Updated September 2026: this 2019 post described building a better version of a deck under a tight deadline, only for the delivery person who had set up the late-night review call to tell me, with the account team already waiting, that she could not attend. I have rewritten it into advice on presenting alone when a colleague drops out at the last minute.
After the morning call I knew there were hours of work ahead. I told the delivery person I would build the structure and we could tailor it to the client's needs. Knowing the team and the material well, I finished faster than expected, improved the deck and shared it with the account team. The review was set for late at night by the delivery person herself. With the account team already on the call, she phoned to say she could not join.
What should you do in the first few minutes?
Stay calm and tell the attendees plainly: the delivery lead cannot join, and you will walk through the deck and capture questions for her. People accept a changed plan far better than an unexplained one. Do not apologise at length or speculate about why.
How do you present content that is partly someone else's?
- Present what you know confidently: the structure, storyline and slides you built.
- Flag what belongs to the absent colleague: "The delivery estimates are Priya's; I'll take your questions to her."
- Do not commit on her behalf to numbers, dates or scope.
How do you capture questions you cannot answer?
Write each one down with who asked, and read the list back at the end so attendees know nothing was lost. Send it to the absent colleague straight after the call, with the account team copied, and agree a time for answers.
How do you prepare for this happening?
On any important call, know the deck well enough to present it alone. Ask colleagues for two lines on their sections before the meeting. It takes little time and turns a last-minute absence from a crisis into a small change of plan.
What should you say to the colleague afterwards?
Give a short, neutral summary of the call and the open questions. If late withdrawals become a pattern, raise it with your manager, focusing on the effect on the client, not on blame.
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