What do you do when your mind goes blank while presenting?
Prepare so you can find your way back: know your first 30 seconds cold, build three or four anchor points, and speak from bullet prompts instead of a script.
What I say in the video
Your mind just went blank. You can't remember where you are or what you're supposed to say next. There are a few things you can do before you present to make blanking out much less likely.
First: know your first 30 seconds cold. If you can get through that first half minute, your breathing settles, and the rest flows much more naturally.
Second: chunk your content into three or four anchor points. Just the three or four key ideas your talk is built around.
Third: work from bullet prompts instead of a memorized script.
The goal isn't to be perfect. It's to know that when it happens, you can find your way back.
What I didn’t say in the video
Those anchor points aren't just prep. They're how you get back.
When you blank, you go hunting for the exact next sentence. That's the one thing your brain can't hand you right then. What it can do is answer two easier questions: which anchor did I just finish, and which one comes next? Pick the next one and start talking about it. You don't need the words you planned. You need the idea.
Give yourself the pause to do it. Three to five seconds feels endless from up there. To the room, it barely registers, and a lot of the time it reads as intentional.
Try it today
Take whatever you're presenting next and write its anchor points on a sticky note. Try to limit it to three or four.
Bill Smartt is a New York executive presence and public speaking coach and the founder of Smartt Talk. He works with leaders in financial services, tech, advertising and startups.
