Protect Your Talk from Memory Lapses

It's a speaker's worst nightmare: blanking on words in the midst of a speech.

It happened to me.

But I was prepared.

When I couldn't find my words, I simply paused.

As actors doing outdoor shows will do if the roar of a plane flying overhead drowns out their voices.

This tactic protects the show until the disruption passes.

SAVED BY LANDMARKS

As I waited for my words to come back to me, my brain ticked through the emotional landmarks I'd put in place while preparing the talk - groupings of three or four words I'd selected expressly for the special emotional resonance they held for me, so they would trigger my memory if I had a lapse.

And although it seemed like minutes were dragging by as I waited to find my words again, in fact it was only a few seconds.

FINDING THE THREAD

Finally reconnecting with the ideas I'd spoken about a little earlier, I then started to roll forward in my mind until I was reminded of the new things I needed to talk about.

Sometimes, using this method, you might wind up picking the talk up again a bit ahead of where you intended to be. But by staying alert you can weave a transition that pulls the ideas together without the audience noticing any big gap in the narrative.

It is a small price to pay for emerging from a potentially embarrassing mental hiccup unscathed.

I'm not the only seasoned speaker who ever blanked out on stage.

Even the biggest pros can have moments where they zone out in the midst of a presentation.

But they control the tendency to panic by leaning on their landmarks.

FEELING GROUNDED

When you build your talk from keywords that resonate emotionally for you, you give yourself a beacon to fall back on when you lose your way.

And when you implement this recovery strategy gracefully, the audience will be unaware you stumbled.

What's more, knowing you have this protection will make you feel grounded when you speak; that in turn will keep anxiety under control and help you feel freer to create the impact you desire.??

CREATING A RECOVERY PLAN

Here's how to construct your own recovery strategy if you get lost in your speech:

First, design your slides with as few words as possible. It’s OK to lean on your slides a bit to remember your words but you don’t want to appear to be reading heavily from them.?

For one thing, it interrupts your eye?contact with the crowd.?

For another, it makes the slides seem more important than they deserve to be.??

The star?of the presentation always must be you, never the slides.?

Second, strive to learn the narrative of the presentation just as you would a talk without slides.?

DITCH THE SCRIPT

Follow these five steps:

1. Write the speech out in full sentences (but DON'T try memorizing it; the audience will be able to tell if you're reciting a script in full sentences - usually your eye contact with the crowd suffers as you look within yourself for the words, which only adds to the damage you already inflict on your performance by delivering a stilted outing.?
2. Pick 2-3 key words or a brief phrase from each sentence or paragraph that resonate for you, making it easier to recall the text.
3. Practice delivering the speech to the key words.?
4. Keep changing and throwing away key words that leave you unmoved or feel unnecessary.
5. Once you can deliver the narrative while making it sound as if the words are occurring to you spontaneously, practice doing the presentation with slides.??

DON'T APOLOGIZE

A word of caution: If you do forget your words, don't draw attention to it by apologizing to the crowd, by saying "I'm sorry ...." or by exclaiming: "Uh, I forgot what I was going to say."

The audience may not even notice you've lost your place.

Plus, you don't owe them an apology, as long as you deliver the talk, even if you wind up omitting a chunk due to the disruption (they won't know).

Simply pause and go through your touchpoints as I did, and wait for the memory to kick in. Don't worry about time passing. You maintain control of the situation as long as you remain immobile.

CAREER GROWTH

Knowing how to protect yourself from embarrassing stumbles on the speaking stage is key if you're going to advance in your career and handle the increased speaking and presentation responsibilities that go with the bigger role, whether it’s to demonstrate a new product or talk up your brand in a conference.?

Just imagine the impact you'll make by knowing how to handle stumbles like a pro!

Master this skill, and the audience will remain oblivious to any missteps.

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You’re giving a presentation in a small room off the exhibit hall toward which most people at the fair gravitate.

They've been encouraged to drop in on your short talk, which you are to repeat throughout the day. But they are under no obligation to stick around to listen to you.

You could have people coming and going all day as you deliver the talk while showing a few slides.

Find out more on what to do and how to handle situations like these in the full post in the link below:

Giving a Talk: Here’s the First Thing to Tackle... And It’s Probably Not What You Think!

Job 1 when you’re preparing to speak in public is focusing on the audience’s needs.

• Their need to learn from and be guided by you.

• Their need to feel you are trustworthy and credible.?

• Their need for practical job-related information.?

• Their need to be kept engaged while you speak.

Discover what you should be thinking as you pull together your talk, or presentation, or meeting remarks in the full post linked below:

MICHAEL'S MOTIVATING MISSIVE

The opportunities and goals you seek don't just happen, you have to create them.

Here's a mindset tip: don’t limit yourself into thinking that you can only do what you have always done or seen others do.

You can go as far as your mind and determination allow you. Believe in yourself and what you are capable of.

THANKS FOR SPENDING TIME READING THIS NEWSLETTER! LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKED IT.

And remember, as the US business consultant and author Price Pritchett says: "If you must doubt something, doubt your limits."

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SEE YOU SOON ... UNLEASH THE POWER OF YOUR VOICE!

COPYRIGHT 2023 MICHAEL BARRIS

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