By Frank Kenna

While attending a trade show recently, the unthinkable happened!  I went to answer a call on my iPhone and the screen went black. I calmly tried to restart it only to have it repeatedly turn off. Now starting to fear the worse, I tried pressing every combination of buttons I could think of, but quickly got that sinking feeling that I was being cast adrift in cyberspace.

So there I was, 1,000 miles from home, and I needed to change flight and hotel plans for the following night.  And no phone, texting or email capability. (Breathe deeply, keep repeating: I will not panic, I will not panic…)

Have you tried to find a payphone lately?  Don’t bother, they don’t exist - at least not in the Orlando Convention Center. Luckily the people I was with were willing to let me borrow their phones so I could notify associates and family members that I was off the grid. I then proceeded to make the tedious re-booking arrangements whenever I could quickly borrow a phone. Finally, in the silver-lining department, a visit to the local apple store resulted in a new iPhone4.

What a difference communications makes… we take it for granted until it’s gone.  On the road or in the workplace, communications are key.