How to Recover from a Brownout
Perhaps this has happened to you.
Every speaker faces this problem at some point during a presentation. You can
prepare yourself to handle the brownout and recover masterfully.
What is a
Brownout?
While you are speaking - you
suddenly forget what you intended to say next. Your brain didn't totally
blackout. It simply browned out and you felt terrible. You might even feel
embarrassed, foolish and anxious.
What can you
do?
Ignore the over-powering impulse
to drop your jaw and let this annoying sound escape from your mouth:
"ahhhhhhhhh."
Don't look sheepish and confess,
"I forgot what comes next".
Don't frown and search the
ceiling for your words.
Instead, pause and
smile while looking at your audience.
You won't feel like doing that,
but that is exactly what you should do. Why? Because if you pause and frown the
audience knows that you are in trouble. When you pause and smile they believe
that you are in complete control. They might assume that you are pausing for
effect.
Your audience doesn't need to
know that you have experienced a brownout. You want to convey the image that you
are in control of your presentation.
When you pause and smile you
accomplish two things. First you show the audience that you are confident, and
secondly the pause and smile might be calming enough to get your brain back on
track.
What if that doesn't help
you remember?
Another recovery technique is to
repeat the last word or phrase that you said. The effect can be like rewinding
the tape in your brain. You need to back up a bit to renew your forward
momentum.
If that doesn't work then pose a
rhetorical question, "Where do we go from here?" The question will trigger your
brain to work on answering the question. The audience will believe that you are
posing the question for emphasis.
If you still can't remember and
don't answer the question people in your audience are likely to offer answers to
your question. If they were listening closely they will probably be right and
you simply carry on with your presentation as if nothing ever went wrong.
Remember to keep smiling.
Presentation Tips on Twitter
Presentation Skills Club on Facebook
Executive Speech Coach,
Business presentation tips from George Torok,
the Speech Coach for Executives
No comments:
Post a Comment