If your greatest speaking fear is having your mind go blank in front of a live audience,
it’s important you understand something very important - it will most likely happen
at some point. Did your stomach just drop at the thought of this? Do you worry - Will
I forget your line? Will I lose credibility in a split second? How can you recover when
you lose your place? After years of working in live television and as a keynote speaker,
there have been plenty of blank out moments, some awkward, some memorable. Mostly awkward.
To keep your credibility, it all comes down to how we prepare and respond to these situations.
In this video, we breakdown how you can prevent blanking out and how you can recover like
a pro if it happens. I’m Riaz, Welcome to the channel that helps
leaders, coaches and experts connect with confidence every time you speak. Subscribe
to get the latest videos and best tips that will elevate your speaking influence and impact.
Having your mind go blank is a common fear for every speaker, especially when speaking
anxiety becomes overwhelming. We put in all the work to prepare our presentation, rehearse
our messaging and end up in fight or flight mode when presenting because we are only thinking
about ourselves and how WE come across. Remember, the audience doesn’t care about you until
they know you care about them. Before even thinking about how to recover when your mind
goes blank, it helps to focus your mindset on a preventative approach to keep you in
a calmer state. Where can you start? Do a Table Read We see
this done with actors in film and television all the time. They get together around a table
and follow a simple and effective exercise. They practice out loud with a table read to
get comfortable saying their lines. Why is this effective? It’s because you are getting
your mouth used to saying the words and brain familiar with hearing them. If you’ve written
out your speech, and for the record I encourage you to use stories and bullet points instead
of memorizing the whole speech verbatim, practice as if you’re talking to one person. See
the words, hear yourself reciting the words and get confident delivering them.
Create Value Not Perfection If we prioritize discovering the needs of our audience beforehand
and determine how our expertise and ideas can make their lives better, we transform
our nerves to excitement. When you know you have the ability to help others, you will
be able to stay present in the moment and make it all about them. When we’re caught
up in how WE come across, we miss the opportunity to give them something valuable because we’re
focused on the wrong thing. Own The Tone
Even if you’ve done your prep work to write and rehearse your content, there’s still
a chance you might forget your words and go blank. A key tip to keep in mind, is that
you set the tone for this moment. Speaking is a game of follow the leader. If you act
like it’s not a big deal, the audience will follow your lead. The more you focus on your
mistake, the more the audience will focus on it too. If you stay present in the moment
and smile and simply say……………
“I totally lost my train of thought, can someone help me out and remind me what my
last point was?’………………………………………. This demonstrates your humility. It also conveys
you are confident enough to own it and ask for help. Then pick things up and keep going.
The audience always cheers for an underdog and will jump in to help. Own the moment,
share it with them, and have a laugh about it, where appropriate. This will help you
stay in a calm state and alleviate your anxiety. Convey Credibility Before Vulnerability It can be
an extremely vulnerable moment to lose your place when countless eyes are staring at you.
In Psychology, there’s a term known as the Pratfall effect. When you are seen as the
authority or have the respect of your audience and you go first and share a bit of vulnerability
about losing your place, this moment can create deeper connection and bring the audience closer.
However, if you haven’t established your expertise and people are questioning your
competence to begin with and then you share you forgot your next point, this could backfire
and create distance instead of connection. This context is important to consider when
determining how you will respond. When all else fails, slow down your pace and
make your audience part of the presentation. You could prompt them by asking about your
last point. You could keep the conversation going and ask about their pain points and
during that discussion, give yourself a chance to gather your thoughts and then continue
on. Instead of worrying about how you’ll come across when your mind goes blank, double
down on showing you value their interaction and chances are they won’t even notice that
you missed your mark in the first place. Have you ever blanked out while speaking?
How did you handle it? Share your best tip in the comments below. For more ideas on presenting
and meaningful human connection, you can download the free guide - the 5 secrets to making every
conversation count, that link is in the description. If you are looking to level up your presenting
skills and connect with confidence every time you speak, apply for The Magnetic Presenter
program that helps transform you and your ideas into powerful presentations that elevate
your impact and influence. Thanks for watching this video - if you want
to conquer your speaking anxiety or stop rambling and be more concise, check out these videos.
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