure you have cab fare and directions prepared if you are staying away from the conference hotel.
• Pack some eye drops in your overnight bag for every conference. Use ’em for the redness.
• Light colored or clear alcohols are better. They have fewer byproducts. Milder hangovers.
• Less than one drink an hour and skip the beer bongs, jello shots, and tequila twisters.
• Fill up on as much food as possible while drinking. Multivitamins and especially Vitamin C are said to help some people.
• Pain killers (aspirin tends to work better with hangovers).
• Eat as soon as you think it will stay down.
• Bland liquids – lots of water – caffeinate liberally – Gatorade if available.
• Take a long hot – then cold shower.
• Go last on your panel.
• Warm climates like Vegas, make partying much easier than cold climates like – oh say – cold and windy Chicago.
• Turn down the brightness on the presentation laptop then request the lights be lowered so people can see the screen better.
• Buy a pair of lightly tinted sunglasses that look like real glasses.
• Women – avoid high heels the day of your presentation. Men – clip on ties only.
• If you expect a hangover, then bribe your chairman to put you last in the day very early on in the speaking selection process.