Okay, so remember that Shaq moment? Where he’s just chilling and someone hits him with “Shaq, we’re on live”? That sudden jolt of realization? Yeah, I had a moment just like that myself during a project a while back. It wasn’t on TV, thankfully, but it sure felt like it.
We were in the middle of this really messy deployment. Things weren’t going smoothly, lots of back and forth, typical stressful stuff. I was on a big conference call, mostly listening in, but also troubleshooting a specific piece on my end. Had my headset on, screen sharing active earlier to show something specific.
The main discussion drones on. I finish my little troubleshooting task, feeling pretty good about nailing it down. I thought I’d turned off my screen share and muted my mic. Standard procedure, right? So, I lean back, stretch, and let out this huge sigh. Under my breath, but maybe not quite under my breath enough, I mumbled something like, “Finally wrestled that pig. What a mess.” Referring to the code, of course, not a person… mostly.
Silence on the call for a beat. Then, the project manager’s voice, clear as a bell, cuts through, “Uh, Dave? You’re still sharing your screen. And your mic’s hot.”
Boom. Just like Shaq. That instant freeze. My eyes probably went wide. I could feel my face getting warm. I quickly fumbled for the mute button and the screen share toggle, clicking them off properly this time. Managed a weak, “Ah, sorry about that, folks. Just uh… thinking out loud.” Smooth. Real smooth.
It was embarrassing, yeah, but also kinda funny later. Mostly embarrassing at the time. It definitely made me rethink how I handle myself during those long calls or remote sessions.
Lessons From My Own ‘We’re Live’ Moment
It wasn’t some huge disaster, nobody got fired, but it was a good wake-up call. Made me tighten up my own process. Here’s what I drilled into my head after that:
- Double-Tap Disable: Always physically check the mic mute button on my headset AND the software mute button in the call app. Same for screen sharing – actively look for the ‘stop sharing’ confirmation. Don’t just assume you clicked it right.
- Assume Hot Mic: Just operate as if the mic could become live at any second. Keep the colorful commentary for when I’m definitely offline.
- Clean Desktop Policy: Since I shared my screen unexpectedly, it also reinforced keeping my desktop clean. No weird files or embarrassing browser tabs visible. Always assume someone might see your screen, even accidentally.
- Pause Before Venting: Take a breath. If frustrated, step away from the machine for a minute instead of muttering curses while still connected to a call, even if muted. You never know.
So yeah, that was my “Shaq, we’re on live” practice run. A simple, slightly cringey reminder that in today’s world, especially with remote work, you gotta be mindful of when that digital red light might actually be on. Always better to assume you are live, just in case.
