Coping With Murphy’s Law

Thomas Leetfl@psp.co.uk

Who am I

• MCT – 19 years• MVP – 17 of past 18 years• Author - PowerShell Bible• Experienced with Murphy’s

Law and the consequences thereof

Murphy’s Law

• Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong

Mrs. Murphy’s Corollary

• Murphy’s was an optimist

The Boy Scout’s Motto

• Be Prepared!

• Expect the worst, hope for a lot better

Variations on a Theme

• The Contract• Travel• Accommodation• The CPLS• The MOC• The Students• Getting Back Home

The Contract

• Brokers and CPLSs are NOT your friend– They are businesses with

lawyers– Their contracts protect THEM

• You get what you negotiate– Or – you get what they want if

you don’t

• Haggle– Be flexible

Contract vs PO

• A PO and a contract are not always the same thing

• Unless you have a signed and authorised PO, you do not have a gig– And you will not get paid

• Ensure your payment terms are spelt out somewhere

Travelling

• Sooner or later you will:– Have a flight cancelled– Discover there’s a strike– Land in the wrong city– Loose your bags– Get robbed/mugged or worse

Travelling

• Amex may be expensive– But they can be a life saver

• Get into a frequent flyer/guest programme– Get rewarded for your pain– “Gold’ Members trump the hoi polli

• Pay for forward cabins• Know your airline/train schedules

– Always have a Plan B

• Google your destination and have maps– Not all cab drivers speak your language

(even in your home country)

Travelling (2)

• Get to the airport early– Sometimes you can catch an

earlier flight– The sooner you know, the

sooner they can fix things– Airplanes leave when they

leave, not when you get there– Know the free wireless areas!– Did you pack the power

Converter/phone USB cable?

Accommodation

• Check the room/hotel before you leave

• Be prepared to refuse a room• Ask for an upgrade if possible• Be VERY nice to the checkin

staff• Avoid cheap hotels– Sometimes you get what you

pay for

The CPLS

• Know where they or their customer are– Their address may not be

where the course it

• If they are new to you– Check them out for things like

payment terms, conditions etc.

Work With the CPLS

• Their success is their success

• Get to know and work with their sales staff

• If you help sell the course, it’s yours to run:– on at least some of your

terms

• Identify extra opportunities arising from the class

Assume nothing!

The Course

• What are you really teaching today?– Negotiate with the class

• Some MOC is good, but some MOC isn’t– Live with it and execute Plan B

• With good MOC, you have an easy life– Enjoy it and let your enjoyment infect

the audience

• No matter how crap the MOC, the event should be outstanding

• Own the course

Dealing with Crap MOC

• Have demos, hand outs, goodies, blog posts, etc.

• Create a web portal for the subject

• Have a library of related slides WITH YOU

• It should be obvious – know the technical stuff

Training Material

Assume nothing!

Assume Nothing

AssumeAss u me

In the classroom

• Machines break• Hard disks fail• Memory sticks go wonky• Have cloud backup– DropBox (http://db.tt/qs3ZY65)

–MSFT’s SkyDrive– Consider encryption

The Students

• Half of the students are below average– Work with that

• Some don’t want to be there– If so, establish that ASAP and let

them go do their own thing

• Some students know it all– Always have a question very few

people really know the answer to– But avoid alienation

The Students

• Some students are great!• Some will challenge you– Avoid over demanding ones

• Some will become life-long friends

• Know what a diabetic hypo looks like

• You can’t please all of the people all of the time

Evaluation Time

• Student attitude affects the evaluation

• Side issues can hit you– Hardware/software– Heating/light– Food

• Bribery works

Heading Home

• Warn a CPLS of any class issues as early as possible

• Get anything you need to get paid signed off before you exit

• Collect your invoices/receipts• Bill promptly• Chase ruthlessly but politely• Know the person who cuts

your cheque

In Summary

• Things happen• Have a plan with how to

deal with every eventuality• You are not alone