You're in the midst of an impromptu team meeting. How can you regain control when stumbling in your speech?

A pause is beautiful, it helps regain chain of thoughts. However, sometimes I might have fumbled due to some other linkage of thoughts that came. Then I go ahead with the trail of thoughts and eventually return to original. Some speakers improvise while at times it’s okay to say “I fumbled” From talk to talk it depends .

If you stumble during an impromptu team meeting, regain control by pausing briefly. For example, if you start to lose your train of thought while discussing a project update, take a moment to collect your thoughts. You might say, "Let me take a moment to clarify this point." Use the pause to refocus and organize your next steps. This brief pause not only allows you to regroup but also conveys confidence and poise to your team, showing that you're in control of the situation despite the stumble.

This happens to everyone. We are all human. The first time I presented a brief, I was a 20 year old presenting technical information to a very senior stakeholder in a major military organization and his key staff members. It went well until about half-way through when a question slide came up. I asked a the question and my hands went to each side, when the "clicker" launched out of my hand across the room. Inside I was screaming. I casually walked over and retrieved the "clicker" and said "well that was embarrassing". Everyone got a good laugh and I carried on. After the brief, the stakeholder approached me, said "Well done and great recovery", while shaking my hand. Make a mental note of it, pause, breath and move on.

A confident leader is not one with no mistakes, but one who knows how to acknowledge mistakes and turn them to their benefit. Your reaction to the mistake will determine whether people will see you as a strong leader or a shy person

As part of acknowledging an honest mistake, be open to also asking for help/support. Your team/audience will respect your humanity and want to help you get back on track. Whether you are a speaker or a leader, you don’t have to be perfect and in the imperfections, our grace and character shines through.

- Acknowledge any mistakes or stumbling in your speech with honesty and humility - Apologize if necessary and show vulnerability by admitting to any errors or confusion - Use humor or light-heartedness to address any flubs and ease tension in the meeting - Demonstrate resilience by acknowledging mistakes and moving forward confidently in your speech

With inspiration from Brene Brown's teachings on courage and vulnerability: mistakes that are constructed into the discomfort of growth are what make you a leader. Accept first that flubs will happen even when you're prepared for the presentation and even if you are an expert at presenting. 1. Remember you are human and you're allowed to make mistakes. 2. Think of the audience as individuals you can be your silly or unhinged self around and not the intimidating status of them. 3. Acknowledge your mistake so that it doesn't discredit yourself, but normalizes the courage it takes to be vulnerable in that moment. 4. Brainstorm some humorous responses before the presentation that could be of good use if you fumble. Start small to practice.

#1 One way to regain control in your speech is to pause and breathe. #2 Try to next find your bearing either from what you had written down, or trying to remember the last thing you said. #3 If none of that works, try to go back to the purpose of this impromptu meeting and speak from there! The fact that it is impromptu means that you have to expect that the bar is lower for everyone. Relax and do your job.

This is common in my field. In fact, I have to coach people on how to manage their briefings due to the complexity of some of our work. It's more difficult in an impromptu meeting with no time to prepare, but with practice it's a skill that can be mastered. If the meeting is with a team of your subordinates, you can pause, and start again with something like "this task requires a series of steps, and here's why..." If you are not the senior person, you could pause and say "this is a complex process I'd be happy to go into with you, but the end product will be..."

One way I’ve found is helpful, is to re-focus your audience. If you are stumbling and feel that you’ve lost the audience, transition to an attention-getting ‘so-what’ statement, then talk about how you arrived at your conclusion. Engage the audience by asking for questions. If nobody has questions, then I ask them to rephrase the points you made in their own words. This will help you gauge whether or not your audience understands the point you were trying to convey. If the audience understands, great. If they’re off the mark, this is a time to adjust your approach to get your point or theme across.

Did you pick this up watching me stumble at FLKS? I find it hard to believe you’ve ever “lost the audience.” I learned more from watching you brief than ADP 2.0.

Feel free to laugh, take a deep breath, and pick up where you left off. You're human, your audience is human, and we've all been there before. If you act like it didn't happen and try and drive through it, it increases the chances that you'll continue to fixate on your mistake and have compounding problems. However, if you take a moment to compose yourself and maybe say something a little self-deprecating like "sounds like I need my second cup of coffee", it can put your audience at ease while you get back on track.

First, clarify the purpose of the meeting. Second, explain why the people present for the meeting were invited—what are their roles? Third, establish your priorities of effort and the quality standards you expect. Fourth, provide a realistic timeline for the effort. Fifth, schedule a follow up session to assess the team’s progress, revise the plan as necessary or declare success. Finally, you need to gauge your level of personal involvement. Are you giving guidance and departing, or does your team need you to roll up your sleeves and personally lead them. If you are departing, do you need to meet one-on-one or give additional guidance to a key team member that will lead on site in your absence?

- Emphasize key points or takeaways by repeating them throughout your speech for reinforcement - Summarize important information or insights to ensure understanding and retention by your audience - Use repetition strategically to reinforce key ideas and drive home your main message - Provide examples or anecdotes to illustrate key points and make them more memorable for your audience

It is always a good practice to end with a recap of the most important points and action items. Also consider sending an email with the most important points that where discussed to emphasize them and allow others to remember them.

This happens, especially when you don't have time to prepare. First, acknowledge the flub - I might make a joke out of it and say something like "Well since I can't talk today, let me draw you a picture". I like whiteboards, but I've been known to use a scrap piece of paper as well. You can use the time preparing the visual aids to gather your thoughts and prepare your talking points. I always ask my team for input, ideas, and verify understanding of any decisions made before adjourning the meeting.

Key to leading in small groups is understanding the individual strengths and weaknesses of each of your team members. When you falter in your own speech, knowing to whom you can pass the lead or engage for assistance will help you refocus to regain control of your own train of thought. By using this technique you also strengthen the team as they realize they have roles in helping guide progress and overall value added to the outcome.