JAMES BOND HAS Q on hand to supply him with getaway plans and gadgets, but us lesser beings have to just play the hand we’re dealt.
Or do we? What if there were tricky little ways to get out of life’s stickier situations? Well, you’re in luck. Because there are, and we’re here to show you how.
Here are the most hair-raising, sweat-inducing life situations we all get ourselves in to from time to time. And – more importantly – how to get yourself right out of them.
1. Date going awry?
Scenario: First date disaster zone. So the worst happens – they burst into tears about their ex, it turns out you’re third cousins, you spill red wine into their lap. That kind of thing. Whatever utter catastrophe has befallen your evening, one thing is for certain: you need to get out of there. But how?
Solution: Get a trusted friend to phone you 30 minutes into any first date as a general rule. If things are going well, you don’t answer. If things are going terribly, however, you can use this as an escape plan. “The pipes have burst at home!” you can say. “I have to leave immediately!” Perfect ripcord-pulling. Skate on out of there.
2. Have trouble remembering names?
Scenario: It’s an important business meeting. From across the room, you spot that important client. There’s just one problem – their name has gone AWOL from your brain. Panic stations. What to do?
Solution: You’ve got to style this one out. Use neutral terms of endearment instead, introduce them to someone nearby and let them say their own name, or bite the bullet and admit you’ve got a head like a sieve. And for the next time, try immediate repetition, word association or mnemonics to avoid dodgy repeated introductions.
3. The dreaded accidental “reply all”
Scenario: You’ve received an important email, but you only want to send one snarky reply back to your best mate in the office. Except – no, no, that awful sinking feeling - you’ve sent it to EVERYONE. Perhaps you should quit, there and then.
Solution: Almost all email clients have a recall button for emails – it’s an invaluable tool for the indiscreet and/or sly. Once you set it up, you’ll be able to claw back any ill-advised missives within minutes. Set this up immediately. (Gmail can’t do anything about your Sentbox of Doom after a night out, though. You’re on your own there.)
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4. Mixing up your slides in a presentation
Scenario: It’s a bog-standard, boring presentation about the rate of inflation on plastic bottle caps in Laois. There should be no surprises here, just facts, data, graphs and – that photo of you acting the complete maggot on a stag party after a feed of pints. And, yep, that’s the district manager watching.
Solution: Front it out. Bolt your game-face on and claim it was a piece of ingenious business psychology to make sure they were all focused on the presentation. Don’t back down, don’t surrender.
What are some of your solutions for real life sticky situations? Let us know in the comments – share the wealth.
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