Prior to giving a talk to a business group in Atlanta, I was waiting in a tiny concrete dressing room, just reading the Atlanta Constitution Journal and using my Blackberry. It quickly became apparent that the backstage crew uses the bathroom in the dressing room because it’s nearby and rarely occupied by speakers.
One of the AV technicians came rushing in and was startled to find anyone sitting there. He recognized me from the earlier sound check. Now he had a dilemma. I could tell from the look on his face that this visit wasn’t going to be the brief kind. The dressing room is tiny and concrete, with little privacy from the business area of the bathroom. I could practically see the gears going in his head.
Do I just act nonchalant and go pinch out a steamer in this tiny airless dressing room? How professional would it be to leave the keynote speaker marinating?
He hesitated. He said hi. He continued to the bathroom, then paused, put his head down and shuffled out as fast as he could, as if maybe he had only gone in to use the mirror to check his beard for anomalies.
A few minutes later, another technician came rushing in. Surprise. Hesitation. But he decided to go for it, since it was only the quick kind.
The third guy was the funniest: Surprise. Hesitation. Then he did the “just here to wash my hands” fake before scurrying away.
It made me wonder what I would have done in their situation. I think I would have gone for the hand washing fake, possibly mumbling something like “Just ate an orange.” That lends a suggestion of both cleanliness and fresh citrus to the otherwise awkward situation. Sometimes that’s the best you can do.